STARKVILLE — Starkville High School sophomore Noa Hardin takes great delight when her teammates look to her for leadership and guidance on the soccer field.
Hardin enjoys it even more when 12-year-old brother, Owen, and 4-year-old sister, Chloe, look to her with that same admiration.
“My brother has Down Syndrome,” Hardin said. “I love him to death. He gives me the motivation to live life to the fullest every day. My sister is a little diva. She is just now beginning to learn how to play soccer. We will go in the back yard and kick the ball around.
“She will look up at me with the biggest smile and say, ‘I want to be just like you.’ That makes my day every time I hear it.”
Hardin’s soccer skills are still growing. Her leadership skills are rarely matched. Her working relationship with coaches and players was a big reason why the Lady Jackets won a region championship this season.
For her part in helping take her team to a higher level, Hardin has been chosen The Dispatch Co-Player of the Year for girls soccer.
“I started playing soccer when I was 4 years old,” Hardin said. “My mom (Orly) and dad (Jimmy) played when they were in high school, and Dad played past that as well. Mom thought I should start playing soccer because it would be a chance to learn how to be strong and be independent.”
“My whole family plays now. We are pretty much raising a soccer farm. I played all the way growing up. When I was 12, I was on a really good state championship team and it had just broken up. I had reached a dead point and really didn’t know what to do next.
“In eighth grade, I made the high school varsity team and that really took my game to another level. That year, Ashley Albritton got hurt. That was unfortunate for her, but fortunate for me. It allowed me a chance to go in there and become a starter. From there, things really took off.”
When Hardin joined Starkville High’s program, coach Anna Albritton wasn’t sure what she was getting. She knew Hardin was an outspoken, aggressive player who loved the game, but she didn’t know if her skill level matched her passion for the game.
“Noa was our go-to girl all season,” Coach Albritton said. “As far as controlling things, she was the firecracker. She is very vocal on the field. She was always at the right place at the right time. She and I butted heads some times, but we had a way of working those things out.
“It was always for the better. She made me a better coach, and I hope I made her a better player.”
Hardin said a strong senior class was a key this season in the Lady Jackets’ 11-5-1 season that ended in the second round of the Class 5A North State playoffs.
“The seniors kept us a group,” Hardin said. “They provided so much strength for us. Most of the seniors were starters, and the ones who were not still played a huge part. You always felt a connection because they wanted to be there for the team. Some seniors were best friends with the freshmen. It was all-around good chemistry. The seniors always found ways they could make you better. They were great.”
As the Starkville High program prepares to take the next step, Hardin realizes the leadership spotlight will burn brighter on her.
“I am excited about being a junior next season,” Hardin said. “This is the year I have always waited for, even more than my senior season. Being on the team, I have always admired the people who could keep the team close. We lost some great players, but we have been training several younger players to take their place. I think next year will be just as good.
“We have brought so many new players into the program. Coach Anna likes to get them young. Then it is our job to nurture them into our soccer family. I am excited about a chance to play with coach Anna the next couple of years while watching this team come together.”
Hardin said her parents have been the biggest influence on her athletic career. She also credits her parents for nurturing her love of soccer. As her skills have matured, Hardin feels coach Albritton has provided her the unique opportunity to play the game at a higher level.
“Coach Anna wants 110 percent,” Hardin said. “That is what she tells us every day in practice. Coach Anna and I butt heads a lot. The best thing about her is every day you start with a clean slate. Sometimes conflict is a not bad a thing. It simply shows you that you both want it really bad. It shows in our personalities. I am expected to be a team leader.
“I am a loud person on the field. I talk a lot on the field. Playing the striker position, you see the whole field. It is my job to provide constructive criticism. My teammates expect me to help make them better. The same holds true for them. We are all in this together. I love playing high school soccer. I enjoy being out there every day.”
While the season turned out to be a success, Hardin didn’t know what to expect when Starkville opened its schedule in a preseason tournament in Tupelo.
“The first game it all came together for us,” Hardin said. “We did not lose any of our matches in that tournament and after that, it was like, ‘We can do this.’
“The day before we played, I was a nervous wreck. I was so scared. I was shaking all day. Then after we played, it turned out that we had so much fun. It was a bonding thing. We knew on day one, we had good communication and we had a chance to have a special season.”
That team bonding helped lift the team to new heights. The regular season included wins against rivals Columbus and Neshoba Central and a win at Oxford. After a disappointing late-season loss to New Hope, the Lady Jackets bounced back 48 hours later to shut out the Lady Trojans to secure the region crown.
In the North State playoffs, a victory against Center Hill was the program’s first home playoff win. In the second round, Oxford eliminated Starkville 2-0 loss.
“We had a successful season,” Albritton said. “We won a district championship, which hadn’t happened here in a long time. I couldn’t be prouder of the girls. We fought hard to win the district championship against New Hope. We made it to the second round and had a disappointing loss.
“We talked about it after the match. I think we lost there because of the immaturity of this team. We had not been in that position before. Now we have that experience under our belt. Noa will be our go-to player this year. She will be one of the leaders we count on to go even farther.”
Hardin is counted on by many persons at many places. An active member of First Presbyterian Church and the church’s youth group, Hardin also has an interest in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. At school, Hardin plays volleyball and looks forward to returning to the cross country team after a brief absence. Hardin put her cross country career on hold because the sports’ practice times didn’t work out.
“I had a chance to take a church mission trip to Honduras,” Hardin said. “We were playing soccer with some of the young people over there. Soccer is a way I found to connect with the kids. It is a big sport over there. While on that trip, we found a way to connect with God. We play for His glory all the time.
“As team here at school, we play together for the glory of God. He is the one who has made all of this possible. It is our job to utilize the skills He has given us to play to the best of our ability in His honor.”
While being an influence at school is important, Hardin’s biggest thrill remains being a big influence at home.
“My dad played competitive soccer when he lived in Greenwood,” Hardin said. “My mother played when she was in high school in Atlanta. She was a goalkeeper. They were the ones who pushed me into soccer because they felt like it was a chance to build good people skills and build relationships.
“Through soccer, I have learned teamwork. I have learned how to make myself a better player and a better person. It also helped me become a better leader. I take a lot of pride in that.”
Hardin also takes pride in her ability to lead by example at home.
“My brother loves to do all the normal stuff,” Hardin said. “He enjoys hunting and fishing. He also plays baseball. Football is his favorite sport but obviously he can’t play that with Down Syndrome. However, we are looking at a Challenger League getting started, so maybe he can then play there.
“But we like to keep him active. We hunted together every week during Christmas break. I could sit there and go hunting or fishing with him every day. He is so much fun to be around. And my sister, well she keeps me on my toes. She is always into everything.
“I love hanging with both of them. For me, it’s God No. 1, family No. 2, and then soccer, soccer, soccer.”
Scott was sports editor for The Dispatch.
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