At Melissa High School, Winning Begins Now

Originally published in the January 2007 issue of the High School Sports Report http://www.nortexsports.com

Maybe everyone in Melissa eats their Wheaties. Perhaps there is something in the water. Or maybe there is something in the air of this town that produces winning. Realistically, this school should not be winning as much as they are. The answer may rest not in the elements, but in the people of this town of 4,000 that rests in northeast Collin County, a good fifty miles from downtown Dallas. At the rate they're going, Melissa High School would do well to buy a new trophy case. Perhaps two.

Melissa is one of many Collin County towns experiencing a population explosion. New school buildings can hardly keep up with demand, and with that growth tend to come growing pains. In athletics, that usually means the sports teams do not do well initially, but lay a foundation for future success. This school year, Melissa High will graduate their first group of seniors. Amazingly, these seniors will have plenty of sports stories to brag about at their class reunions. Defying conventional wisdom, the Melissa Cardinals are doing more in their first full season as a school than most established programs.

The winning started early, as the girls varsity volleyball team made the playoffs in 2A Region II. Four Lady Cardinals made the All-District 10-2A team, including senior Tabitha Collins and sophomore Monica James. Senior Jordan Davis was named Libero of the Year. Freshman Skyler Zadow was named Newcomer of the Year. Skyler has gone on to play well for the girls varsity basketball team.