Aeriel Horton (left) and Tierney Thomison (right) are pictured with Waxahachie head girls' soccer coach Jason Venable after being inducted into the Lady Indians' Hall of Honor on Friday, Jan. 31. (Fred Phipps/KBEC Sports)

2 alumni inducted into Waxahachie Lady Indian Hall of Honor

Travis M. Smith February 9, 2020 Girls Soccer, Waxahachie High School 2,140 Views

By Travis M. Smith | KBEC Sports

As the Waxahachie Lady Indian soccer team continued its run back into the 6A postseason, the program inducted two alumni into its Hall of Honor.

Tierney Thomison and Aeriel Horton were officially inducted Friday, Jan. 31 on the field at Stuart B. Lumpkins Stadium. They join seven previously inducted Hall of Honor members — Brandi Battles, Katie Hinds, Veronica Najera, Natalie Kelly, Emily Saunders, Jacey Hamilton and Sarah Hay — in the prestigious club.

Thomison was a midfielder for the Lady Indians before graduating in 2014. Donning the No. 10, she accounted for 55 goals and 38 assists over her high school career.

She told KBEC Sports that the first thing she thought about upon receiving the call from longtime head girls’ soccer coach and TASCO Hall of Famer, Jason Venable was the Lady Indians mantra: Tradition Never Graduates.

“That is indicative of the legacy of Lady Indian soccer,” Thomison said. “We are more than just players or a team — we are a family. Being a part of the Hall of Honor is just an honor in itself and reminds me how close-knit this program and the Waxahachie Indian network is.”

Horton, who wore No. 2 for the Lady Indians on the soccer field and scored 20 goals with 12 assists before graduating in 2015, echoed Thomison’s sentiments.

“This is probably the biggest honor that I have ever received because soccer was my first love,” Horton said. “It means a great deal.”

She added that there is a lot to miss about playing for Venable and the Lady Indians, including the head coach’s “constant jokes and the way he made everyone feel like a family.”

Thomison, meanwhile, pointed to the night’s like Friday, Jan. 31 — you know, those evening spent under the lights alongside friends turned siblings and representing the entire town of Waxahachie — as the biggest thing she misses when looking back on a successful high school career.

“Playing for your high school is different than playing anywhere else because it’s where you grew up, and you are representing what made you, you,” Thomison explained. “That is something that I miss.”

When asked what advice she’d give to her younger self or current Lady Indian, Thomison first laughed at the thought that she — just five and a half years removed from playing for the program — could have enough “wisdom” to pass along to the younger generation.

“You can do anything that you set your mind to,” she said after composing herself. “The world is a huge place. Whether it is soccer-related or not, with hard work and no matter what anyone else says, the sky is the limit. If you have a dream, go for it.”

Horton urged her younger Lady Indian counterparts to “live in the moment and don’t take anything for granted.”

Both also agreed that soccer and the Waxahachie athletic communities have helped shape their post-high school lives.

Horton has just recently entered her sixth and final offseason as a collegiate athlete.

Following an exceptional four-year sand volleyball career at Divison-I Houston Baptist University, Horton is currently working on a master’s degree at SAGU in Waxahachie. She is also a member of the Lady Lions volleyball team and will return to the court for a second season this fall.

Horton noted that soccer “definitely helped me get there because I am also playing indoor volleyball. Going on my sixth year of playing college sports, I think being a multisport athlete helped with my endurance and just a lot of things in life. I am very thankful that soccer really paved the way for my playing career.”

As for Thomison, her soccer skills have since translated into a professional career post-college.

“Soccer has helped me through every step of life,” said Thomison, who graduated from Trinity University with a psychology degree in 2018. She currently works in health services research as a grant and contracts coordinator at E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston.

“Soccer has also taught me how to be on a team and to care for a team, it really helped develop a leadership skill that has helped me through every aspect of life.”

NOTES

The Lady Indians went on to record a second consecutive shutout with a 9-nil victory against Grand Prairie Young Women’s Leadership Academy. They improved to 3-1 in 7-6A play.
Angelica Gutierrez, a senior, signed with Texas A&M University — Texarkana on Wednesday, Feb. 5.
The Lady Indians thumped Mansfield Summit this past Friday, 6-nil in Mansfield. It marked their first match since the Hall of Honor induction and improved the Lady Indians’ district record to 4-1 and overall mark to 10-1-2.
Waxahachie returns to action Tuesday at home against Cedar Hill. The game will be the team’s annual Youth Night, which allows any youth soccer player free admission if he or she wears a soccer jersey. The game will be at Stuart B. Lumpkins Stadium.