The past five years in Carroll County has presented a golden opportunity to watch the development of a determined pair of young Ladies in Callie Harris and Laiken Burnett. Last night at Patrick County High School, Harris joined her Carroll County Lady Cavalier Volleyball teammate in the rare air of the 1,000 Point Club.
The two Seniors were both eighth graders back in 2021 and have been going non-stop since beginning their stays on The Hill. Starting with the common denominators, both young Ladies come from loving families and have older siblings and were raised by Fathers who coached in High School.
Callie Harris, who will always be Half Pint to me, had little choice in regards to be a highly competitive Student Athlete. Her Father, Marion was always Coaching something, Mother, Shelia played Basketball in both High School and later in College and we cannot forget she had to grow up in the shadows of both Adrienne and Natalie Harris. For the purpose of this story, that’s Marsha and Jan Brady.
Both older Sisters shined at so many things during their stays on The Hill before taking their efforts over to Emory and Henry. Adrienne Harris (McGuire) graduated 🎓 Carroll County High School as the All-Time scoring leader in Girls Soccer ⚽️ and currently sits second on the list, behind Ashlyn Newman. Marsha also became the initial member of the 1,000 Digs club while playing Volleyball for Head Coach Cindy Edwards.
After playing four years for the Wasps, the oldest Sister returned to both Coach Soccer and teach Kindergarten at Hillsville Elementary
Having one older Sister who cast a HUGE shadow would be challenging enough but then came Jan / Natalie.
Jan, yes I hear her saying, Marsha, Marsha, Marsha, why does everything have to be about Marsha, might be the most versatile of the Harris girls. In both High School and then College, Jan switched sports and didn’t miss a beat. Doing that in High School is one thing but repeating it in College is a whole different thing.
After playing on the first of Marc Motley’s State Championship Basketball teams as a Junior, Jan spent her Senior year as a Swimmer 🏊♂️. It fit in nicely between Volleyball and Soccer. Jan followed Marsha to Emory and Henry and started out as a Wasp Volleyball player as a Freshman. Her Sophomore year was spent on the E & H LaCrosse team, after teaching herself how to play the sport.
The question of the Day is when did the little Girl 👧 make a name for herself ?
It happened in the Winter of her Sophomore year when Alyssa Ervin returned for her Senior season after her long time teammates had graduated following the second Championship.
Ervin, Sarah Alderman, Katie Lam and Madison Lyons were in need of a fifth starter and it was Half Pint, all 5 ‘2 of her. While Soccer and Volleyball are the bread 🍞 and butter 🧈 sports, stepping up to start with those four Seniors and getting back to State was the day that what Callie lacked in height, she made up for with a degree of toughness that few Athletes have.
Setting the School record for Digs in one match ( vs Marion) let everyone know that she was a serious Volleyball player and then she led her Sister’s Soccer team in scoring as a Junior.
The Professor – Laiken Burnett grew up in a House where her Dad taught and coached and her older brother, Lance, played baseball ⚾️ at Carroll County and now does so at College. There is a third daughter, Laynee, who is currently playing Middle School 🏫 Volleyball for Coach Brittany Kinney.
Calling someone the Professor is the highest level of a compliment that I can pay as its comparing a person to my Baseball hero, Greg Maddux. Maddux didn’t possess the physical skills that his brother Mike had so he turned his attention to becoming a student of the game.
As a Freshman, Burnett was a team leader on all three Junior Varsity teams she played on. Volleyball, Basketball and Softball gave her three different Sports to study and three different Coaching styles to adapt to. Sixty some games were played and I recall being at 50+ of them.
Mom and Dad were having to split time between ball diamonds 💎 in the Spring as Lance was finishing up his time at Bill Worrell Field.
Fast Forward to the Sophomore year where Burnett once again pulled off the Trifecta but this time as a Varsity starter. The mind was always absorbing and processing what was taken place in front of her. Edwards, Motley and Rick Nester were her coaches, each one a member of the Carroll County High School Hall of Fame. Dad made it four Coaches offering her mentoring every step of the way.
While the definition of the Harris sisters was their level of competition, Lance and Laiken Burnett were as supportive and protective of each other as any Big Brother, Little Sister could be. Wholesome would be the word of choice to describe their relationship and both as sharp as the day is long.
It was clearly a sign when I was trying hard to create Volleyball props for the Home 🏡 matches, that it would be Big Brother playing the role of Boy Scout and assisting the little Old Grandmother 👵across the street. This was done during the Sophomore year and foreshadowed Burnett and Assists!
The Professor took the Winter off from Basketball during her Junior year and focused on Volleyball and Softball. Now its time to enjoy a Senior year with three Volleyball players and a Softball season with a Barnyard of classmates. Brooke Webb will be involved with both teams and Corrie Delp is the fourth VB Senior.
Now you know the story about how Half Pint and The Professor became just the sixth and seventh members of an Elite Club of Carroll County High School Lady Cavaliers !
A.S.P.N on The Hill 