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The LaGrange High girls soccer team is full of youthful energy and nobody epitomizes that more than freshman Reese Humphries who enjoyed a stellar first regular season with the Grangers.

“I knew that I was going to have to work very hard when I got to high school,” she said. “I know a lot of the girls on the team, and I know how high they have set the bar.” 

Humphries is brimming with confidence despite her young age but that never tips over and spills into full on cockiness. She keeps a humble aura around her and is happy to fill whatever role her coaches require her to be in. 

“I love being in the midfield because you contribute on both sides of the ball,” she said. “I help out on offense and also come back on defense. It is what makes the position so fun and so valuable.”

She has been a force as the attacking midfielder for the Grangers this season, scoring nine goals and providing eight assists. She set a lofty goal total for herself that she did not quite meet but is looking forward to the chance to set the bar even higher next season.

“I really wanted to be one of our top scorers, and I put that expectation on myself,” she said. “I would have liked to have even more toward the end of the season, but that just makes me want to work even harder and get more next year.”

She has had some help from her teammates along the way. Sam Cottle and Karley Perry are two of the girls she named when mentioning those that have helped her get adjusted, but one name stood out among the rest. 

“Tatum (Fritchley), playing almost the same position as me, has really helped me get a grip on high school soccer,” Humphries said. “It is different from the other levels I’ve played.”

Freshman are rarely afforded the playing time that Humphries has been allotted this season. The trust that coach Jon Callahan has placed in her at such a young age has helped give her the confidence to charge into this season with a full head of steam. 

“The coaches pushed me hard and told me I would have to work harder because of my size,” Humphries said. “Since I’m usually the smallest person on the field, they told me that I would have to bring it every day whether it was practice or a game. They have pushed me to be better.”

She is small but mighty on the soccer pitch, using her low center of gravity to maneuver and dance around opponents. Tricky footwork is not the only feature that stands out about her game, she also has innate ability to pop up in the right spots in the attacking half and connect the LaGrange backline to its forwards. 

Soccer does not course through the veins of the Humphries family as Reese’s father — Jared — was a standout baseball player at Troup High in the 1990’s and went on to play in college and the minor leagues. Humphries found soccer by her own volition and fell in love with the game rather quickly, having started out when she was five years old.

“Soccer has always been my main sport and it is something that I’ve fully committed to,” she said. “I love the competitiveness of it and going out there on the field with 21 other people with the same goal as me.”

Humphries has rolled up her sleeves over the years and carved out her own path. Her soccer journey has barely even begun as the name of Reese Humphries will only continue to be spoken about in soccer circles in Troup County. In fact, her freshman soccer journey has not even reached its conclusion with at least one more game on the docket for the Grangers when they take on Islands on April 13 in the opening round of the AAAA state playoffs. 

“We have to give everything we have,” Humphries said. “This could be our last game, so we have to put it all on the line because we owe it to our seniors and our coaches.”