Greenbrier girls will be young but talented
Greenbrier’s girls return just one starter from a team that finished 14-12 last year and 5-9 in the 5A West. The Lady Panthers will rely heavily on 5-7 senior guard Jojo Jerry, along with their other two seniors, Ashlynn Newton, a 5-4 guard; and Alex Newland, a 6-foot forward. However, Newland will miss the season with a torn ACL, an injury she sustained in the opening volleyball match of the season, so she will provide leadership from the bench.
“Jojo Jerry and Ashlynn Newton bring varsity experience to a very young lineup,” said coach Payton Edmondson, starting his fifth season at Greenbrier. “We will rely a lot on their leadership and experience.”
He said Newland would have been a fouryear starter for the Panthers.
“The last two seasons, she’s averaged a double-double for us, so her injury is a pretty big blow to us,” Edmondson said. “It’s been really hard on her.”
With four juniors — Casi Saunders, Jaylin Marvel, Kamryn Allison and Leah Hawkins — joining eight sophomores — Destry Steele, Jade Steele, Annabeth McKenzie, Hallie Wharton, Abbey Bangs, Olivia Hart, Kenna Haley and Karley Hughes — senior leadership will be key.
“We will be a very young team that graduated several key players from a year ago and lost another to injury,” Edmondson said. “We have a lot of young talent that we will need to make major contributions right away. We will rely heavily on our seniors for leadership and experience on the varsity level.”
He said the Lady Panthers would have to replace Newland by committee.
“Our other two seniors, Jojo and Ashlynn, will have to play in that spot some, and we’ll have Kamryn Allison and Leah Hawkins there at times, too,” Edmondson said.
Newland, who is also missing her senior volleyball season, has committed to play that sport for the University of Central Arkansas in Conway next year.
“So that’s a pretty good motivator for her to get back,” Edmondson said. “She’s working to rehab her knee.”
Obviously, the overall lack of experience will be a weakness for the Lady Panthers this season, but team strengths do include depth and athleticism, Edmondson said. The sophomore class is a good one.
“They’ll probably have a lot of growing pains, especially early, but they’re going to have to be thrown into the fire pretty quick,” he said. “But they are a hardworking group that will get after it.”
He said the young players will have to contribute a lot.
“We will have a challenging nonconference schedule to prepare them for our league,” Edmondson said. “Our conference is loaded, and it’s going to be tough every night, so we stacked the nonconference schedule with several good teams to get us ready.
“They’ll have to grow up fast,” the coach said of his players.
The Lady Panthers will face Harrison, Van Buren, Siloam Springs, Russellville, Mountain Home, Greenwood and Alma in the 5A West. Greenwood is the defending state champion, having knocked off Little Rock Parkview, West Memphis and Marion to reach the final, where the Lady Bulldogs beat Jonesboro, 60-49.
Russellville, Siloam Springs and Sheridan also qualified for state from the league. They all lost in the opening round.
Overall, the coach knows what lies ahead for his Lady Panthers, who hope to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2021.
“We will have a very young team but a lot of talented players who will give us more depth,” Edmondson said. “They are a very hardworking group that will get better as the year progresses and they gain more varsity experience.”