After proving it could compete with the Moore League’s best last season, Compton enters a new era with expectations that go beyond simply contending.
The Tarbabes have their sights set on championships.
Compton fell one game short of a share of the Moore League title last season before making a postseason run. Now, as the program moves into the inaugural season of the Hub City League, coach Jason Carreras believes a deeper and more experienced roster is capable of finishing what last year’s team started.
“We want to win the league title,” Carreras said. “The second goal is, you know, make another run in the playoffs. We want to win a championship.”
Carreras returns reigning Moore League Player of the Year Ariel Willard and will regain senior Laila Williams, who missed last season with an ACL injury. Compton has also added several athletes from its lacrosse program and other newcomers, giving Carreras more playable depth.
“I hate to say that we might be better than we were last year, but on paper, we’re better than we were last year,” Carreras said.
The challenge may be keeping Compton locked in throughout the season.
After facing a difficult Moore League schedule, Compton enters the Hub City League as a team with championship expectations. Carreras doesn’t want his players looking at opponents on paper or becoming complacent, so he has developed individual benchmarks for players to reach each game.
“Each girl is going to have benchmarks for their game,” Carreras said. “That way they don’t fall into that complacency. Each game’s going to be different, so that will keep them motivated.”
Carreras’ emphasis on focus comes from experience. Compton entered last season’s Lakewood game with confidence and an opportunity to remain in position for a Moore League title, but Carreras felt his team became overly confident and “got caught up in the hype” before falling short.
That loss has helped shape this season’s message: finish.
Willard, now entering her junior season, is embracing a larger role after earning Moore League Player of the Year honors as a sophomore. Along with improving her communication and teamwork, she shares her coach’s confidence about what Compton can accomplish.
“Everybody we play is going to be good, but I feel like Compton is going to come out on top,” Willard said.
Williams may provide another boost. After spending last season rehabbing and watching Compton’s playoff run from the sideline, the senior enters her final season hungry to contribute.
“It’s a comeback season for me because I didn’t get to play last year,” Williams said. “I’m hungry. I want to be able to score, get pick-sixes, pull flags and everything.”
The Tarbabes also return junior Shamiah Gibson who will be the orchestrator of Compton’s offense. Gibson will have plenty of returning weapons including: senior Audrey Baker, sophomore Destinee Kelley and senior Saniyah Coleman. The Tarbabes also welcome sophomore Amya young and Deavonnie Pack a paid that will be able to play multiple positions.
For a Compton team that experienced the disappointment of falling short last season, expectations have changed. Competing is no longer enough.
“This year, the focus is just finishing,” Carreras said. “We got a taste of what success feels like. We just want to finish this. So it’s rings. It’s ring season, man. That’s honestly what we’re going for this year.”
Compton started they season off with a dominating win 32-0 win over Huntington Park. They’ll pack in action Tuesday when they travel to Mayfair.
