HIGH SCHOOL

Hines, Barney strengthen Woodmore, Oak Harbor

Matthew Horn
Reporter

Sometimes, you don’t know what you have until it’s gone. That was not the case for the girls soccer teams at Oak Harbor and Woodmore last season.

The Wildcats won 14 games and qualified to the district finals, while the Rockets won 10 games before falling in the sectional finals. But everyone knew exactly what was missing from each team.

Oak Harbor junior Emma Barney and Woodmore senior Maddy Hines played for the Greater Toledo Football Club’s Impact last fall. They were in search of strong competition to showcase their talents and opportunities for exposure in tournaments around the country.

“I went for a different experience and to try to improve my skills,” Hines said. “We have a very strong team. I wanted to be back for my senior year. I missed it. The girls and the atmosphere. Playing under the lights.”

Barney and Hines are midfielders who can pass and score on the attack and disrupt plays and transition on defense. They can anticipate with their vision of the field and make their teammates better.

Oak Harbor’s Paige Velliquette, Noelle Petersen and Alexa Weis, as well as Woodmore’s Jesse Wegert, Camryn Bench, Lily Rothert and Hayley Freund, are among the top players in their leagues.

“(Barney) and Maddy (Rathbun) in the middle is huge,” Rockets coach Renee Williamson said. “We don’t miss many balls in the middle. We have support in the middle and we have options.”

Woodmore finished second in the Northern Buckeye Conference last season. It fell to Oak Harbor in the district finals as Hines was first-team all-district as a sophomore.

“She controls our midfield with her leadership ability as a captain,” Wildcats coach Jason Allen said. “On and off the field.”

The Rockets and Wildcats tied 1-1 in a matchup last month. They are no longer in the same division for the postseason.

Barney was all-Ohio as a freshman as Oak Harbor advanced to the state semifinals. She was Sandusky Bay Conference player of the year.

The Rockets have earned at least a share of the conference crown every year since it was formed.

Barney and Hines, who remain close and will be reunited as club teammates in the spring, said they are thrilled with their decisions. Their teams share in the joy.

“I missed the fun and the crowd,” Barney said. “I get to play with my friends. The goal is to win the conference and possibly (go back to state).”

mhorn@gannett.com

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Twitter:@MatthewHornNH