Elkmont’s Morgan Morris and Martha Mendez are moving on to the next level after Morris signed with Calhoun Community College women’s basketball and Mendez signed with Faulkner’s women’s soccer program.

Both athletes signed to programs that are committed to signing talented athletes from Limestone County.

Morris will join East Limestone’s Taylor Thatch at the resurgent Calhoun women’s basketball program, along with the possibility of more Limestone players to come.

Mendez will join a multitude of players who have moved on to Faulkner women’s soccer, including Bryonna Castrejon of Tanner, who signed with the program just last week.

Morgan Morris

Morris signed from the Elkmont High School library at 11 a.m. May 12.

In attendance for the signing were coaches of the past and the future, as Elkmont’s girls basketball coach Sam Wallace and Calhoun’s women’s basketball coach Candace Byrd-Vinson were on site to show their support to Morris during the celebration of her accomplishment.

“Morgan is like one of my daughters, really,” Wallace said. “She was here when I got here, I have had her for four years, and I have coached her harder than anyone I have ever coached. She has been able to take it and I know she will do well.”

“We are excited to have Morgan. We are excited to restart the program at Calhoun. She came out to tryouts the other say even though she has already been offered. To me that spoke volumes about her,” Byrd-Vinson said.

Wallace also added that Morris was a key player to the Lady Red Devils’ run to the Elite Eight this season.

“She became a really good player. We don’t go as far this year without her leadership,” Wallace said.

Morris, a multi-sport athlete, was happy to have teammates there to support her.

“I am glad that I got to have some of the basketball players and soccer players here, and I love you all,” Morris said.

Martha Mendez

Mendez signed from the Elkmont High School library at 12:30 p.m. May 12.

She was joined by Elkmont head girls soccer coach Jacob Siefert, and both Mendez and Siefert gave the Elkmont teammates some advice: That her signing day is where other players could be one day through hard work.

“For the little ones, put in the work, go to practice. Don’t just miss it. At the end it is all worth it,” Mendez said. “Put in the work, make it all worth it. It will come quicker than you know it so make it a good run.”

Siefert echoed much of the same.

“You are getting a glimpse of what you could be doing at the end of your career if you put the work in,” Siefert said. “Martha will tell you this does not just magically happen. You have to grind and you have to put a lot of work in. This is what you can achieve if you put the work in, put the time in and you could be playing at the next level as well. This is what you could hopefully work towards.”

Siefert made the most of the moment, understanding the impact of a high school athlete signing to continue their career.

“It is a really big deal. You get to keep playing the sport that you love and you get to do it at a high level,” he said.

“It is very meaningful. It caps off your career and you get to sign to the next level. It is a really big deal.”