FREDDY GONZALEZ | Valley Morning Star
SANTA ROSA — Santa Rosa senior Mariah Contreras secured her future Friday afternoon after signing a letter of intent to play volleyball at the collegiate level.
The all-around athlete who also played softball, basketball and was a cheerleader as well, will spend the next few years playing volleyball at Jarvis Christian College in Hawkins, Texas.
This season Contreras led the Lady Warriors to a District 32-2A title in volleyball and to one of Santa Rosa’s best seasons in recent memory.
“Today means a lot to me because it means I get to play volleyball at the next level, and being able to represent Santa Rosa at the next level feels great,” said an excited Contreras.
After signing, the senior took to the podium and reflected on her time at Santa Rosa High School, and thanked everyone who helped her along her journey.
She also spoke about getting the opportunity to play for the Jarvis Bulldogs.
“I applied and they sent me a full academic scholarship back,” she said. “Soon afterward the coach contacted me and asked me if I wanted to go play over there. My mentality was that if I got everything paid for and was going to be able to play volleyball, why not take the chance?
“I’m going to go make the best out of it and it’s college ball so it’s going to be very different from high school. I just need to go out there and show everyone what I can do.”
The Bulldogs play in the NAIA Red River Athletic Conference and went 5-32 overall last season.