Young Warriorettes eye another strong season

After making program history a season ago, the White County High School Warriorettes enter 2026 with a different look but the same determination.

Head coach Madison Mason returns for her third season leading the high school program after previously spending a year at White County Middle School. While last year's team became the first in program history to reach the Region Tournament, this year's roster will rely heavily on underclassmen as the Warriorettes replace a talented senior class.

"Our biggest thing is we only have one senior, and she is out for the season," Mason said. "We are a very young team, so there will be a huge adjustment for us on the field this year. But once those kinks work themselves out, I think we will see great things happen."

Despite the lack of experience, Mason believes the foundation is already in place.

"Our biggest strength is our determination to work hard," she said. "We have kids staying after practice to work on their game."

The Warriorettes will look to a trio of junior captains to guide that youthful roster. Maddie Austin returns to anchor the defensive back line after serving as a captain last season, while Anna Jolliff and Kaydence Redmon join her in leadership roles. Makayla Sullivan also returns after finishing as White County's leading goal scorer a year ago.

Rather than dwelling on mistakes, Mason wants her team focused on what's next.

"Our slogan this year is 'Next Play,'" she said. "When we mess up, it's okay. Go on to the next play. The game moves on, and we move forward from mistakes."

Success, she said, won't be measured solely by the scoreboard.

"You can easily gauge success from the win-loss column because, of course, we want to win," Mason said. "However, I will gauge success on whether we left it all out on the field and gave every game our best shot."

White County enters the season with confidence after posting the most successful campaign in program history in 2025. The Warriorettes finished 10-6-1 overall and 5-3 in district play before advancing to the Region Tournament for the first time in school history.

The regular season officially begins Aug. 11 when White County hosts Monterey before opening district play later in the month.