BICKLING (LEFT) and LATIMER. A Fall Sports special section — previewing all of the county's teams and players — is inserted in Saturday's Times Observer.

Certain special professional athletes have been referred to as “franchise players” for decades. They’re viewed as players whose talents are so great as to change an entire organization’s fortunes.

Think players like Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Derek Jeter and, yes, Tom Brady.

High school sports don’t follow the organizational model their professional counterparts do. They don’t, for the most part, get to draft players and are limited to a four-year window with every athlete.

Most, however, will find those special athletes who stand above the rest. Players who etch their names in the record books and become the stuff of local legend.

Think of names like John Bowen, Elisha Jones, Matt Benson and Mike Shine.

There is a pair of athletes at Warren Area High School right now who have the opportunity to join those former Warren County athletes. Both for their individual success, and potentially that of their teams…if they take the next step this season.

Two-time defending Region 5 Girls Soccer Player of the Year, Mackenzie Bickling, and two-time Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association All-State selection, Lydia Latimer, are on the verge of shattering the record books for their respective sports.

As much as the individual accolades, and there are plenty, place them in the upper echelon of their sports, it’s the team success that drives them. And both have their sights set on the District 10 title.

“I really want to take the team to the District 10 final and win it this season,” Bickling said.

“We want to go undefeated in the region and go on to win the D-10 title for the first time ever,” Latimer added.

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Becoming a franchise player doesn’t happen overnight. While there are those lucky few who can excel at a sport from the moment they first attempt to play it, most have to put in countless hours honing their craft.

Latimer and Bickling took different paths to get to where they are today, but both found a way to get to that top tier.

“The game definitely did not come naturally to me,” Latimer said. “It took a couple of years and many practices for me to become good at volleyball.”

She was able to find her way on travel teams, and the combination of coaches and coaching styles brought out the best in her game.

“I had always really liked playing soccer from a young age, but it didn’t really click for me until I began practicing with the high school boys team when I was in middle school,” Bickling said.

Her goal has been to make those players proud. Bickling watched as that team went on to win its own District 10 title. That win lit the spark that fuels what she wants to accomplish with her team this season.

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It’s not like either player is lacking in team success. The girls soccer team has won three straight region titles but hasn’t seen that success carry over to the playoffs. There might be that just right mix of talent this year to get them to the District 10 title game.

Volleyball may be in its best position to win its first D-10 title. The Dragons made it to the title game last year, lost only a single starter from that team and have some impressive young players ready to step in.

Those playoff experiences have the senior standouts ready to end their careers with team titles in tow.

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When athletes, especially high school athletes, approach their final season everything seems to take on added significance. It can also serve as a time to reflect on goals achieved, and those still waiting to be checked off the list.

There have already been a number of times Latimer has realized she’ll be doing something for the last time in her high school career.

“In those moments, I felt sad and realized I need to take in every second and remember the little things because I won’t ever do them again with this amazing team,” she said.

For Bickling, the realization that this is her final season with the Dragons came more suddenly.

“When my dad and I were driving home from our first training session this summer it really hit me that this will be the last time he coaches me,” Bickling said. “It made me pretty upset because I’m just so grateful he became the coach in the first place and I can’t thank him enough for doing it. I can’t imagine being the player I am today without him there to push me at every practice and game.”

There is one game, to date, that has stood out above the others so far as well. With a spot in the 2017 District 10 title game on the line, Latimer and the Dragons walked into the McDowell High School gymnasium for a matchup with Villa Maria and big hitter Kristin Reiland. Villa took a 2-0 lead before Warren, with a little help from the Flannel Panel, stormed back for an epic 3-2 win.

Latimer and Reiland battled it out at the net all match, as the pair combined for 59 kills and 37 digs.

“The way the whole attitude changed when the Flannel Panel walked in was amazing,” Latimer said. “Coming back and winning that game was so much fun.”

In addition to the pair of All-State nods, Latimer is a multi-time region and district all-star. She’s also poised to become Warren’s all-time leader in a number of statistical categories. She’s currently second in kills and blocks, trailing former teammate Paige Wilson (2016 graduate) in both. If Latimer is able to continue racking up kills at a 3.2 per set pace, she could also challenge Anna Wenger’s (2013) single-season total of 302. Latimer finished with 295 last year. Still, it’s the all-state nods that, for now, carry the top spot on her mantle.

“The accolade I am most proud of is being named on the All-State list,” she said. “It is an honor to be recognized by all the coaches in the PVCA and being one of the 50 volleyball players, out of the hundreds in Pennsylvania, to be awarded this achievement.”

The numbers for soccer haven’t been as well kept over the years, but it’s safe to say Bickling is at, or near, the top in all the scoring categories. She has 50 career goals, with 25 coming just last season alone, and 74 assists. Current Warren coach Jeremy Bickling was able to confirm she is the career assists leader (and likely career goals scored leader, though he was unable to definitively confirm). Still, she’s earned, on top of Region Player of the Year honors, multiple region, and district all-star nods.

With all that, there is still one more honor Bickling wants to grab before her high school career comes to a close.

“I’m most proud of being a District 10 all-star the last two years,” she said. “I never really thought of myself as one of the best players in the district. I knew I was good, but being awarded that gave me a lot more confidence in my skills than I previously had. I also hope to accomplish being District 10 Player of the Year.”

Bickling’s most memorable game so far? A thriller to close out the 2017 regular season.

The Dragons traveled to Erie for a matchup with the newly formed Erie High. Bickling answered a first-half Royals goal with one of her own just a minute later and the game looked like it was going to head to overtime. With just seconds to play, Bickling found Kyra Wotorson streaking past the defense for the game-winning goal.

“(That game) forced me to play at my best the whole game and having the team be able to pull out the win in the last four seconds of the game, that’s a moment I’ll never forget,” she said.

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There’s little doubt Bickling and Latimer are the “faces” of their respective teams right now. Their accomplishments, both individually and with their teams, already have them standing alongside the best their teams and sports have had. The argument can easily be made they belong in the discussion with the best athletes Warren County has produced.

What their final legacy becomes remains to be seen, but both know they want that legacy to mean something special for those who follow.

“I hope my legacy will be that with hard work and dedication, you can accomplish anything you want to,” Bickling said. “I also hope that my teammates will say that I was a hard worker and that I have a real passion and love for soccer.”

Latimer knows much of her legacy will be tied to whether or not the Dragons bring home that elusive D-10 title this year. At the same time, she still wants her teammates to remember the fun.

“I hope that my teammates remember me as hard-working, humble, kind and, sometimes, pretty witty,” she said.