'Burg's McGraw breaks girls soccer program's career assist record
· Yahoo Sports
Every great team needs a premier setup artist.
And there’s no doubt that Wheelersburg junior Ella McGraw is among the best of the best in that department.
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From setting up her teammates on the soccer pitch to helping set up and perform cheer stunts on Friday nights, McGraw’s handed out more assists than Jake from State Farm.
Her willingness to get others involved now has the forward alone at the top of the heap in program history at Wheelersburg in career assists within the school’s girls soccer program, as McGraw recorded her school record breaking 58th assist in Saturday’s 7-2 victory over Inez (Ky.) Martin County.
The glory, McGraw says, goes to one individual who she sees as the ultimate light.
“To hold the all-time assist record means a great deal to me,” McGraw said. “I give all my glory to God. He has blessed me with abilities and a passion that have helped me get to where I am, and my ultimate goal is to give back to Him. It’s also a reminder that my hard work isn’t going to waste, and it’s a major confidence booster in my play. It also shows how great our forwards and wingers are at finishing as well. With a good amount of the season left, plus tournament play, it’s exciting to get such awesome recognition, with more to continue. It just tells me to keep up what I’m doing and what I’m working on.”
Throughout the course of her girls soccer career at Wheelersburg, McGraw has produced.
Within three years — and mind you, a full postseason tournament run still to go — McGraw has already produced 73 goals and 58 assists for 204 points, total, in just over two-and-a-half seasons of high school competition as of the latest stat update.
Wheelersburg’s also done quite a bit of winning as McGraw has produced.
As a freshman, McGraw nabbed 23 goals and 11 assists on a Lady Pirate squad that went 17-3 and reached the OHSAA Division IV Regional Semifinals before falling in overtime to eventual state semifinalist Worthington Christian at that stage.
Last season, McGraw posted 25 goals and 24 assists to help Wheelersburg finish 14-4 overall — and was named a United Soccer Coaches All-Region honoree for her play on the frontline.
But the 2026 season has seen McGraw and the Pirates hit another level.
With a 2-0 win at Unioto on Thursday evening, Wheelersburg now sits 16-0 in 2026 in a slate that has seen the Lady Pirates win every match by multi-goal margins and 12 of its 16 matches by three goals or more.
“To be 16-0 this season is awesome,” McGraw said. “ ll the work we put in at practice and on our own has been amazing. Practices are very competitive, and we push each other so that we can be better in games. We still have lots of work to do to finish the season out and to do well in the tournament.”
McGraw credits the team’s elevation to the level of dedication that Jon Estep, who is taking on double-duty in coaching both the Wheelersburg boys and girls soccer programs in 2026, has and continues to put in.
“Playing under (Jon) Estep this season has been great,” McGraw said. “He’s an awesome coach and pushes all of us on the team to be the best versions of ourselves. He’s our team’s biggest supporter, and that’s really good to have within a coach. Although it’s been a short time playing for Coach Estep, the growth within our team has been huge. Playing for him has been a huge blessing.”
McGraw, however, is as aware as anybody that Wheelersburg’s success is not a one-person band.
Offensively, Wheelersburg has up to six players who can strike at any time in not only McGraw but senior running mates Ella Hochstetler (20 goals, nine assists, 49 points) and Makenzie Mullens (18 goals, six assists, 42 points) as well as freshman Riley Delabar (14 goals, six assists, 34 points) and sophomore Jordan Jolly (eight goals, five assists, 21 points). Freshman Emme Hochstetler (five goals, two assists, 12 points) has also seen more burn in the second half of the regular season and is quickly progressing as well.
Wheelersburg’s rotation of attackers offensively is only matched by its pressure defense that features a litany of players, including strongholds Maia Weaver, Ava Artrip, Breckyn Bivens, Myles Bailey, Shaylin Conn, Ariana Lemons and Jaidyn Tilley who have all seen significant time defensively.
Senior Bri Whitley and sophomore Clara Watkins round out the defense as Wheelersburg’s goalkeepers on a unit that has pitched nine shutouts, held its opposition to one goal or less in 14 of 16 matches and has given up just eight goals in 16 affairs for a distinguished 0.50 goals against average in 2026.
The only two teams that have scored multiple goals against Wheelersburg this season were Minford and Martin County — which speaks to the Lady Pirates’ ability to possess the ball with its blend of speed and physicality, which blends in well with the relentless aggression that Estep has helped to formulate in his group.
“From the front five to the back six, I feel that there is talent everywhere,” McGraw said. “I could name each girl and talk forever about how they contribute to the team. Our defense does an amazing job at doing what they are supposed to do. They quite literally get the job done. I know I can always count on them to do what is needed for our team. Our offense has also grown tremendously this year. The passing sequences, the runs, and the finishing have been so good. If one of us is having an off day, it’s so nice to be able to count on each other to get the job done. We really play together and as a team. My teammates have helped me achieve the school record for assists by making amazing runs, passes, and finishes all over the field. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve that without them.”
While continuously adding to what is, undoubtedly, one of the greatest careers in Wheelersburg girls soccer history to this point already, McGraw has managed to do so while performing as a cheerleading during the same fall season, doing so alongside fellow frontline running mate Makenzie Mullens who joined McGraw in cheerleading this fall.
Along with McGraw and Mullens, Jaidyn Tilley, Shaylin Conn, Jordan Jolly and Jazelle Stanley also play soccer during the weekdays and Saturdays while cheering on Friday nights during the fall and multiple days out of the week during the winter months.
“Balancing cheer and soccer has been pretty tricky,” McGraw said. “Going from one practice to another can be pretty stressful at times. But thankfully, I am blessed with two amazing coaches, Gail Schmidt and Jon Estep. They help all of us cheer and soccer girls get to where we need to be on time and make sure we make it to everything possible. They are two great coaches who are always understanding of balancing two sports.”
Between Wheelersburg’s unblemished record in girls soccer to this point and the time demands that come with playing multiple sports as well as performing in the classroom, McGraw only has time to take matters one day at a time.
“My goals and aspirations for the rest of this season and the next are, first, finishing out this season the best we can and getting farther in the tournament than ever before,” McGraw said. “For the following season, my main goal is to be a leader on the team who uplifts my teammates and to have another great season like this year has been. I hope to continue to do positive things on the field and remember that everything I did, I did to the best of my ability.”