KARNS CITY — In an alternate reality, Karns City's McKenna Martin might still be twisting, tumbling and doing flips. The Gremlins must be happy this isn't the Twilight Zone.

Decked out in purple, the junior striker Martin was magnificent this year, turning in an eye-popping 56 goals and helping her team to a 15-4 record and a District 9 championship.

Her performances on the pitch this season have earned her the honor of being the 2021 Butler Eagle Girls Soccer Player of the Year. She is the third Gremlin player to win the award after Breann Wood (2012) and Megan McCartney (2015, 2016).

Martin also became the sixth girl in school history to surpass the century mark in career goals.

“I did not anticipate her scoring her 100th goal her junior year,” Gremlins coach Tracy Dailey said. “Her scoring that this early on says lots about the type of player she is.”

Dailey should know best. She's coached Martin for over seven years. She's also part of the reason Martin tried her hand at the sport.

Martin has been close friends with Dailey's daughter, Emma, since the girls were young. In elementary school, Martin was over at Dailey's house, playing with Emma in the backyard. When Emma ran inside to grab something, her mom stopped her.

“Boy, McKenna is fast. Did she ever think about playing soccer?” Tracy asked.

“No, she does gymnastics,” Emma replied.

“We need to talk her into playing soccer,” Tracy said.

The girls sat next to each other in class, Martin said, and Emma constantly talked about soccer and urged her to ditch gymnastics and join.

“I talked to (McKenna's) mom and said, 'I'd love to have her. She's athletic, she's fast. Put a ball in front of her, I can teach her everything else,'” Tracy said.

Martin strapped up her shin guards that following spring. Ever since, she's strived to improve her technique. Her passing and foot skill, she said, “have come a long way from when I first started.”

She scored 38 goals as a freshman, another 24 as a sophomore, and combined for 20 assists over those two schedules.

“She does so much work during the offseason to ready and prepare her for the season,” Tracy said. “I think that's one of her biggest attributes. She's constantly at the field.”

In her time at Karns City, Tracy has coached two other 100-goal scorers — McCartney and Emily LoPresti. Only Martin accomplished the feat in her junior season.

“It was something that didn't set in until a little later,” Martin said. “To achieve that goal way earlier than I thought I could, it was really shocking. It felt incredible.”

Both LoPresti and McCartney, Tracy said, preferred to have the ball on their foot, challenging a defender head-on. Martin's approach is different.

“(McKenna) is the player to give it to her midfielder and spin off and get it in behind that way,” Tracy said. “Or making a diagonal run from the left to the right and getting a ball down the line and going that way. She causes a lot more havoc up there.”

Emma has played a role in her friend's success, as well. She dished out 27 assists this past season, a good deal of which were fed to the goalmouth by Martin.

“Her finishing ability in and around the box, really anywhere, she's very dangerous,” Dailey said of Martin's knack for scoring. “She finds ways to get in and behind the defenders. Usually if she can get a step or two on a defender, she is going to go on a breakaway.”

“I think one of the things that helps me out is just the fact that I don't get tense in front of the goal,” Martin said. “I like to play very relaxed.”

Tracy anticipates Martin having an even better showing next season. In hoping to eclipse her goal total from this past season, Martin has a lofty ambition.

“The harder the goal is, the harder I have to work for it,” Martin said.