THOMASVILLE – Going into their fourth year as starters on the Thomas County Central girls soccer team, seniors Riley Fisher, Bailey Maroney and Jordyn Tillman have all signed on to play soccer at South Georgia State College. It is very rare to see multiple players from the same school, who play the same sport, sign with the same college. But, this Yellow Jacket trio was set on it.
Fisher, Maroney and Tillman have been playing soccer together since they were three years old and have grown into stellar athletes. In their three seasons as part of the Central girls soccer team, the Yellow Jackets have won two region titles, snagged a region runner-up, and made it to the elite eight in the state tournament. Maroney and Fisher have also received region player of the year honors. Now, the trio will take on the college scene together.
“These girls have played together since they can remember. They’ve played in big games, moments in their lives and spent so many hours traveling on the road together, so much time on the practice field, in the weight room and everything else,” said Central head coach Tony Voyles. “They are very good friends off the field as well and they are all very good soccer players, so they were all going to have the opportunity to play in college and so they made the decision to try to see if that’s something they could do together and it worked out. It’s a really cool situation.”
To be skilled enough to play any sport at the college level is truly a remarkable feat. Many soccer programs never produce a single college athlete. But, incredibly, these three girls’ work ethic and dedication to the beautiful game has put them in a position to play together at the college level.
“That group, and some of the other seniors, have just been the heart of this team, the back bone of this team for about to be four years now,” Voyles said. “They are leaders on and off the field with these girls. They put in all the work that needs to be put in to be able to do something like this, being able to play at the next level.”