Senior guard Meri Dunford brings state championship experience as she moves into a starting role. (Nathan Howard/The Columbian)
If history is any indication, the Prairie Falcons will have no trouble reloading. Winners of 22 straight league titles, the defending 3A champions may have their stiffest challenge yet: getting another league crown out of a mostly new group.
Brooke Walling, Cassidy Gardner and Mallory Williams all graduated. Kendyl Carson moved back to Alaska.
“It’s going to be a different team than last year,” fourth-year coach Hala Corral said. “We did lose four starters, but we had three kids on the bench that would have started on any other team in Clark County.”
Prairie’s lone all-league returner is Alli Corral, who has led the team in assists each of the past three seasons. This year, she’ll be tasked with carrying a heavier scoring load.
“She’ll probably still lead the team in assists, but she’ll shoot a lot more,” coach Corral said.
Other expected contributors are senior guard Meri Dunford, who Corral described as a “freak of nature” athlete, and junior guard Claire Heitschmidt, who stands 6-feet but can handle the ball. The quick guards will allow Prairie to press more, something they haven’t done the past few years due to personnel.
Despite the roster churn, expectations haven’t changed for Prairie.
“Any time you put on a Prairie jersey there’s expectations, whether you win a state title or not,” Corral said. “We expect to be in the Tacoma Dome defending our state title. I don’t think anybody expects us to be there but our kids expect us to be there.”
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