It represents the perfect springboard for the rest of one player’s career, while also representing the ideal ending to another’s.
Otto-Eldred’s Reilly Raught and Oswayo Valley’s Jadyn Brabham were named to the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association’s All-State Team in Class A.
It marked a special, and perhaps unexpected, ending to the 2020 season for both.
“When I found out I made the all-state team, I was in shock. I did not see this coming,” said Brabham, a sophomore. “This accomplishment means so much to me, and it turned a bad year into a good year. I’m so glad that my team has helped to make me stand out and make this possible.”
Said Raught, a senior, “It was a surprise. There are so many great athletes in this area, and I’ve gotten to play against some of them. In the end, I feel honored that I was noticed and given this chance.”
Brabham, who registered a gaudy 351 kills and 312 digs this year, is hoping to parlay this year’s success into more for both herself and the Green Wave as a team.
“In the seasons to come, I’m looking forward to being a part of a team that will work hard to try to make it to states,” Brabham said. “We have a great group of younger girls coming up that I think will help us achieve this goal.”
Oswayo Valley finished the 2020 season with a District 9 semifinal appearance. The Green Wave was topped by eventual state champion Clarion.
For her part, Brabham, who was the North Tier League’s MVP this season, wants to keep improving her overall game, but especially blocking at the net.
“I’m a strong hitter in the front row and back row, so if I can improve my blocking, it will improve my front-row game,” she explained.
And that hard work and success should inspire the next group of players to come through OV’s program, according to coach Rachelle Kellogg.
“I believe our younger girls see her playing ability and her achievements that she’s accomplished in just two seasons, and they want to be a part of that success in the program,” Kellogg said.
But perhaps the best part of Brabham’s impact on OV’s program? Her leadership and selflessness, Kellogg says.
“Jadyn is a sure leader, and she’s very unselfish. She is all about her teammates and whatever it takes to help them succeed as a team,” the coach said. “She doesn’t really know how good she is; she just knows there is always room for improvement in all areas. If Jadyn is having a bad night, you wouldn’t know it by her reactions, because she knows she has to keep that excitement on the court for her teammates.”
While Brabham looks to the future moving forward, Raught was happy to cap her high school career off with the honor and to have something to look back on.
“It feels amazing, and I’m just happy that my teammates could be there with me, especially the girls I grew up with and played with,” Raught said. “It felt like we did something for ourselves. We played on a strong team as freshmen, and it was just that we finally did it for ourselves.”
O-E, which won the NTL this season with an unblemished league record, fell to Elk County Catholic in the other D9 Class A semifinal. The Lady Crusaders were the only team to top Otto-Eldred the entire year.
Raught recorded 146 kills this year, along with 131 digs and 79 blocks. Her net presence is what stood out to O-E coach Fawn Miller.
“Physically, her size and strength (stand out). She can be pretty intimidating at the net defensively,” Miller said.
In addition, Miller said Raught’s sense of humor will be missed, as well as the “sisterhood that all the senior girls brought to this season.”
She added, “They really played for each other and despite all the distractions and limitations, they were incredibly flexible and resilient.”
Raught, who says what she’ll miss most is “the simple things like bus rides with my teammates,” is off to college next year, though she hasn’t decided where quite yet. No matter which school she selects, she plans to join the Air Force ROTC program. She intends to study something along the lines of history with a pre-law focus.
With Raught’s departure, Miller is hoping her newest core of players will take note of their predecessor’s successes and strive for similar dominance.
“I think it helps to inspire younger players, and it helps Otto-Eldred to maintain a level of respect as a formidable program in both the NTL and District 9.”
And Raught, like Brabham, was just grateful to have a season at all.
“I was so grateful,” she said. “Volleyball was one of my first loves… District 9 and the NTL and our school and community did everything they could to make sure we got to play, and I never took a second of it for granted. I loved every second of it.”
