BE A GOLDFISH: Karns City’s Savanna Prescott Learning to Have a Short Memory as She Prepares for Another Three-Sport Year at Karns City

CHICORA, Pa. (EYT/D9) — Be a goldfish.

It’s a piece of simple advice given to Karns City junior Savanna Prescott by girls basketball teammate and friend Chloe Fritch.

Be a goldfish. Have a very short memory like the popular aquatic pet.

(Pictured above, Karns City’s Savanna Prescott boots the ball away in goal for the Gremlins/submitted photo)

It’s something Prescott has learned to embrace the hard way as a keeper for the Karns City girls soccer team, a forward for the Gremlins’ girls basketball team and a jumper for the school’s track and field team.

That goldfish mentality comes most in handy on the pitch where Prescott is a keeper — a stressful job to be sure.

It was particularly nerve-racking for her in during her first campaign in net for the perennially powerful Gremlins last year.

“It took me a while to get the hang of just letting go,” Prescott said. “But like (Gremlins’ girls soccer coach Tracy Dailey) always says, just put the game behind you. Learn from your mistakes, but you have to put it out of your mind or else you’re not gonna get any better.”

Prescott had to do that quickly last season during a very inauspicious start for herself and the team.

She replaced standout Rossi McMillen in goal and struggled early as Karns City opened the season 0-3. One of those losses was a 10-1 setback against Clearfield.

It has Prescott drowning in doubt and wondering if she was going to go belly-up in that fishbowl.

“The first games we had some big losses,” Prescott said. “That knocked me down.”

But she got back up.

As the season went on, Prescott improved markedly and so did Karns City’s fortunes.

The Gremlins went on to win yet another District 9 championship — the 24th in the last 28 seasons — and Prescott’s play in goal was one of the reasons why.

“It helped me want to be a better player for my teammates,” Prescott said. “I just wanted to be that person that everyone could depend on. It was really stressful, but I feel like I improved throughout the season and the coaches and teammates helped me with that.”

So, too, did McMillen, who gave Prescott pointers and watched all of her games on the internet to break down what she was doing right and the things she could correct.

“Rossi is one of my closest friends and she pushed me to try goalie and I just loved it,” Prescott said. “She watches all my film and tells me what I need to do. I’m so happy that she can take time out of her own day, her busy college day, to help me out and watch the games.”

Prescott said she is certainly much more confident entering this soccer season than she was a year ago.

“It was just hard last season being the starter in my first year of playing goalie,” Prescott said. “I really wish I would have started earlier. I feel like I would be so much more comfortable if I started earlier.”

THE PRESCOTT FILE

NAME: Savanna Prescott

YEAR: Junior

SPORTS: Soccer, basketball, track and field

2022-23 HIGHLIGHTS: Was the starting keeper for the Karns City girls soccer team, which won another D9 title; was a starting forward for the Gremlins’ girls basketball team, which also won a District 9 championship.

Q: How would you describe yourself as an athlete?

A: I have to think about that for a second (pauses). I’m competitive, but I don’t show it. It’s in my mind. I’m one of those people who will get really into the game, but you can’t really see it in my body language. It’s all inside.

Q: What’s your pre-game routine?

A: Well, especially for soccer games, which is definitely the most stressful out of the three, I really like to sit down and tell myself that not everything is 100% my fault because I do struggle with getting in my head during games and just getting stressed out so easily. I can easily get down on myself, so I just have to sit myself down and tell myself that I just need to try my best and it’s OK if I fail or make a mistake.

Q: What is your ultimate goal in sports? Where do you want sports to take you?

A: I’m more academically minded. I’m in a lot of AP classes and I prioritize school over sports most of the time, so playing sports in college isn’t my first choice. I just want to be able to learn how to make relationships with people, especially in my career in the future, help my social skills and also learn to let things go, because in real life, that’s what you have to do, too.

Q: Do you know what you want to study?

A: Criminology and then go to law school.

Q: Is that something you’ve always wanted to do?

A: I’m in the gifted program so we start job shadowing, interviewing, all that stuff kind of early. Since I was in the seventh grade, I’ve known what I wanted to do after high school.

Q: What’s you favorite TV show?

A: Gilmore Girls. I watch it on Netflix every day.

Q: Why do you like it so much?

A: It reminds me of my mom (Tara) and I. We have that kind of relationship. A great relationship.

Q: Favorite movie?

A: Shutter Island. I’ve watched it like 10 times. I can watch it as many times as I want and I’ll see new things every time.

Q: Last one and then I’ll let you off the hook. If you could be any player for a week, who would you be?

A: (Iowa women’s basketball player) Caitlin Clark. I love watching college basketball and she was my favorite player this year. I like her competitiveness a lot and I wish I could have those shooting skills (chuckling). I love her passion for the game. I wish I could show it all the time like she does, but I just keep it inside.