On the field, freshman Ellarose Ffrench swoops the ball from the opposing players’ foot, saving her team from a game-losing goal.  Ffrench, driven with determination and excitement to win, was this year’s only freshman girl on varsity.  

Ffrench has been playing soccer for about 12 years. “I love testing myself, and when you work hard, it’s fun to play. I’m happiest when I’m on the field,” Ffrench said..

  Ffrench has earned many great achievements and opportunities., She was selected for US youth national team identification centers and regional teams, and has been captain of club teams, SDSC (San Diego Soccer Club), and Rebels. 

 Back in January, she earned a spot to represent the US team in Spain for futsal, an indoor form of soccer during the Futsal National Championships. All of these accomplishments reflect how Ffrench trains hard, mostly focusing on shooting and skills, as well as conditioning, with each exercise helping her daily on the field. 

Varsity coach Bryan Mark helps her with training.  According to Ffrench, Mark is always focused on helping her improve, “Coach Mark does such a good job coaching, He is chill but always expects the best from us,,” Ffrench said.

Ellarose credits her high school success to the support of her caring teammates.“High school season has been so much fun, and the entire team and my coaches have been welcoming and supportive. I look forward to connecting more with my team on and off the field,” Ffrench said. 

 Captain Mackenzie Stearns, who has been playing since she was two and also started on varsity as a freshman recognizes Ffrench’s talent., “She is doing so amazing, especially as a freshman, I think she’s come onto the team and become part of the team so effortlessly and played such a huge role during big games,” Stearns said. 

Mark, a former player for the University of Wisconsin-Potterville, has coached for 20 years, including his three at Poway. 

“Ellarose has been huge for us. She’s very confident and strong. She makes good decisions as well and all that is awesome to see as a freshman,”  Mark said. 

So far the team has been doing great, with a great record of 10 wins and 4 losses, Ffrench and her teammates set their sights on the playoffs.

During the playoffs on February 18th, Poway suffered a 0-1 loss to Patrick Ridge in the first round match.