Every year, a select few high schoolers make the ultimate decision to extend their sporting careers into the college level. On Feb. 5, five Wildcats made that decision. 

While these five Wright City athletes will be playing in different states for various sports, their reasoning for wanting to continue their careers were all the same– they simply love the sport and share a similar drive to keep playing. 

These Wright City athletes are Paige Rees, Lydia Clubb, Duan McRoberts, Mason Wendt and Jersiah Higgins. 

Rees, who has committed to play softball at Lincoln University, located in Jefferson City, started her journey when she was four-years-old. 

“I’ve always had the dream to go to the next level. I started looking at it during middle school but I’ve always had the dream to keep playing,” Rees said. 

Rees was a standout player for Wright City, ending her senior year with first-team EMO conference, all-region and all-state honors. 

She also broke two school records – walks in a season (22) and career doubles (44). 

Lincoln started to recruit Rees this past fall. She noted the recruitment process was tough but she was lucky to have found the perfect college for her. 

“Their program is nice and they’re increasing the amount of wins they get,” Rees said. “The turf field is amazing and the coach is really good.” 

Rees will intend to major in sports management. 

Clubb, another key player for Wright City, has committed to play softball at Iowa Western Community College. 

Despite being injured most of her senior year, Clubb earned first-team all-district honors and broke six school records in career hits (154), career home runs (25), runs batted in (114), career triples (19), career on-base percentage (.614) and career batting average (.563).

“I just love softball. I’ve always loved it. I don’t know what I’d do without it,” Clubb said. 

Clubb’s love for the college grew after her first visit. 

“I fell in love with the facility. It’s a high class facility and I was not expecting that from a JUCO school. With the coaching staff, the way she held herself, it just felt right,” Clubb said. 

Clubb is most excited to meet her new teammates next year, and being out-of-state will be an enjoyable experience. Her intended major is engineering. 

As she gets ready to pack her bags for Council Bluffs, Iowa, and of course, her glove and bat, Clubb hopes to simply have fun as she continues a journey that started long ago. 

McRoberts, a running back for the Wildcats, has committed to Truman State University, located in Kirksville. 

The senior did not start playing competitive football until seventh grade but he grew up playing football with his older cousins. 

“I love the game, so getting an opportunity to play at a higher level is a blessing,” he said. 

His prep career ended with three school records, including career touchdowns (72) and yards per carry in a season (10.8). He is the only player in school history to compete in three seasons with over 1,000 rushing yards each year. McRoberts earned first-team conference, district and state honors this year.

McRoberts started his recruitment process after attending a few camps and discussing with coaches. From there, he was invited to three game day visits from Truman, Washington University in St. Louis and Missouri S&T. 

After his first official visit to Truman, McRoberts was offered a spot at the end of the visit. He verbally committed that day. 

Mathematics is his intended major. 

“I enjoyed my time and felt the best while at Truman. It is a very good school academically, it’s close to home, it is very affordable to go there and they have a great football program,” McRoberts said. 

Wendt, who earned second-team all-state offensive lineman honors this year, said he is excited to continue his football career at Missouri Western State University. 

“I really like the culture there, especially the players,” Wendt said. “The big thing for me was their strength and conditioning coach and the offensive lineman coach. Both of them showed they really wanted me and showed they care about their athletes a lot.” 

Wendt’s dream to play collegiate football started in the fourth grade, when one of his friends, Austin Tillman told Wendt he wanted to play in college. Tillman recently committed to Northern Illinois University. 

“We’re still friends to this day and he’s one of my best friends. When he told me about his dreams, it sounded cool and I wanted to kind of follow that,” Wendt said. “I’m glad that I got to be a part of something like that.” 

Wendt is most excited to make lifelong friends, receive a good education and set up his future. 

“Obviously, the big goal is to play in the league and go further, but I’m blessed to be able to play for the next four to five years,” he said. 

Higgins, who plays guard for the Wright City basketball team, said he knew Missouri Baptist University was going to be a good fit for him when he made a visit to the St. Louis school.

“They were very welcoming on the visit. At the practices and when I was talking with the coach, it made me really comfortable,” Higgins said. 

The senior added that he is not too nervous about anything, but is instead ready to take on the experience. 

He said he is most excited to be a part of the community, and he cannot wait to tell his future kids one day that he played college basketball.