Four Catholic athletes sign to play at next level
Catholic had four sign scholarships on Wednesday including Joanna Marlow, Kate Johnson, Heather Walski in soccer and Harper Howell in volleyball. (Tim Gayle)
By GRAHAM DUNN
Catholic administrators held a signing ceremony in the school gym on Wednesday for one of their volleyball players and a trio of soccer stars.
One of those soccer players, Joanna Marlow, has spent the last year recovering from a knee injury and never thought she’d get to celebrate at a signing ceremony after tearing ligaments in her knee last summer.
“I really can’t process it all,” Marlow said. “I didn’t think this day would ever happen. It’s really unbelievable.”
Marlow joined fellow seniors Kate Johnson and Heather Walski, along with volleyball star Harper Howell, in Wednesday’s ceremony. Each senior had their own unique version but a similar background in which they were surprised to receive an offer to continue playing their favorite sport collegiately.
“There’s no words to describe what it means,” Johnson said. “I feel so proud of myself and it feels kind of like, ‘There’s no way this is happening to me.’ I’m just very grateful.”
Howell signed with Spring Hill College after a standout career as a middle blocker for the Knights’ volleyball team, helping Catholic to state championships in 2022 and 2023. This past season, she was selected by coaches as a member of the all-Capital City Conference team after recording 382 kills, 82 blocks, 72 digs and 33 aces.
“Spring Hill was always one of my top choices, just for school and in general,” Howell said. “It’s a Catholic school and Mobile is a good spot for me. I didn’t want to go too far, I didn’t want to be too close. Out of the all the schools I was looking at, Spring Hill just caught my eye.
“There are definitely a lot of emotions. There were lots of ups and down throughout this journey. I’m so grateful to be here. I’m sad to leave Catholic, but happy to see what Spring Hill has ready for me.”
Johnson signed to continue her playing career at Auburn University Montgomery. She has helped the Knights to a 14-3 record this season with 21 goals and 16 assists, ranking among the top soccer players in Class 4A in both categories.
“I went to some of their camps (at AUM) just because they’re right up the road,” Johnson said. “It turned out that the coaches were interested in me. When I went on my visit, I was like, this is the place for me.”
Marlow will continue playing at Faulkner, considering the offer from the Eagles a blessing after overcoming an injury to her left knee that sidelined her in 2024. She is one of the Knights’ top defensive players this season, helping Catholic post 11 shutouts this season.
“It was just out of the blue,” Marlow said. “Their graduate assistant texted me, ‘Are you interested in playing collegiate soccer and playing for Faulkner?’ At the time, I had no intention of playing in college. I thought my dream was gone.”
Walski had already generated some interest from schools after emerging as one of the state’s top goalkeepers, but made the switch this spring to center back to help the Knights shore up some defensive holes.
“This year, because we don’t have as many players, they’ve been rotating me into the defender position, usually center back,” she said. “Today is very special because all the work I’ve put in so far has gotten me here. Even playing in the field has given me more conditioning and it’s helping me in other aspects of goalkeeping that will help me in college.”
Walski earned an offer from Reinhardt College, an NAIA private school in Georgia, after working out with the players at a practice.
“I went to watch another team play and they were playing Reinhardt,” she explained. “I saw Reinhardt play and I really liked how they were playing. I went and talked to the coach and he said I should come to a practice. I really enjoyed playing with them.”