The Clarion-Goldfield-Dows girls basketball program returned to the court in the 2025-26 season after not fielding a varsity squad the previous year. The team also saw a change on the sideline as Ashley Kahler took over as head coach.
With a roster made up entirely of players without varsity experience, the Cowgirls entered the winter focused on growth and finished the season with a record of 0-21.
Kahler says the season became a learning experience for both the players and their first-year coach.
“It was a challenge this year to come into a team that had zero experience playing varsity. I learned a lot about myself of the motivational aspect of it and just never giving up on the girls and never giving up on the season and just fighting through. I mean, I think the girls taught me a lot about that too. They showed a lot of desire and heart and just to keep moving on and keep chipping away. We learned together and we got better as the season moved on.”
Like many programs in a rebuilding phase, progress is gradual. Kahler says the key moving forward will be continuing to take small steps as the program develops.
“We’ve talked about this, we have to get a ball in our hand and work on our fundamentals and really key in on those fundamentals,” says Kahler. “Because we can’t take a step back, we cannot not touch a ball until November again. So, we have to definitely put in some time over the summer and in the fall and just try to get some reps in and just build those basic fundamentals and get better each night on those fundamentals and keep moving forward.”
Clarion-Goldfield-Dows will graduate two seniors in Sydney Munoz-Cruz and Daniela Rodriguez. The Cowgirls are expected to return 12 players from this year’s roster, a group that gained valuable varsity experience and provides a foundation for the program moving forward.
