A Story of Perseverance, Faith, and Unbreakable Sisterhood
Seleste Massey stood on the court, the championship trophy gleaming under the bright lights of the Alamodome, the weight of the moment still settling onto her and her teammates. Just a year ago, the Boswell High School sophomore had doubts she would ever play again. Now, she was the MVP of the UIL Class 6A Division II state championship, as the Pioneers defeated Fort Bend Hightower High School 51-42 to claim Boswell’s first state championship in varisty girls basketball.
“I was really excited and really relieved because all of that hard work we put in came to a good ending,” Massey said. Boswell’s win isn’t just a state championship. It is a story of perseverance, faith and an unbreakable sisterhood. Last year, the Pioneers lost in the fourth round of the playoffs, their season upended after Massey suffered a devastating knee injury and Haleigh Jackson, then a junior, unexpectedly missed time, too. Massey spent more than a year in grueling rehab.
“I felt like I let my team down,” Massey said. “I didn’t know if I was even going to play again.” While Massey struggled, her teammates never let her lose faith. Salena Carrasco, a junior, would send her text messages of encouragement and pray over her. Jackson, despite her own disappointment, kept the team laughing. But their presence on the court couldn’t be replaced. When this season began, Massey still wasn’t medically cleared to play. When she did return, she admits her first game back was “rough.” She panicked.
“I was horrible,” Massey said. “Coach was there to calm me down, but I had to trust my body again and focus back on the game.”
It took time. It took patience. But by the middle of district play, Massey began to feel like herself again. She took it step by step, regaining her confidence, and when the playoffs arrived, she was ready.
“I felt really happy for my team and myself that I was able to push and get myself there to be with my team and help them win this year,” Massey said.
A journey to the championship powered by an unbreakable belief in each other and support from their fellow students and community that got larger and louder with each win.
“Having a good fan base gave us energy that we didn’t have and needed more of,” Sydney Durrah, sophomore, said. “It makes us all a big family.” That helped put into focus for the team a message they heard often from their coach.
“We’re family here,” John Reese said. “I told these young ladies they were playing for more than just themselves or their families. They were playing for their school, their district, their city, and the generations of Boswell players who had come before them.” And when that final buzzer sounded, “I just started crying,” Camille Williams, a senior, said. “It was unreal. It was awesome celebrating with the crowd. It was so loud. It made it 10 times better.”
And the outpouring of support continued when they returned home. “I think there is great support, great community around the Saginaw area in general,” Carrasco said. “Students from Chisholm Trail and Saginaw high schools were texting and congratulating me. At the grocery store people are coming up and congratulating me. Everyone just supports us.”
For Massey, it’s this support, it’s sisterhood of her team, and now a state championship, that continues to lift her up, and give a clear picture of purpose, even in the face of the adversity she has overcome.
“I think my injury happened for a reason,” she said. “God put me in this position for a reason. God takes stuff away and gives you more later when you’re ready for it.”
