The Woodlands celebrates its TOC award.
Photo by Army National Guard
Mother Nature wasn't going to stop the fourth annual MaxPreps Girls Volleyball Tour of Champions presented by the National Guard from recognizing
The Woodlands (Texas) High School Lady Highlanders. The Highlanders, coached by Leslie Madison, not only won the Texas 5A state championship (their first) but also finished ranked as the top team in the nation by MaxPreps with a perfect 45 win season.
An unexpected ice storm that hit the Houston area forced the Lady Highlanders to wait an extra two weeks for their time to shine, but they finally got their chance on Feb. 4. At a home basketball game, the team dressed in their baby blue state shirts, posed for pictures with the Army National Guard national ranking trophy and took in the moment. When asked about what makes them so successful, they all talked about a common theme: The bond that they all share. Not only were they a team on the court, but they were a team off it as well. They would hang out together, have fun together and grow together as a complete unit.
A former coach once told me that the word team stands for ‘Together everybody achieves more' and it is obvious that the Lady Highlanders fully embodied this sentiment. They were there for each other every step of the way, whether the times were good or if they needed to pick each other up. And the fact that they attribute their success to that as opposed to skill speaks to their coach. Every exiting senior class would like to see their former program continue to be successful, but for the seniors of this volleyball team, they would like to see the bonds, cohesion and unity stay intact. To them they feel that is more important and instrumental in being a winning team.
Sergeant First Class Charles Dougherty of the Texas Army National Guard had the honor of presenting the ‘Minuteman' Trophy to coach Madison and her girls. A Texas native himself, it brought him pride to be able to present such an honor of excellence to a team from his native state. A former Texas football player, SFC Dougherty was refreshed to be able to bring recognition to another sport in a football-crazed state. SFC Dougherty even received recognition of his own as students, parents and fans thanked him for his service to the country. Students would come up to him and begin conversations about how their parents served the country or people would come up to him talk about their own time in the Armed Forces. Even though he was there for the volleyball team, it was nice to see that his sacrifices and contributions had not been forgotten and he was getting the thanks that he deserved.
For the Lady Highlanders of The Woodlands High School, it is the beginning of something special. They have proven that the state of Texas is more than just football, and that they can produce sporting excellence in other sports. With a perfect record, a state championship and a national title to their name, they have not only made the state of Texas take notice, but the entire nation as well.
