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01/31/2018 11:00 PMMorgan Violette has soccer and basketball running through her blood. Her dad’s side of the family has a deep soccer history, while her mother’s family has rich roots in basketball. Morgan is serving as a captain for both of her teams as a senior at North Branford, and she’s taking great pride in carrying on her family’s tradition in sports.
“I’ve been playing both sports since kindergarten. My dad was involved with rec soccer since I was a little girl, so it was fun going through that with him. On my mom’s side, everyone was big on basketball. It was nice to have her family see me grow through the years,” Morgan says. “I have a love for both sports and have been able to balance the two of them. My family was all captains of their teams. Being a senior captain made me feel good about myself, because I carried on what they did.”
As a member of the North Branford girls’ soccer squad last fall, Morgan served as one of four defenders who worked in tandem with goalie Allie Augur to surrender just nine goals all season. Morgan and the T-Birds wound up winning 15 games and defeated Old Lyme to win the Shoreline Conference Tournament.
“We’ve been playing together since we were little. We all have a friendship, which makes it better on the field, because we could say what we’d need to do to each other without getting mad,” says Morgan of her fellow defenders. “We never took it personal, which helped make sure we were all doing our best on the field. It’s what helped us to win.”
Morgan became a defender during her sophomore year at North Branford. She had always been more of an offensive player, but when two spots opened up in the back that year, Morgan decided to throw her hat in the ring and earned a starting position on defense.
“Coach said I grew so much and he could really see me there and told me the position was mine if I wanted it,” Morgan says. “Of course, I wanted to do anything to get on the field to start, so I ran with it.”
Coach Kozloski is happy that Morgan found her home on defense and says she played great on the back line throughout the past three seasons. Morgan was so good on defense for Kozloski’s squad that she now has the opportunity to play at the next level and will suit up for Albertus Magnus College this fall.
“She is just tough. She got into tackles really well and I think as she got older, she put more and more time and effort into her defense, which showed on the field,” says Kozloski of Morgan. “She was able to defend step by step with the best offensive players we came across.”
Morgan has seen time at multiple positions for North Branford’s girls’ basketball team. She typically plays guard, but also gets minutes as a forward for the Thunderbirds.
“I had the height advantage, so I played more of the post. It was harder for me, because in middle school, I played more guard,” says Morgan. “With a small roster, sometimes we’re forced into positions where we’re not as comfortable, but [Head Coach Courtney Manciero] has done a great job of teaching us to play these new positions in a short amount of time.”
As a captain, Morgan knows how important it is to make sure everyone is on the same page, so that everything flows smoothly on the court.
“My other captains and I want to make sure everyone is getting the most out of practices. We want to make sure everyone is listening and absorbing everything being taught,” she says. “That translates to games, which is why I think we’re successful in both sports.”
As she reflects upon her time in high school, Morgan says she loves being part of North Branford athletics and knows the experience has played a major role in who she’s become.
“Being a part of teams throughout my high-school career shaped me into the person I am,” says Morgan. “It taught me to work hard for things I want. I need to not give up and keep pushing.”