Fairchild set to play soccer at Reinhardt
After a pair of her senior teammates inked college letters of intent in recent weeks, Heritage’s Brooke Fairchild followed suit on Wednesday by signing with NAIA stalwart Reinhardt University.
And like the other signing ceremonies prior to hers, the room was filled with coaches, both past and present, along with school personnel, family, friends, teammates and other wellwishers.
“I’m definitely excited,” she said just before signing her papers. “I’m a little nervous because I don’t like crying in front of people, but I’m really excited.”
After starting her playing career at the age of three, Fairchild said it was during her ninth grade year that she realized she could have a future in the sport after high school.
“It’s nerve-wracking to play on a high school team (as a freshman), but I ended up being a starter and an important part of the team,” she recalled. “At that time, I knew this was something I wanted to do (in college).”
She introduced herself to north Georgia high school soccer quickly that first season. Even in a COVIDshortened year that saw the Lady Generals only get in six matches, Fairchild was second on the team with seven goals.
The next spring, on a Heritage squad with just one senior, Fairchild helped the Lady Generals make a run all the way to the Final Four for the first time since 2013. Her 15 goals and nine assists (in 20 matches) led all of Catoosa County and she also recorded 79 shots, 46 of which were on goal.
She was named first team All-Region in 7-4A and assisted on both goals in a 2-1 win over Islands in Savannah that sent her team to the state semifinals. She went on to be named the 2021 Catoosa County Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year.
In 2022, she followed up with six goals and nine assists in 16 matches to once again earn All-Region first team honors.
Heritage coach Kevin Terry said it was evident, even just watching from the stands, that Fairchild was a player.
“I was just a parent (her freshman year), but she was so good early on,” he said. “She came right in and made an impact right away. Of course, she’s been one of our main girls the last two years, for sure. Goals, assists, whatever we’ve needed her to do, she’s done.
“What makes her great is her drive and her expectations of herself, both on the field and in the classroom. A 95 or a 97 isn’t quite there. She wants a 100. And on the field, training and in games, she just has that drive. She expects to be great and it kind of rubs off on others too. Our whole team kind of gets elevated because she expects so much from herself. She just wants our program to be great, so I think going on to college, that’s going to continue to drive her.”
“The (Reinhardt) coach is just amazing,” Fairchild said of her reasons for choosing the Waleska, Ga. program. “I feel like I can talk to him so easily and I got to go and practice with the team and they are all just the sweetest. I already feel like I’m going into it with friends. I love the academic side too. It’s very one-on-one with the teachers. The class sizes are very small and I know that’s going to work well for me.”
Fairchild said she hoped to bring her leadership abilities to Reinhardt.
“Even though I’ll only be a freshman, I love rooting everyone on and I feel like it’s something good I can bring (to their program),” she added.
Heritage coach Lauren Peters also spoke highly of Fairchild’s leadership, integrity and character.
“Brooke is the best kind of person and she shines in every aspect,” Peters began. “She’s a leader in our school and in her class. She’s involved in so much at the school. In fact, she’s going to miss several non-region games this season because she’s chosen to volunteer in Nicaragua with our sister school down there.
“She’s really the ideal kind of kid you want. She works hard in all aspects of the game and in the classroom and gives the effort we ask of all of our girls.”
Fairchild said she hadn’t yet decided on a career path, but plans to major in biology in order to give herself options. She also plans to pursue her Master’s degree at Mercer after finishing at Reinhardt.
Reinhardt finished runner-up in the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament last month. They earned a spot in the NAIA national tournament, losing in the first round to end the year with a 14-6 record.