Published: May 11, 2008 12:13 am            

Grados ‘best offensive player SHS has had’

On the volleyball court, Maria Grados was a defensive specialist.

On the soccer field, the Stillwater High senior was an offensive juggernaut.

Grados proved to be a valuable asset in both sports this season and has been named the NewsPress’ SHS Female Athlete of the Year.

She was a two-year starter for the volleyball squad and helped the Lady Pioneers earn their fifth straight Regional title and Class 6A State Tournament berth. Grados was named a second-team All-State honoree and will be an alternate for the All-State contest on July 29 at Norman High.

“I think the biggest thing we’re going to miss with Maria is her leadership on the floor,” said coach Ryan Webber. “She was an outstanding player for us. She knew there were players behind her that would’ve liked to take her spot, but she was determined to have a lot of fun and play really hard.

“Maria’s role was to serve consistently and intelligently and play solid defense, and that’s exactly what she gave us.”

Grados shined even brighter in soccer. She led the Lady Pioneers in goals (14) and assists (11), and was selected for All-State — marking the third consecutive year an SHS player has earned the distinction.

In addition, Grados was a 6A-3 All-District pick and led her club to a 7-7 record — which tied the school record for most wins in a single season — and SHS fell a victory shy of earning just its second playoff bid in program history and the first since 2003.

“I would have to say without doubt or fear of contradiction that Maria Grados is the single best female player that Stillwater High School has ever had offensively and I’ve seen a lot of girls soccer over the past 10 years,” said coach John Fields.

Prior to the season, Grados made a commitment to become a more fit competitor, so she participated in a few meets for Kurt Goebel’s swimming squad.

“I didn’t want to just sit at home after school so I wanted to give (swimming) a try,” Grados said. “It’s probably the hardest sport I’ve been in and I wasn’t very good at it, but it got me in perfect shape. When I went back out for soccer, I wouldn’t even get tired.”

Earlier this year, Grados — a four-year starter for SHS — became the first Lady Pioneer soccer player to sign with a Division-I program. She will compete next season for Oral Roberts, led by first-year coach Ryan Bush.

Grados was recruited by former Golden Eagle boss Kyle Cussen, who led the program for 10 years but left in January to take the reins at the University of Tulsa. Bush, who previously served as an assistant for ORU’s men’s soccer team, was named Cussen’s successor in February.

“I really liked Coach Cussen and (assistant Anthony) Richardson but I’m excited about (Bush) being my coach,” Grados said. “(Bush) has seen me play but not that much and I haven’t really had the chance to get to know him so it may be a little weird at first.”

The Golden Eagles went 8-9-3 in 2007 and advanced to the conference’s postseason tournament for the first time in three years. In the last decade, ORU has claimed three Mid-Continent Conference championships (2000, ’02 and ’04) and qualified for the NCAA tourney for the first time in ’04.

“I expect to see Maria sometime in the middle of next season, maybe not starting but playing significant minutes — she’s that kind of player,” Fields said. “I think she will be an impact player for them but she’ll have to work hard to break into that roster as a starter.

“We’re going to miss her but I think she’s left behind that legacy of hard work. She’s been a real strong influence on these other girls.”

Before heading to college, Grados will compete one last time at the prep level as she suits up for the All-State soccer game on June 7 at Tulsa Memorial High.

“I think it’ll be more exciting than sad because I’ve never really played with any of those girls,” Grados said. “I had a lot of fun with all my teammates over the last four years, and I’m really going to miss this.”

        

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