Kaycee Colon always looked up to her older sister Nicolete.
The two sisters are very close, and growing up, the younger Colon always wanted to learn from her big sister. And that means tagging along when she was doing things.
One place Colon always found herself was on the sidelines of Franklin Towne Charter High School, where Nicolete played soccer.
“My sister is seven years older than me, she always played sports and my parents would go, so I’d go, too,” said the younger Colon, who is now a senior at Franklin Towne. “My parents had me play so I would have something to do, and I always saw my sister play defense. That’s what made me want to play soccer. I wanted to be like her.”
The younger Colon did just that.
She signed up to play for the Warriors, and just like her sister, she went all out, doing anything she could to help the team.
“I liked defense, but I just wanted to win,” Colon said. “My sister was on some good teams and her senior year they won the championship. I’ll never forget it.
“I remember the team. I knew all the girls on the team, they were so passionate about winning. And winning a championship. They won in 2019. It was chaotic, it was great. I didn’t realize how great it was. I was like 8 or 9 at the time, it was crazy. Just like a huge party. Everyone running on the field, it was just a mess in a great way.”
It was fun as an 8 year old.
It was even more fun as a senior.
Just as she did playing for Franklin Towne, Colon joined her sister in helping the Warriors win a Public League championship in their final season.
The Warriors are your 2025 Public League champs.
Franklin Towne Charter defeated Masterman 2-0 in the Public League championship to bring the trophy back to the school for the first time since 2019. It also means Colon got the thrill of experiencing the same thing her sister did her final season.
“I really wanted this, I wanted it so bad since my freshman year,” Colon said. “I knew we would win. We have such a great team. The positivity, the hard work, the dedication. It means a lot to our team because our seniors always wanted this. We strived to win a championship.
“I’ve never seen a team wanting something more than we got. I’ve seen the dedication, the hard work at all the practices. It really paid off in the semifinals and it paid off in the championship. We had some really tough games, but we did it. This was our goal and we accomplished it.”
It meant all the work Colon and her teammates put in all season worth it.
Colon worked hard on the field, manning any position needed on the defensive end. It worked, too.
“I’ll do anything for the team, I’ve always been that kind of player, that’s what I want to do,” Colon said. “I like to do what we need, so it was fun. It was hard learning every position, but not really. It wasn’t too hard for me. I think it was easier because I just love playing the sport. I love playing defense and helping the team.
“I just defended, just did my job. I was really set on not allowing any shots on goal, and I kept thinking this could happen for us. And I really wanted it for the whole team, not just me. It was the whole team who won this. It took everyone. We did it together.”
Colon was also happy to pass out praise to the coach.
Brittany Runyen joined the team over the summer and played a big role in the championship, according to Colon.
“Our coach had a huge impact,” Colon said. “She pushed us to the limits we didn’t know we could be pushed to, she always told us to keep pushing and keep working hard. Keep your heads up and keep winning the next game. She was just telling us to do our job on the field. And it worked.”
Colon appreciates the help. In fact, she credits a lot of others for helping her reach her goal. It, of course, starts at home.
“My sister always helps me with soccer, we talk sometimes, actually often,” she said. “A lot of the time. Usually defending. What I should be doing, how I should communicate with the girls on the field. She never coached me, but she’s always been there. Every game, she’s there. My parents, too, they always help me a lot. They make sure I have everything that I need, they take me to games, they do everything for me to allow me to play soccer.“
She hopes to continue playing soccer next year, when once again, she’ll use her family for inspiration.
“Next year, I want to play soccer in college and go into nursing,” Colon said. “My grandfather had kidney problems and was very sick. He passed away in February. We were very close. He was a very happy person, he was very quiet, though. He was a baseball fan. He loved me and my sister. He didn’t come to games because he wasn’t able to, but he loves us. I saw nurses help him, and I want to do the same for others.”
Family will always be a big part of her life. So will soccer.
And she’ll never forget the Warriors.
The best part about the team is the positivity and we just all get along so well together. Captain. I love the role because it gives me the ability to show off what I can do as a captain. I try to help anyone, offer advice to my defenders, I just communicate with them a lot and other people on the field. I try to bring people up, make them more confident.
“It was a perfect year. We won the championship, which was our goal, we played well and had great chemistry. This was exactly what we wanted.”
