Maturity a leading factor for Laramie's Chloe Whisenant

Apr. 26—Laramie High senior midfielder Chloe Whisenant is in the midst of her best season with the Plainsmen.

She has been a lineup mainstay in high-pressure moments, and attempted 10 shots, with seven on net. Whisenant has scored twice. She also has taken 17-of-26 Laramie corners and is one of two players to attempt a penalty kick.

The No. 4-ranked Plainsmen have earned a 9-1 record in the Class 4A East Conference. Whisenant's mom, Kim, is in her second stint as head coach for the Laramie girls.

Despite battling an ankle injury, Chloe has flexed her clutch gene. Laramie most recently beat Thunder Basin 1-0 on Thursday, and Chloe assisted on the lone goal.

Chloe credits maturity as the reason she's been able to elevate her game. She also feels that experience has helped her become a better teammate and leader.

"I've taken what I've learned about myself and used it to my advantage," she said. "I've gained confidence in myself to stand up for what I believe in. I lead my team, and try to help with my voice to become better players."

Added Kim: "(Chloe) is very confident in who she is as a person. She knows her identity, and who she wants to be for this team. In my opinion, she's a playmaker."

Kim mentioned the team counting on Chloe to set up the attack. Chloe's objective isn't to lead the team in goals.

"She wants to receive the ball, and make a pass," Kim said. "She would truly rather have an assist than a goal."

When Laramie hosted Cheyenne East on April 12, a corner kick from Chloe in the 40th minute found the foot of teammate sophomore Devani Romero to break a scoreless draw. Laramie carried that momentum into the second half and won the match 3-0.

Recently, Chloe scored in a 2-1 win on the road against Sheridan. Kim mentioned Chloe having an extremely involved second half, displaying her grittiness.

"If the goal were to take the lead or win, that's cool," Chloe said. "I prefer assists. Playing a good through ball, and having a one-touch goal is where my heart is."

Added Kim: "She dug deep for us. She was very impactful, and that was probably her best game of the season."

Defensively, Chloe feels she's been solid, but has room for improvement. That process starts with helping on backside defense.

"(I can) do more than run to a player," she said. "We have man-marking, and that means we defend no matter what. I had a good defensive game against Sheridan, and a bad game against Campbell County.

"When it's over, you have to move on."

As a team, she believes they are enjoying the best season she's experienced in four seasons with the Plainsmen. Chloe feels the team wants to play for one another, and not as individuals.

"I tell myself that I'm playing the sport I love with the people I love," she said. "(The team) has connected so well on and off the field, and that is shown by our record."

Coming into the season, Chloe didn't eye individual accolades, and instead wanted to become the best version of herself. She feels the team expects her to be a maximum-effort player each time, playing a critical position.

"(The team) wants me to use my voice, and be someone they can follow," Chloe said. "This is how I play, this is how I speak, and this is how I act."

One thing she is still trying to master is talking to herself in a more healthy way. Chloe admits she is her biggest critic, but she has worked on taking time to praise herself when she performs well.

"At the end of the day, all I'm going to have is myself," she said.

She expects her determination and intensity to pay dividends down the stretch. Chloe thinks that how she handles failures affects other players, and hopes to be a shining example.

"(Determination and intensity) has helped the team in extreme moments," she said. "(Against Sheridan,) I missed a penalty kick, but thought I did a good job of building momentum and continuing on."

Chloe has had talks with various junior-colleges about furthering her athletic career, but for now she's focused on the season at hand. She is still figuring out her plans for after graduation.

LHS (9-3 overall, 9-1 Class 4A East Conference) returns to action when it hosts Cheyenne Central (2-7-2, 0-7-2) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Deti Stadium.

Austin Edmonds covers Laramie High, University of Wyoming and community athletics for WyoSports. He can be reached at aedmonds@wyosports.net. Follow him on X at @_austinedmonds.