EVANSTON — Head coach Chuck Grenfell was obviously emotional when introducing his five senior leaders. Hannah Davis, Micah Harvey, Anahi Escalante, Bronwyn Payne and Brenda Casas all reciprocated the sentiment when they were asked to step forward and be recognized.

“This group of girls has set me straight more than once,” Grenfell said. “What a joy it was to have every one of you as a first-year head coach. I couldn’t ask for a better group of girls to help me along the way and help me get things right on the field, so thank you very much.”

As stated in last week’s Herald, all five seniors thanked their coaching staff and teammates and expressed that it was an honor to play for the team and with their teammates, while also paying homage to their parents and supporters. It was senior Micah Harvey who added special appreciation to the coaching staff, “for changing the face of the program.”

The five seniors then received laundry baskets full of gifts.

The girls were again called forward in a saving-the-best-for-last fashion, with coach Clint Chandler on the microphone, during the acknowledgment of the varsity letter award winners.

“This is the entire reason we are here, for our seniors,” Chandler said. 

“We really appreciate the example you have given,” the coach added, while reiterating he was glad he was wearing sunglasses to hide his emotions during senior night festivities.

Chandler then had words of praise for each of the five seniors.

On Brenda Casas: “A young lady we got to know very well. We got to know her competitiveness and her versatility. She played everywhere we needed her to and did a great job for us.”

On Anahi Escalante: “Not the picture of political correctness — ever — and the one you don’t want to turn your back on; but when you’re on the soccer field? You want her on your team and you want her to have your back. She did a great job for us.”

On Bronwyn Payne: “The one I didn’t really know hardly at all, and I don’t think the rest of the coaches from around the state knew about, but they know her now. Because of the effort that she gave, her tireless mental toughness and the ability to always work so hard.”

On Micah Harvey: “This girl can go anywhere, play anywhere. She did a great job everywhere we played her, had a motor that wouldn’t quit, and we could put her in at any position; the only place we didn’t try her in was goalie.”

On Hannah Davis: “We were very impressed with our last senior. We started off using her as a sub, sparingly, and then it got to a point where we couldn’t sub for her. It was great to see her improvement and the confidence she gained as she started to excel.”

The five seniors later ended the awards festivities by presenting their coaches with gifts on behalf of the team.