STEELE CANYON POWERED BY STURKEY TWIN ENGINES
Opposing teams need to game plan for Makayla, Mylee
Most soccer teams prepare for opponents by looking at the projected starters, attack style and maybe even defensive schemes.
But when facing the Steele Canyon High School girls squad, opposing teams have to add two more words to the list:
The Twins.
It’s not a double-pass drill or a pair of planned out set pieces. It’s a pair of standout players who often take over matches for the Cougars.
Makayla and Mylee Sturkey have been a focus on the pitch throughout their high school soccer careers. Their size and skill are immediately noticeable.
“They’re imposing,” said first-year Steele Canyon coach Joe Gelaro. “They’re leaders. The team looks up to them. They command the team on and off the field. They both cover so much space. They’re noticeable right away.”
Noticeable on the pitch is Makayla’s loud communication and physical defensive skills as a center back. Mylee has the niftiness as a striker. Combined, the fraternal twins create deleterious combinations for opponents.
But that’s not all the 17year-old seniors have created over the last three seasons as starters at Steele Canyon. They’re together on the soccer pitch, in school, at home and almost everywhere else.
The sisters have spent most of their lives together. Mylee is 8 minutes older than her sister, but they share many moments in conjunction. Birthdays. Family events. Softball. Rugby. Volleyball. Golf. Car rides to school and, of course, soccer tournaments. Both have played together on the same club and recreational teams.
Except for one time. The sisters had to play on different club teams when they
were in the sixth grade.
“Not having that built-in best friend on the field was hard,” Makayla said about that part of her life. “You had to make a name for yourself without your twin.”
Mylee doesn’t remember that season much, only that it was a change of pace.
“At first it was kind of nice, because everything was always the two of us,” Mylee said. “It was always The Twins. We are two different people.”
Indeed they are. Makayla likes to relax, watch movies and read books when there’s down time. Mylee likes to go out. Makayla likes the rhythmic guitar riffs of country singer Chris Young. Mylee is deep into Drake, the rapper.
Mylee’s into chicken nuggets and chicken tenders. Makayla likes “some healthier versions of it.”
Regardless of what they’re doing, the pair always has ties to each other. They started their fourth and final season at Steele Canyon with the goal of helping the team clinch a Grossmont
Hills League title and go deep into the San Diego Section playoffs. The Cougars lost to Mt. Carmel in a Division 2 play-in match last year.
Makayla and Mylee were starters as freshmen in 2020, when they lost in the Division 1 final with the now retired Charlie Cleaves as head coach.
“They’re like my daughters,” said Cleaves, who coached at Steele Canyon for 24 years. “I’ve known them since they were 6. I watched them grow up and they’re terrific people. I still keep in touch, watch their games and text them. They can’t get rid of me.”
There are memories of the twins that will stick with Cleaves. On the field, Makayla was always a strong presence as a defender. And Mylee could play anywhere on the field. Their athleticism has always stood out.
“I’ve always counted on them,” Cleaves said. “They can do it all. One of them kicked a 45-yard field goal at the Dallas Cowboys stadium on a visit one time we were out there for a tournament. They’re definitely impactful on the field.”
The twins have already made an impact in the first set of matches for the Cougars with Makayla, a 6foot defender, scoring in a 2-0 win against Christian last week. Teams are expected to see more from the pair this season.
It will be the last time they see them as their high school careers come to an end. This is the last time the twins will be on a soccer pitch together for the immediate future. Mylee has committed to play Division I soccer at Wright State University in Ohio, where she will study criminal justice. Makayla hasn’t committed yet, but wants to remain in California or near the West Coast. They’ll be away from each other for the first time in their lives.
Remember, the last time they didn’t play on the same team was sixth grade.
Their mother, Karina Mickelson, remembers that as a rough period trying to juggle schedules and be at two places when needed. She’ll have to do that again with her daughters in college next year.
“I don’t know how I’ll do it,” she said of visiting her daughters in college, “but I’m starting to think about it.”
The sisters haven’t thought much it, either. But they have their own plan.
“I’ll be the odd one out at Wright State since most girls are from the surrounding states,” Mylee said. “Being so far away from my family feels like it’s going to be hard at first. Without Makayla, it’s going to be hard.”
Makayla echoed her sister.
“It’s going to be very different,” Makayla said. “I won’t have that support from Mylee or my family when I go, and it’s scary.”
In the meantime, The Twins will continue to try to frighten Steele Canyon opponents in San Diego. And will continue to be one of the main things opponents will list on their game plans.