Texas HS Girls Team Spotlight: Walnut Grove

PROSPER, TX: It is fairly common to see a new team struggle to find their feet in their inaugural season. You can expect there will be complications and growing pains as a new program tries to establish themselves early on, but that is not what you will see if you watch the Walnut Grove Girls play. The Grove girls have already established themselves as the team to beat this year in District 10-5A. Through 7 matches, the Wildcats find themselves on top of the district with an undefeated record of 6-0-1. They are a well-rounded squad from back to front, and they have key players that can dominate all three phases of the game.   Anchoring the back four is Senior center-back and team captain, [player_tooltip player_id='142758' first='Gianna' last='Wilbur']. Gianna is a stellar center-back whose dominance in the air makes her a major goal-scoring threat on attacking set pieces. Her physicality, athleticism, leadership, and toughness are exactly what you want in a center-back, and give her such a high ceiling.   At the left back position for Walnut Grove is sophomore, [player_tooltip player_id='136471' first='Lily' last='Miller']. The first thing you will probably notice about Lily is her pace and quickness. She has a great left foot and can find forward runners with long balls over the top from deep. Her level of fitness and speed make her a perfect fit at wing-back.   [player_tooltip player_id='26521' first='Averi' last='Scruggs'] is a solid defender who brings a lot of consistency to the outside back position. She has the vision to keep track of and mark attackers, and she is strong going into tackles or challenges. Averi anticipates play well to intercept or cut off passes, and has become a very reliable player.   They have multiple players across the field that can get involved in going forward and scoring goals, but when talking about goals then you have to start with sophomore striker, [player_tooltip player_id='163315' first='Grace' last='Miller']. Grace is excellent in front of net and she converts chances at a high rate. Grace's movement off the ball can make her difficult for defenders to keep track of (especially in the box).   The Wildcats have pair of break-out young players this season in freshman, Maya Nohr and [player_tooltip player_id='112641' first='Ellery' last='Robson']. Ellery's is a fast forward who gives her teammates the option to play it long over the top. She is excellent at getting on the end of through balls and creating 1v1 chances for herself. Her quick feet allow her to get shots off in traffic or turn defenders. Maya is talented attacker who excels at going forward with the ball at her feet. She is a technical player with a great first touch. Maya's best attribute as a forward is her ability to shoot and score consistently from distance, and she scores some spectacular goals from outside the box.   The Wildcats are one of the hottest teams in 5A right now. They are great back to front which is shown by their record of 20 goals for and 3 against. They are well-organized and cohesive which is surprising considering this is their first season, and how many younger players there are on the roster. The Wildcats look to continue their dominance over district 10 on February 20th against Liberty.   [player_tooltip player_id='26521' first='Averi' last='Scruggs'] – Texans 08 ECNL, defender, 2026   Maya Nohr -Fc dallas 09 ecnl-rl, forward, 2027   [player_tooltip player_id='136471' first='Lily' last='Miller'] - DKSC 08/U16 ECNL, left back, 2026   [player_tooltip player_id='26969' first='Leah' last='Edler'] -FCD08 ECNL, LB/LM, 2027   [player_tooltip player_id='163315' first='Grace' last='Miller'] - Sting Royal ECRL 08, striker, 2026   [player_tooltip player_id='142758' first='Gianna' last='Wilbur'] -Sting Black U17 ECNL, center back, 2025   [player_tooltip player_id='112641' first='Ellery' last='Robson'] – Texans 09 ECNL, forward, 2027

PROSPER, TX: It is fairly common to see a new team struggle to find their feet in their inaugural season. You can expect there will be complications and growing pains as a new program tries to establish themselves early on, but that is not what you will see if you watch the Walnut Grove Girls play. The Grove girls have already established themselves as the team to beat this year in District 10-5A. Through 7 matches, the Wildcats find themselves on top of the district with an undefeated record of 6-0-1. They are a well-rounded squad from back to front, and they have key players that can dominate all three phases of the game.