Marvin Ridge Lady Mavs have an unforgettable season
MARVIN, N.C. — Since the beginning of the season, the Lady Mavericks of Marvin Ridge had their eyes set on a conference title. Head coach, Steve Lenahan, states “Historically, Marvin Ridge has finished in the middle of their conference each year and has never won a Conference Championship,” making this goal a big one.
The Lady Mavericks were also led by assistant coaches Alixxus Roccia and Dave Kivimaki, and team captains, Katherine Palmer and Kyndall Shivers. When asked about Palmer and Shivers’ leadership, Lenahan said “They were both vital to our team because they are both good teammates that care about everyone and tried to motivate everyone. They both led by example, and expected the best out of their teammates.”
This season was Lenahan’s second with Marvin Ridge, coming from Harrison High School in Georgia, where he led their program to great success. Coming to Marvin Ridge and coaching a new team was a large task in and of itself, but doing so during a pandemic made it even more difficult.
Despite those difficulties, the team decided to set their eyes on the prize and were prepared for the challenge this season. Lenahan said that he “knew that they were capable of great things this season based on the players we had returning this season and also on what the other teams in our conference had.” When asked about how the Lady Mavs achieved success this season, Lenahan also explained, “For the most part they hustled, bought into a program, and were very unselfish. They did what no other team was able to do in the past 15 years, so they must have done something right.”
The Lady Mavericks accomplished their goal of winning the SCC title with a 56-32 win over Weddington. This historic win is an amazing accomplishment and such an exciting way to end this season- Way to go, ladies! In regard to this big win, Shivers stated, “After being on the team since freshman year and finishing 3rd or 4th every year, it felt good to go undefeated and win conference… I’m so proud of my team and our growth over the years and it felt really good to lead my team to win conference and be the first girls team at Marvin Ridge to hang a banner.” Palmer further explains, “I’m really thankful to finish off my senior season on such a high note. It felt really good to be a part of such a strong winning team.
There was so much that contributed to the team’s success this season. Shivers stated that she “wanted to do whatever it took and contribute in some way each game… I wanted to do it not only for myself but for my team as well because I know how much work we put in in the off-season and throughout the season as well.” Palmer also explained, “Our success came from all of our hard work in the off-season, plus the amount of diverse talent we have on this team. It took all of us coming together to win, and I’m so proud of our team.”
While the conference title was definitely the highlight of their season, the team also had some other notable records. They broke the previous win streak record of 7 by winning 14 games in a row and the team won a total of 22 games which broke the previous record of 15.
When asked about a favorite memory from the season, Shivers recounts, “My favorite memory from the season was beating Cuthbertson at home. We haven’t beaten them in a really long time and to do it my senior season and to beat them by as much as we did was really cool. I feel like we were really prepared for that game and determined to pull out a win.” Palmer had similar sentiments to this night, noting that it also was senior night, making this win even more memorable.
Shivers remembers this season, stating, “We had our ups and downs with each other but I believe that’s part of the process and will happen sometimes.” The captains also mentioned that the team’s chemistry was a major factor in their success, both having many memories of team bonding and growing closer throughout the season. Palmer stated, “we were able to have so much fun this season while still winning.”
The Lady Mavericks have something to be proud of this season. They accomplished what no other team has done before, which is quite the accomplishment. Now, all that’s left to do is hang that banner!!
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