Fourteen years ago, Alex Liles started her journey in the world of soccer, which led her to play forward for the varsity team at Salina South. Liles loves to play for South while representing the student body on the soccer field.
“I like playing for South because nobody expects us to be any good at sports being a small town public school. Being able to prove people wrong is one of my favorite things, but also the soccer culture at South is outstanding. Both girls and boys programs have been supported greatly throughout the years. We are one big family,” said Liles.
To say Liles and her team love playing together would be an understatement. The amount of fight this team has in them is special to watch.
“What I love most about my team is the dedication, determination and fight to be the best. My teammates are my family. We are always there for each other, nobody is there just for themselves. We are all a team and want to make each other better everyday. We always told each other we win as a team, lose as a team and learn as a team,” said Liles.
Away from soccer, Liles is intensely focused on making good grades even if it means missing out on soccer.
“Academics come before anything else and they always have. If my grades ever started to slip I would always make sure to skip practice and take care of homework and studying before returning to training. After I graduate I will be attending Kansas Wesleyan University to play soccer and study criminology,” said Liles. “My favorite subject has always been history and learning about stuff that has happened in the past and my favorite teacher is Mr. Carlson. He has taught two of my elective classes in the past years. He always has a positive attitude and likes to have fun and is always giving me a hard time about something that we always end up laughing about.”
There are many people who have helped Liles during her playing career, but one coach stands out above the rest.
“My biggest influence is my coach Ben Fetherston. He began coaching my club team in middle school and now is an assistant coach at South High. Ever since he has been my coach I have been a whole different player. He always radiates positivity during games while also giving us ways to make our game better. To me that is super important. To be able to have fun with your coach, but also get down to business when needed,” said Liles.
