Rockets select Clayton, Coles
Madison Clayton is Jefferson-Morgan's fall sports female selection in the Centennial Chevrolet Scholar/Athlete Spotlight program.
Bobby Coles is Jefferson-Morgan's fall sports male selection in the Centennial Chevrolet Scholar/Athlete Spotlight program.
JEFFERSON — Jefferson-Morgan doesn’t currently have a girls soccer team but the high school may have a WPIAL championship trophy from that sport to put on display some time soon.
That would be thanks to senior Madison Clayton, one of the WPIAL’s best players who, through a co-op, has played for Waynesburg Central throughout her high school career and was a key component in the Lady Raiders’ recently completed championship season.
Clayton and senior golfer Bobby Coles have been chosen as Jefferson-Morgan’s fall representatives for the Centennial Chevrolet Scholar-Athlete program.
Clayton, the daughter of Jason and Julie Clayton, started participating in her sport long ago.
“I’ve been playing soccer since I’ve been five years old,” Clayton said.
Coles, on the other hand, didn’t begin to play golf until right before he entered high school.
“I have been golfing for four years,” Coles said. “My dad just wanted somebody to play with. He got me to play, and from there I just started to love the sport and kept with it.”
In assessing his game, Coles said, “My short game was definitely better this year. Driving is all over the place honestly. My chipping and short game and my putting are better.”
Coles, the son of Bob and Tammy Coles, made the Rockets squad as a sophomore and has been on the team ever since under longtime coach John Curtis.
“John is a great coach,” Coles said. “I was happy to have him and happy he stayed around after being a coach for so many years. We definitely improved this year from last year. We never did too amazing but we had two wins this year. That’s better than we had done in previous years, so I’ll take that.”
Coles was a key figure in both victories, posting a team-best round in each.
“High school golf is definitely a lot more competitive,” Coles said, in comparing it to casual golf. “It’s more just having fun with family and friends. But we still have fun with it in high school and I really enjoyed being on the team.”
Clayton’s team was away from her actual high school, but she grew up playing with most of the Lady Raiders.
“I played with some of those girls for a really long time,” Clayton. “I played on rec teams and club teams with them, so it wasn’t difficult playing for Waynesburg. I felt like I was welcome from the beginning.”
Clayton had J-M followers throughout the season.
“A few students and a teacher came to my WPIAL final game and some of them came to my playoff games and a lot of them came to regular-season games,” Clayton said. “So my high school gave me a lot of support.”
Clayton is hoping her school can secure a replica of the WPIAL trophy her Waynesburg team won.
“We received a section title plaque so we’re going to try to get a WPIAL one, too,” she said.
While the Lady Raiders’ title came as a surprise to most, Clayton wasn’t one of them.
“Winning the WPIAL had been my goal for a really long time. It was something my team definitely saw happening,” Clayton said. “We knew if we just continued to play the way we did, our hard work would pay off and lead us to a WPIAL title.”
Clayton, who played center forward, wound up her high school career with a school-record 142 goals after scoring a WPIAL-leading 57 as a senior. While some of those goals were dazzling, it was the one that put the final nail in the coffin in the WPIAL championship match against previously undefeated and top-seeded Freedom that she treasures most.
That came with 13:52 remaining and Waynesburg holding a 3-1 lead and all but sealed the WPIAL title for her team.
“I had so many chances that entire game and I just wanted one so bad,” Clayton said. “I scored the last one, so it just made me feel relieved, like we have this game.”
Clayton recalls the joy of the final seconds when she realized her dream.
“There were about two seconds left, and I was jumping in the air because I was so excited,” Clayton said. “You could tell how much we wanted it the entire game. It was so exciting. It made me so happy to know my senior year we ended up fulfilling a goal that we’ve been working for for so long.”
The next step for Clayton is NCAA Division-1 soccer for the University of Pittsburgh, where she has earned a soccer scholarship.
“I know it’s not going to be easy and that everything’s going to be a challenge,” said Clayton, who hasn’t picked a major yet. “But it’s so nice to know my parents’ hard work paid off and my coaches and my hard work paid off, too. I’ll probably be playing outside back or outside forward.”
Clayton didn’t let her involvement with soccer affect her school work. Her grade-point average is 4.0.
“I learned to have very good time management because I have practice all the time,” Clayton said. “So as soon as I would have a free period or anything I would work on homework, and I didn’t have practice until night, so I’d make sure I’d study as soon as I came home and get everything done.”
Coles sports a 3.81 GPA and is headed for the Pittsburgh Technical College for Network Administration.
“I really want to pursue a career in network administration,” Coles said. “Even though it’s like a technical school, it’s nice that it’s still considered a college and I’d still get associate’s or have a chance at a bachelor’s if I want to go for that. It’s nice being very hands on but still a college.”
Coles is enjoying his senior year.
“It’s been very laid back,” Coles said. “I have a lot of good classes, but it’s just a lot of figuring out the rest of my life. As far as school work, I’m always on task.”
Coles’ favorite class is engineering.
“This year, it’s a brand new class at our school. Mr. Pratt teaches that and it’s a great class so far,” Coles said. “It’s a learning experience. It’s a little tough here and there, but we’re figuring things out and it’s very fun.”
Coles wants to continue playing golf after he graduates.
“Absolutely,” Coles said. “I plan to play the rest of my life. As long as my body will let me, I’ll play golf.”