Booth reflects on historic career as Nelsonville-York prepares for postseason

People make mistakes at all ages, it’s a normal aspect of life. Though, it hardly determines anything.

Despite making the mistake to stop playing a sport she ultimately grew to admire and love so much at one point, Nelsonville-York’s Megan Booth eventually turned around and is now set to etch her name into the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) record books.

A remarkable, star-studded career that has been a vital part in arguably the Buckeyes’ greatest volleyball run in school history, Booth has been in the middle of every single emotionally-charged, historic moment over the past three seasons. While she’ll consistently will tell you that it was her teammates, coaches and family who have really made her success possible, the senior absolutely deserved to get that singular moment of recognition for what she’s meant to the program.

With the regular season of her senior season winding down, Booth finally got that moment.

In the midst of Nelsonville-York’s loss to a talented Bloom-Carroll team back on Oct. 2, something much more meaningful and valuable than any score occurred in Ben Wagner Gymnasium. In front of a home crowd that has supported the volleyball program so much over the past few years, Booth reached a milestone that very few in the state of Ohio can claim.

One of the best setters to come through Athens County, Booth recorded her 2000th career assist with a deserved celebration to boot. The game stopped and she was mobbed on the court by her teammates as the emotions started to sink in. Maybe they still haven’t.

“I just love to see how many people came to support me. My entire family was here, they made signs for me and it was just amazing,” Booth said in an interview with the Messenger, clearly emotional about the whole situation. “I couldn’t have done it all by myself. I’ve had amazing passers and hitters the past two and a half years I’ve done this. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Though, one of the best setters in the state’s history wouldn’t have ever been there if her middle school self had anything to say about it. A multi-sport athlete, volleyball wasn’t the only court she was interested in.

While she still plays on the varsity basketball team for Nelsonville-York to this day, it was more than just another sport to her earlier in life. So much to the point where she actually stopped playing volleyball in order to focus on basketball.

“At first, I was all basketball. I loved basketball, I even quit volleyball. Sixth or seventh grade, I just did not want to play,” She noted with a slight chuckle, looking back at the journey that has now taken her so far. “I then quit basketball in seventh grade because I fell in love with volleyball because of these girls. I just love being around them.”

It’s clear to see why. A team with nine seniors currently on the roster, it’s a group of girls who have grown together in so many aspects, not just on the court. Whether it be going with other girls on the team to scout out other teams’ games or just other activities in-and-out of school, this group of student-athletes at Nelsonville-York are truly best friends, not just teammates.

It’s the whole group on the team, but there’s another particular connection that is easy to see. Booth, Kyleigh Warren and Gianna Dixon are three of the top players in the area, helping lead Nelsonville-York to yet another historic season. The trio themselves have a deeper connection though.

Those three were the only ones in this current senior class who were on the varsity roster as sophomores. Now finishing up their third season together at the top level, a clearly emotional Booth made sure to note their importance to herself. Not only on the court.

“We share the love together, having them in my corner is amazing.”

Warren and Dixon are undoubtedly two of many players who have allowed Booth to rack up the gaudy stats she has. The same could be said the other way though, Warren and Dixon couldn’t do what they do without one of the better setters to ever come through the state.

Heading into the postseason, Booth already has racked up a litany of accolades in her career. A 1st team All-District and two-time All TVC-Ohio player, she still has more to accomplish in the near future.

Currently sitting at 2,115 career assists before the start of the postseason, Booth is really set up to be put in the record books if the Buckeyes can just win two or three more contests. On the official OHSAA website, Booth will have to reach 2,203 to be put into the top-38 all-time for a career. If Nelsonville-York can win the next two matchups and secure a second straight district title, she will reach the accolade in all likelihood.

It’s an achievement that will be appreciated, but it’s not one that will seemingly matter to Booth in the moment. She’s all in on trying to achieve postseason glory yet again for her teammates and school.

While the end of the road of her playing days in high school is quickly approaching, Booth has a mind to stay around the game of volleyball for a long time.

One of her biggest supporters, Nelsonville-York head coach Wayne Dicken has consistently, throughout the years, gushed over his setters’ mind for the game. Whenever given the chance, Dicken brings up her ferocious attentiveness to film and other team’s tendencies. He reiterates her drive and love of the game that causes her to go the extra mile in preparation and scouting. Booth doesn’t just play, she’s a student of the game.

“We love to scout. We love to know the other team’s tendencies,” Booth mentioned in her interview. “That’s how we win these games honestly, film and studying it.”

Dicken calls her a second coach on the court for a reason and it’s clear why. He’s never been shy to say that Booth has the mind and knowledge to be a highly successful coach herself in the future if she wanted to go that path.

The support and appreciation from her coach is not something that goes unnoticed.

“He’s just been a big motivator and a big part of this. I wouldn’t any other coach to coach me throughout high school,” She said about Dicken. “He’s just the best.”

While Dicken is one coach in the county that Booth has an unwavering love and appreciation for due to his support and efforts to drive her, he’s ironically enough not the only one. One of the Buckeyes’ biggest rivals on the court was actually a key aspect of allowing Booth to flourish for Nelsonville-York.

Athens’ head coach Hailee Hart is one of Nelsonville-York’s biggest rivals on the court, but such an important figure in Booth’s development as a player. As a coach for the Aleta Aces volleyball club, she helped Booth move towards developing into a setter. The star senior wasn’t shy to mention Hart’s importance to her.

“She was my club coach and she formed me into the setter I am today,” Booth said, gushing about Hart. “If I didn’t have her I would not be here at all. I’m so grateful for her and how she trained me to be a setter.”

While it’s been full of unforgettable memories, the fun in the journey is that it wasn’t easy. Through ups-and-downs, postseason heartbreak and jubilation, Booth and the rest of the Buckeyes’ program have been through it all. It’s these memories and moments that have driven the program to the heights it has reached and still want to attain.

“We do drills in practice that make us fight adversity. We get frustrated with each other but we learn to get over it,” Booth said when asked about what it meant to be a key cog in one of the most successful runs in school history and how it’s all been possible. “That’s kind of how we did it. Just fighting adversity the entire way through.”

Booth has been fighting adversity for years with her best friends at this point. One of the best setters in Ohio’s history has been doing it at the highest level for some time now, the only thing left is one more deep postseason run.

Mistakes happen. Booth’s mistake of quitting volleyball was short-lived, now she’s one of the better setters to ever step on a high school court in Ohio.