FARMINGTON — Pastor Jacob Roach was offered a job last year in Farmington, but he wasn’t going to make the move from Siloam Springs without the consent of his family.
He was most concerned about his daughter, Alexis Roach, who had grown up in Siloam Springs and was heavily involved in athletics. It was a tough choice, especially for someone being asked to leave her friends and teammates halfway through her high school career.
“He said it was up to me,” said Alexis Roach, who was born in Paris and lived for 11 years in Siloam Springs. “My dad was like ‘If you don’t feel comfortable in moving, then we don’t have to.’ It was really a family decision, but I knew it was God who wanted us to move and make an impact in a new community.”
Alexis Roach is active in her new church and a valuable member of the Farmington girls basketball team. She is a starter and the third-leading scorer (13.0 points per game) for the Lady Cardinals, who improved to 16-3 on Friday with a 62-49 victory over Russellville.
“It was an easy transition because I got to practice with the basketball team during the summer and go to camps,” Alexis Roach said. “Without basketball, I would’ve been very scared. But by the time school started, I had already made friends and that made it a lot easier.”
Farmington’s strength is its balance, as each starter scored in the first quarter of Tuesday’s win over Alma. Alexis Roach’s athleticism was obvious when she moved to Farmington, and her personality made it easier for her to fit in with the Lady Cardinals.
“I’m sure it was not an easy thing for Alexis coming to a new school as a junior, but she’s been great,” sophomore guard Makenna Vanzant said. “She gives us another person to go to who can score. Every time they stop me I look to her and she’s always open on the back side. So, that’s been a really good thing for us.”
Farmington struggled with its shooting on Tuesday but still managed a 41-37 victory over Alma. Alexis Roach scored eight points and contributed two free throws in the fourth quarter when the Lady Cardinals made six consecutive at the line to end the game.
“She’s a great kid with a tremendous work ethic,” Farmington coach Brad Johnson said. “Her teammates love her and she makes us a better basketball team because she is an extremely explosive athlete.”
Farmington will play at Harrison on Tuesday before Alexis Roach faces her former Siloam Springs teammates at Cardinal Arena on Friday. Any jitters she felt are likely gone after Farmington won 72-61 at Siloam Springs on Jan. 3.
“I had to focus and play like it was just another game,” said Alexis Roach, who scored 10 points against her former team. “I was talking with one my friends (Chloe Price) from Siloam before the game and she said ‘we can be friends off the court.’ So, I just went out there and played my hardest.”
At a glance
ALEXIS ROACH
SCHOOL Farmington
CLASS Junior
HEIGHT 5-8
NOTABLE Transferred to Farmington after her father, Jacob Roach, took a job last May as a pastor at Northwest Assembly Church in Farmington …. A junior starter who is third in scoring (12.0) for the Lady Cardinals . … Also enjoys track and field, especially the triple jump and long jump …. Her brother, Coby, plays college football as a defensive back at Southwestern Assemblies of God Church in Waxahachie, Texas.