Grace Edwards is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Dobson by AZPreps365.com

Dobson basketball star Rachel Early is within reach of achieving a significant milestone in her high school career. She needs 12 more points against Maricopa Tuesday. 

But It’s about the team for her. Dobson is 8-1.

“I’m excited about getting 1,000 points while being on a good team and being able to have that celebration with all my teammates because of how hard we’ve all worked together and even though it’s an individual acknowledgement, it’s not at the same time,” said Early. 

Not only does Early shine on the court but she excels both extracurricularly and academically with a 4.5 GPA. 

Aside from basketball, Rachel runs in cross country, track and field, National Honors Society, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. She is also president of the Environmental Club and president of the student body, in which she is known for wearing activism shirts. 

Along with her demanding schedule, she also finds time to create videos on motivation. All of which has individually taught her something different, whether it’s building her love for working hard or even just team involvement. 

With a few offers and hopes of pursuing basketball at a Division 1 school, Early is undecided at the moment on where she wishes to attend college. 

“Me as a person, I like having a goal to work for and always trying to get to be at the highest level so honestly I don’t mind going and playing at a junior college cause I think it’s a great experience and the whole time I’ll be there, It’ll just be another stepping stone towards trying to get to where I wanna be,” Early said. 

She aspires to own her own business, possibly affiliated with basketball or even just interacting with people. But with her boundless determination, the sky’s the limit. 

Rachel credits much of her success to the people around her— her teammates, coaches, trainers and family. 

One of those coaches includes Henry Bribiescas, who has been coaching varsity for 21 years and Early since she first came to Dobson her sophomore year.

“She’s very humble right now when she speaks, she won’t say much but she’s involved in everything you can think of and she is just so well-rounded,” Bribiescas said.

Prior to the AIA’s decision to open winter sports back up, Bribiescas said he hurt for his seniors who wouldn’t be able to finish their final season, especially the players of high caliber like Early.

Confident yet self-effacing Early continues to lead by example in all her endeavors.

“She is just outstanding. She’s not only great for our basketball program but she’s great for Dobson,” said Bribiescas.