Claudia Pifher, Emily Siesel turn tough life lessons into success on hardwood, classroom
NEW WASHINGTON — Sir James M. Barrie, the creator of Peter Pan, once wrote, "Life is a long lesson in humility."
And life teaches you, that to be humble, you first have to be humbled.
At least, that is what life has taught Buckeye Central's Claudia Pifher and Emily Siesel, the 2021-22 Mansfield News Journal Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
From those who knew them at their youngest ages, they knew Pifher and Siesel were destined for greatness on the basketball court. They had the "it" factor right from the jump. They worked hard, played harder, did the small things and most importantly, put in the extra hours when no one was watching.
Most expected everything to come easy to them and to some extent, maybe Pifher and Siesel did, too. And if you simply look at the list of accomplishments, most would say things did come easy.
Pifher is a four-time All-Ohioan in basketball, the only athlete in the history of Buckeye Central High School who can own that title. She leaves as the school's all-time leading scorer, boy or girl, with 1,598 total points in four years.
Siesel had the best season of any player in the state in Division IV girls basketball during the 2021-22 season scoring 20.4 points and averaging 7.7 steals, 4.6 assists and 4.6 rebounds a game on her way to being named the Division IV Player of the Year, the biggest honor any player can receive outside of Ms. Basketball.
But, those accolades didn't come easy.
Adversity is preparation for greatness
Like any athlete, adversity strikes at any moment. For Siesel, it was at the end of her freshman season at Seneca East. She suffered an ankle injury that at first seemed to just be a severe sprain and a little rest and relaxation would do the trick.
It didn't. After sitting around all spring and summer with very little progress, Siesel found out she had some damaged ligaments in her ankle which would require surgery to fix. The problem was, that the recovery time would take her out for her entire sophomore basketball season. After a lot of conversations with her parents about the best course of action, she decided to have the surgery and that was when the mental battle began.
"It was a long, lingering injury that seemed to never get better even though it was supposed to get better with time," Siesel said. "Even after a lot of rest, it never fully got better. That was a huge mental battle because I am trying to recover and at the same time, I am not able to participate. That is so hard on any athlete to have to sit back and just watch people do great things and you can't. In the long run, it was beneficial and probably was what was best for me. It made me a lot more mentally tough."
She battled through the mental hurdles and recovered well enough to play her junior season. Then, a preseason ankle roll derailed her plans once again. Thankfully, this time, it was just a mild injury and only prevented her from playing in Game 1 of the season. She went on to earn third team All-Northwest District and second team All-District 6 honors.
Fast forward to the 2021-22 season. Siesel and Pifher were more than ready to take the area by storm and finally reach the state tournament after BC won five straight district titles and would soon make it six with Siesle and Pifher fully healthy and ready to go.
Preseasons scrimmages were underway and Buckeye Central coach Abram Kaple wanted to get their legs loose but not really play them too much so he could save them for the season and get his younger kids some time on the floor.
On a particular play, Pifher drove to the basket, absorbed contact, made a layup and was sent tumbling to the floor. It had happened hundreds of times over the last three years and it was nothing new. Only this time, Pifher braced herself during the fall and just happened to break a bone in her wrist. She would miss the team's first 11 games of the season and her very own mental battle occurred.
"It was obviously very mentally challenging for me," Pifher said. "I never thought something I loved so much could be taken from me in a split second. It made me appreciate the game more because I took a step back and was more of a coach instead of a player. Everything happens for a reason. Me being out allowed for others to step up and play different roles. It showed with our record and the tournament run we made to Dayton. I look back on it now and God taught me a lesson and I have learned to appreciate the sport so much more now."
She returned for the last 11 games of the regular season, earned All-Ohio honors and helped the Buckettes win a sixth consecutive district championship and a regional title earning a trip to the University of Dayton for the state final four.
All because adversity made them stronger and humbled.
"It was a unique experience because in four years, I saw both of these girls in their lowest of lows and highest of highs," Kaple said. "Emily was so devastated from that rolled ankle thinking that every time she steps on the floor she gets hurt and had a give-up mentality. She chalked it up, continued to work hard and got healthy. She goes out as Division IV Player of the Year. She earned the acknowledgment of being the best player in Division IV.
"Claudia was chasing multiple school records and team goals. We tried our best to limit her minutes in scrimmages but there was a play where she fell down like she probably has 100 times and a fluke accident, broke a bone in her wrist. Basketball is her happiness and it took a mental toll on her. She struggled with that, but what we kept telling her is positive thoughts lead to positive results and as much as she didn't want to hear it, the moment she got clearance to play, she was a totally different person. She was able to come out aggressive in the second half of the season and still achieved all of those team goals."
Starve your distractions, feed your focus
During their times battling injuries, Pifher and Siesel had to figure out a way to feed their competitive side. So, they turned their focus to the classroom. They are student-athletes after all.
Pifher ended her career with a 4.4 GPA and scored a 25 on her ACT and 1280 on her SAT. She was an academic All-Ohioan during basketball season and is Buckeye Central's 2022 class Valedictorian all while being a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Siesel posted a 4.057 GPA which was good for class salutatorian, the award given to the No. 2 ranked student. She collected the Biology Award along with the National Machinery Citizenship Award and scored a 21 on her ACT. She was part of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes along with National Honor Society, Studen Council, Teen Leadership, Young Life and EPIC Youth Church Group.
Not bad for a couple of basketball kids.
"Whether it be in athletics or with my homework, I have always wanted to excel in what I do," Pifher said. "I wanted to be the best I could be on the basketball court. I had teachers and coaches who saw something in me and I trusted their input. I wanted to do the best I could not only for myself but to make other people proud, too."
"Ever since a young age, I have always wanted to have the best grades and never fail a test," Siesel said. "When I was younger, I spent so much time on my school work because it did and still does mean a lot to me. In order to succeed at other things in life, it all starts with success in the classroom and building that work ethic."
Kaple, who is in charge of making sure his players are doing what they are supposed to be doing in the classroom as well as on the court, knew when it came to Pifher and Siesel, he didn't have to worry.
"It was something I never had to worry about," Kaple said. "It was off my plate. Claudia is valedictorian and took post-secondary classes. My cousin is the high school math teacher and he said she was one of, if not the, smartest math students he has ever had. She is choosing to go into Actuarial Science which is something she had to explain to me what it was.
"Emily is identical to how she is on the basketball floor in the classroom. She is straight business and is there to get her work done and do it right. There are days I get to school a little early and I peak in the library and there she is. She isn't goofing off with other kids or anything like that. We had the all-star game at Cedar Point and we took the kids out to eat afterward and Emily sat at a table by herself at Buffalo Wild Wings because she had to have an assignment done by midnight. She was knocking out her homework while we were having fun. That is a testament to how she is."
Who would rather do homework than eat wings? When it comes to dedication, that takes the cake.
Success is best when it is shared
Together, Pifher and Siesel make a perfect pair.
In the last two years, they went 49-5 with two district championships and a state final four appearance. They both earned All-Ohio honors both seasons and cleaned up when it came to postseason accolades.
Siesel was a defensive genius and owns three stats that rank in the Top 5 in the history of Ohio high school girls basketball. She recorded 17 steals in a game, 15 steals in a game and 179 steals for the entire 2021-22 season.
All after a junior season that seemed sub-par in the grand scheme.
"I would say the weight room is the main reason for the jump," Siesel said. "That made me physically stronger, but it also made me mentally stronger. I was just in such a better mindset because of the work and time in the weight room."
Her teammate noticed the jump, too.
"The most impressive thing was seeing her come out of her shell," Pifher said. "Her junior year, she was coming back from an injury after moving in and being timid. This year, when I was out, she became the leader and communicator on the floor. She is so good defensively and leads by example. I am so proud of what she was able to do and I am very thankful to have had her as a teammate."
Pifher leaves as the school's all-time leading scorer and a four-time All-Ohioan among a long list of other accomplishments. She has four stats that rank in the Top 10 in the history of Ohio high school girls basketball with 107 games played and started, an 82% career free throw percentage, a 42.8% career 3-point shooting percentage and a 51% season 3-point shooting percentage during the 2018-19 season when she went 58-for-112.
The four All-Ohio honors are something she will never take lightly.
"It means so much to me," Pifher said. "When it happened in the moment, it didn't really hit me, but 10 years from now, when I look back, I will finally be able to see how awesome it was to accomplish that in high school. I am super grateful for the coaches I have had. Coach Kaple has been amazing and has always pushed me to become better. He was never satisfied with where I was. Getting All-Ohio your freshman year could make you settle, but he helped me push forward every year to get better."
But the biggest thing she brought was the motivation for her teammates. When she went down with her injury and turned into a coach, it seemed everyone stepped up in her absence including Siesel.
"When she went down, it was definitely scary for the rest of us, but I feel like, in a way, I had to take charge and be that leader on the court as the point guard," Siesel said. "That was my responsibility especially after I put in all the work in the summer and hit the weight room really hard. Ultimately, it helped us achieve our goal when she came back."
And they both brought out the best in each other.
"They are both competitive and got to where they are at because of the work they put in," Kaple said. "I had a conversation with our younger players and told them, our two hardest workers were already our two best players. The work ethic and competitiveness is a lethal combination. They will be successful at whatever they decide to do because of their work ethic. They know it doesn't fall in their lap."
In four years with Pifher which included two with Siesel, Buckeye Central won 92 games to just 15 losses. They won four district championships and made it six straight for the program. They ended with a regional runner-up and regional championship trophy and earned a trip to state.
And set the standard for the program for years to come.
"92 wins is incredible because every team you play wants to be the ones to beat you," Pifher said. "We have always had that target on our backs and we seem to get everyone's best game. We were challenged, but we always rose to the occasion and gave our best."
"Four straight district championships, 92 wins, the standard has been set thanks to them," Kaple said. "They came in a really good spot with two straight district championships before them, but none of them were easy. Their ultimate goal was to get to state and give themselves a chance to win a state title, which is what they achieved during their senior years. What they brought and have done for the program as a whole is irreplaceable."
Gratitude turns what we have into enough
While their high school careers may be over, their lives are just beginning. Pifher is off to Ohio Dominican where she earned a full-ride scholarship to play basketball. Siesel earned a preferred walk-on spot at Division I Bowling Green State University where she hopes to earn a scholarship by the time she leaves.
And that is a lot to be grateful for.
But when they look back on their high school experiences, they are already filled with gratitude.
"It has definitely been a wild ride that included a lot of success," Siesel said. "I have to contribute a lot of that to Coach Kaple because without him, I wouldn't be where I am today without his ability to motivate. And the amazing community we have in New Washington and the support from Mr. (Phil) Loy have been incredible. I wouldn't be where I am today without any of those people and the entire community so I am extremely thankful."
Pifher expressed that gratitude in a letter to Kaple and in it, she was grateful for the injury that nearly derailed her senior season. She didn't see it then, but she needed the adversity to grow as a person. She needed a lesson in maturity and how to understand and accept difficult situations and develop the belief and faith to stay the course.
Most of all, she needed it so she could be thankful for everything that came after, like a regional championship and class valedictorian honors.
"Honestly, the proudest accomplishment is going to state," Pifher said. "Being a part of a team that wins a regional championship and plays in a state tournament is so rewarding. We put all that hard work in, faced adversity and still got there together. It was truly rewarding.
"But being Valedictorian is really amazing. To look at both athletics and academics, I am very proud of the work I put in and I am excited to continue both of those at Ohio Dominican. I am ready for the next chapter."
But there may not be a person more grateful for Pifher and Seisel than their own head basketball coach.
"Being fairly young and not having the opportunity to coach a lot of kids in my career, I think I could still do this for 30 more years and the likelihood of having two student-athletes in the same class again is unlikely to ever happen again," Kaple said. "As a coach, I probably will not be able to appreciate that in its fullness until 10-15 years down the line. I don't think I will be able to really reflect on how good basketball players they are and how they are Top 5 students in their class. To have that in such a small community like New Washington is surreal to think about."
And humbling.
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This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Buckeye Central's Claudia Pifher and Emily Siesel honored
