It was on her mind even before being asked about what this weekend means to her.
Naperville Central senior Casey Short was fresh from scoring the only goal in the Redhawks' 1-0 victory over rival Naperville North in a regional final at Memorial Stadium. At roughly the same time in Charleston, preliminaries were being run at the IHSA state girls track and field meet.
Due to a DuPage Valley Conference rule, Short was unable to defend her state titles in the 400- and 800-meter runs. Instead, Short led Central to a regional crown and a date with Neuqua Valley in the Waubonsie Valley Sectional semifinals Tuesday night.
"I do miss track a little, but I love soccer," said Short, who will play soccer at Florida State in the fall. "I've had a lot of fun this season and I'm happy with my decision. I'm even happier that we won."
So even as Ashley Verplank of Bloomington took Short's title in the 800 and Genesis Johnson of Rock Island did the same in the 400, the Redhawks and Short look forward to continuing their soccer season.
As much fun as it might have been to see Short try for those titles, I'm glad I've had the chance to watch her on the soccer field for a final season. I'm sure there are more than a few soccer fans who feel the same way.
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