Phoebe Brandon is at center of Karns City girls soccer’s quest for D9 title whether she likes it or not
Karns City girls soccer coach Tracy Dailey sees more in Phoebe Brandon than the senior standout sees in herself.
If the Gremlins’ longtime leader has any say, Brandon will eventually play with the edge that comes with being the player all of her teammates look up to.
Brandon scored 20 goals as a winger last season, but losses from graduation in the spring made Dailey move Brandon to the midfield for 2026. Now at the center of everything for Karns City (3-2 as of Wednesday), Brandon is still adjusting to leadership early in the season.
“Phoebe is used to not having to be the person, the go-to person,” Dailey said. “And I said to her this year, ‘Phoebe, you're it. You are the go-to person this year.’ She said, ‘Well, what if I don’t wanna be?’ I said, ‘Well, I think your teammates have something different to say about that.’”
“I’m just used to looking to other people,” Brandon said. “Last year, we had Hanna Dailey, and I’m used to crossing the ball. I did score a lot, but I was never the one (before) that was supposed to be the leader, take a bunch of girls and teach them how to do things, and I told Tracy that. I was like, ‘I don't know how to be a leader.’”
Tracy Dailey knows what Brandon’s capable of and wants to see her carry herself with more confidence. She embraces the pressure that comes with Karns City’s expectations and is doing a good job of learning on the fly for a program that expects to be in the mix for the District 9 Class 1A crown each fall.
Brandon is now finding the balance between being stern and encouraging with a younger group than she’s accustomed to working with.
When Dailey sees Brandon — who admitted her body language is evident when she’s not playing exactly how she’d like — in a rut, he’s found the best approach is to pull her off for a few minutes to allow her to reset. Watching from the sideline for a moment reminds her of accountability.
“With her speed, now you can see a little bit more of her skill in different things,” Dailey said. “Her distribution has to get better this year. … It’s just kinda coming out of the midfield rather than being out wide.”
“I'm used to crossing and dribbling forward,” Brandon said. “Not really having the ball on my feet and trying to move it and get it to other people, so I’m slower at it, but I’m getting used to it.”
Brandon also sprints the 100 meters — in which she won a district title last season — and takes part in the 4x100 relay on the Gremlins’ track and field team. She’s learned to use her burst to track opponents down on the defensive side.
Brandon, who said she’s at her best when she’s playing aggressive and fast, is “more than capable of being the best player on the field,” Dailey said. “She doesn’t see her own potential. … Phoebe gets a lot of confidence if she's able to get in and get a good shot off, and even finish. You can definitely tell.”
