Tennessee commit, Huff, leaving unprecedented legacy on Madison soccer program
MANSFIELD, Ohio (BVM) — Not many athletes have had the impact that Taylor Huff has had on her school’s soccer program. A senior at Madison Comprehensive High School, Huff has scored over 100 career goals and is already a three-time All-American. As her senior season wraps up, the 18-year-old is hoping to add a few more accomplishments to her resume.
Huff may have always been destined for a life of soccer, as she attended her older sister’s game with her mom the day after she was born. Just three years later, Huff would be out on the pitch for herself.
An all-around athlete, Huff participated in basketball, softball and track throughout her youth. But watching her older sister play soccer at a young age is what really drew her to the sport. Meanwhile, Huff’s father, Zac, coached the girls while also founding a local soccer club in the area, Mansfield Crew.
In order to play with her sister during her youth, Taylor had to play with girls who were three years older than her. While most would consider this a challenge, Taylor exceled, playing as well, if not better, than several of the older girls.
After playing a few years locally, Taylor decided to go up to Cleveland to play higher-level club soccer. She would go on to play for Cleveland Futbol Club and later compete with OP Fire-Northeast Ohio Soccer Club. With OP Fire, Taylor’s team earned a No. 1-ranking in the nation.
Taylor continued moving up through the ranks with Internationals Girls Soccer Club, where she got to travel to several states while playing in front of numerous college coaches. As a result, many schools were after Taylor early on in her high school career, and even prior, as she received one of her first offer letters from the University of Michigan in eighth grade.
It wasn’t before long that Taylor would end up making her college decision, committing to play at the University of Tennessee during her freshman year of high school.
“Right when I stepped on the campus, I fell in love with it,” Taylor said about Tennessee. “My parents were huge in my recruiting process since I was so young. I got my first letter as an eighth grader and I started getting them from bigger colleges and realized this was serious. Freshman year I started taking visits but I just knew Tennessee was the right fit for me. I’m so excited to go there.”
After seeing Taylor play during her high school career, the Volunteers have to be thrilled to have her coming into their program.
Going into her freshman year at Madison, there was a lot of hype surrounding Taylor. While some athletes might feel pressure, Taylor relished the moment. In her first ever high school game, the midfielder scored all four goals for her team in a two-score victory.
“I remember that everyone was so excited to watch me play,” Taylor said. “I don’t know why but I wasn’t really nervous. Going out in the first game and scoring the only four goals scored was kind of crazy for me to do. I think all the nerves and adrenaline just kind of spilled out.”
Taylor would go on to score 34 goals over the course of that first season, to pair with 21 assists. She helped lead the Rams all the way to the state semifinals with a final record of 21-2-0. Although a heartbreaking loss ended the season, Taylor cherished it as she was able to play with her older sister who was a senior on the team.
Part of Taylor’s comfort right away came from not only playing alongside her sister, but also being coached by her dad, who has gotten to share several fond memories with his daughter over the years.
“Not many people can say they were coached by their dad in high school,” Taylor said. “It’s a cool experience that we’ve shared and have cherished as a family. We’re an all-around soccer family and our relationship is cool with how open it is and how much he respects me.”
As a sophomore, Taylor would not miss a beat, scoring another 31 goals to go along with 19 assists. Unfortunately, with a younger team, the Rams would not have quite as much success as in 2017, losing in regionals.
However, after the disappointment of that season, Taylor and her team would come back with a vengeance in 2019. The Madison soccer star would again score 34 goals as a junior, dish out 26 assists, and lead her team to the state championship game.
While the Rams came up just short of a state title once again, Taylor did end up receiving some special accolades at the end of the season. Perhaps the most special achievement was being named Division II Player of the Year in Ohio. At the same time, Zac was named Division II Coach of the Year, creating another special father-daughter moment for the pair.
“It was awesome to be named the state’s player of the year for Division II,” Taylor said. “And my dad being named coach of the year was really special too. That’s something we’ll share forever.
“I knew we were going to go to the state finals because we worked so hard and deserved it. We had 25 girls and we clicked like no other. We had a goal in mind and knew that we were going to accomplish it. We fell short in the championship game but everyone was so proud after the game just for making it there.”
Despite the sense of accomplishment the Rams rightfully had, not winning the ultimate prize created some added motivation to the 2020 soccer season. Taylor and her dad both agree that they would trade their personal accolades to have won a state title, but they have another chance at doing so this fall.
With the pandemic affecting sports over the spring and summer, Taylor was able to take a break from soccer and work out constantly.
“I thrived during the pandemic,” Taylor said. “I was working out and running every day probably more than I should have, honestly. But I grew a lot during the pandemic because I had so much time on my hands, and I used it wisely.”
Taylor’s hard work has paid off as she has played her senior season at Madison. The 18-year-old soccer star has just felt thankful to have a season this fall. But her team has clearly taken advantage, being ranked No. 1 in Division II during the season in the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association state poll.
With the uncertainties surrounding the season, Taylor claims part of the Rams’ success has come from playing every game like it could be their last. Wearing masks while playing and not having close friends at games has also given the year a different feel.
But it hasn’t stopped her team from maintaining their success. The Rams finished the season undefeated, due in large part to Taylor’s play yet again. The senior has again achieved double-digit goal and assist totals, and has even moved into the top five on the state’s career assist list.
Taylor also reached the 100-goal milestone in her first game of the season, an achievement that she is very proud of.
“It was really awesome to score my 100th goal because it shows that all the hard work paid off,” Taylor said. “It’s in the record books and was cool for me to see because I know how much time and effort goes into my soccer training.”
And even with all the successes and accomplishments, Taylor’s training does not stop. In fact, after that first game of the season, she was found back on the soccer field early in the morning — as she often is — working on her craft again.
“I’m just a perfectionist that wants to be the best and I’m going to do what it takes to be the best,” Taylor said. “My work ethic really comes from my dad and I just want to be the best teammate and player I can be for my team. I don’t want to let them down and want to be the best version of myself.”
It would be hard to argue that Taylor hasn’t been exactly that over her four years at Madison. In her first three seasons, the 18-year-old was named an All-American, and very likely will make it a fourth after all is said and done this year. But as a team player, Taylor credits the girls around her for a large part of her success, and hopes she and the senior class of 10 girls on her team have left a lasting impact on this Rams’ program.
“My class is just so close,” Taylor said. “We all grew up playing together and it’s just crazy to see where we started and where we are at now. We’re like sisters to each other and play with one another really, really well, and that connection helps on the field.
“It’s kind of neat just to see how much of an impact I’ve made on the community soccer-wise. Making an impact to the point where everyone knows who you are is kind of crazy.”
Taylor and her teammates will now look to grab that elusive state championship that they have been chasing the last few years. But after that, and her club soccer season, the focus for the Madison senior will soon become Tennessee, where she hopes to make an immediate impact for the Vols.
“Going in, I just want to become the best player in the SEC,” Taylor said. “I don’t know where I’ll be playing but I just want to score as many goals as I can and make an impact no matter where I am on the field. Winning the SEC would be fun and winning a national championship would be amazing. It’s a huge goal but I know with hard work that it can be accomplished.”
Post-college, Taylor will absolutely be involved with soccer in one form or another. One route could be following in her dad’s footsteps with coaching. In fact, she already has begun doing so this spring and summer by coaching some girls locally in Ohio.
But the ultimate goal for Taylor is to play professional soccer, specifically with her favorite team growing up — Manchester City. It has also been a long time dream to play with the U.S. National team for Taylor, and she continues to come closer to that goal each day.
“I definitely want to play professionally,” Taylor said. “It’s always been a goal for me to play for Manchester City and that’s always been my favorite team. I think it would be an awesome experience because their style of play is different from here and I think I could learn more in the game of soccer.
“Ultimately, my biggest goal would be to play on the national team. I know it’s going to take so much work day in and day out, but if it’s meant to be, it’ll work out.”
