The Trigg County Lady Wildcats have ruled the roost in the girls’ 5th District standings, winning three of the last four district titles. They, along with Crittenden County, will need to replace their leading scorers from last year while Lyon County has been playing a numbers game as they return their top two scorers from last season.
TRIGG COUNTY (18-3)
Laina Hite graduated as Trigg County’s all-time leading scorer and the top scorer in fifth district history. She’ll be taking her game to Kentucky Wesleyan College this fall.
The Lady Wildcats also have to replace two key defenders on defense in Zoe Miller and goalie Anna Sink but have several key pieces returning as they look to mesh with a talented group of freshmen.
“We’ve really been working hard with some of our young players. We’ve got a great group of freshmen coming in that I think are going to contribute right away,” Coach Jason Hite said. “We are just trying to get them some different looks on the field, different positions, work on our formation and tactical approach, and just the principles of play.”
There will again be two Hite sisters leading the offense for the Lady Wildcats. Leiah Hite is the program’s all-time assists leader and will now look to take over the scoring load from older sister Laina.
“I mean, obviously, we were a fairly high-scoring offensive team last year, but I still think we have the pieces to be a really, really solid offensive team this year,” the Lady Wildcat coach said.
Landie Hite is a freshman who will look to be a facilitator on offense. Addison Humphries, who scored 20 goals a year ago, also returns as does Hallie Joiner, who was second on the team with 15 assists last year.
“The upperclassmen have really started to step up and be leaders, and we really need that leadership out of them this year,” Hite said.
The Lady Wildcat roster has six freshmen with four or five seeing the starting lineup this year.
Freshman Lilly Richardson will be another player Coach Jason Hite is looking to help get the offense moving along with Payton Southwood and Lydia Redd.
Maggie Wolfe holds down the midfield with one of the strongest legs in the region.
But with some new players in some new positions, Hite is hoping they can be patient on offense.
“I’m hoping we can we possess the ball and be patient on the attack and not rush anything,” he said.
The Lady Wildcats have some experience returning across the back line with Brooke Humphries and Isabella Detweiler.
Charlstyn Heath and Caroline Kozak will split time and goal for the Lady Wildcats, marking the first time in four years that there will not be a Sink sister between the pipes.
“We’ve had several girls come out that wanted to be a keeper or have interest in it. It’s allowed us to really open Charlstyn up as well and let her play on the field a little bit more so I’m kind of anxious to see how that starts to unfold this season kicks off,” Hite said.
Trigg County advanced to the region championship two years ago and fell to Henderson County in the semifinals last year.
Hite knows the program is to the point where just making the region tournament isn’t what the players are shooting for.
“I think it continues with our young talent coming in continue to build a culture where we are expected to make it to the region every year and get in position to compete for the title,” Hite said.
Trigg County opens the season Monday night at Caldwell County before jumping right into district play Tuesday at Crittenden County.
Their first matchup with Lyon County will be on August 30th.
LYON COUNTY (11-7)
Lyon County is the only program to win a district title in the past five years not named Trigg County.
The Lady Lyons were 11-7 and fell to Madisonville in the region tournament.
They have their top two scorers returning from last year. Senior Alice Smith scored 58 goals and topped 100 for her career. Meanwhile, fellow senior Anna White scored 31 goals and assisted on nine others.
Coach Abby Smith knows the Lady Lions are going to have to find a third and fourth scoring threat when opponents focus on those two. Seniors Gracelynn Taylor and Avery White will be among those chipping in at the offensive end.
“They’re looking pretty good. They understand the sport because they’ve been playing it for a while. They understand the positions. They know how to work together. They know how to talk. They know how to run plays,” Smith said of her offense.
The Lady Lyons suffered a blow when senior Kyndal Hubbard, who was expected to nail down the midfield and defense suffered a season-ending knee surgery at a camp over the summer.
“She was very important as an outside back last year. She can also run the midfield pretty well and is versatile, being able to play and understand all the positions on the field,” Smith said.
She feels good about her defense that gave up three or fewer goals in eight of their final ten matches last season.
“We’ve got Kayla Dunn and Karli Patterson moving back there at that outside back position. And then Chloe Gandee has really stepped up in the midfield as well as a freshman.”
Smith also said Kenley Hauk, Adrenne Mullen, Bailey Breitrick, and Eden Jones have looked good in the preseason.
Junior Richmond Herring returns in goal where she posted two shutouts last year.
“She’s worked hard. She’s been going to several different college camps this summer, trying to get as much advice and extra work as she can. She loves soccer and she loves her team too,” Smith said.
One area Smith is looking to see improvement in is team stamina – both physical and mental.
“I know that’s a mindset type thing and a lot falls upon the coach and being mindful of even on those long days of teaching making sure that I am encouraging them to do their best and praising them for the good that they’re doing,” she said. “We got tired last year because you’re running your legs three games a week, and you don’t have a whole lot on the bench.”
The Lady Lyons would like to make some noise at both the All A Classic region tournament and at region later in the year but also know the path could involve University Heights Academy in both cases.
“We would like to advance far in the region tournament and keep ourselves focused on realizing that the season’s not over after the district tournament. “You keep going,” Smith said.
One thing Smith wants to see is the community getting behind her girls.
“They love it when the fans come out to watch them play. They’ve been working hard and they deserve those fans up in the stands,” she said.
The Lady Lyons open the 2024 season Monday night at home against Union County and will host Hopkinsville on Thursday.
CRITTENDEN COUNTY (6-9)
The Lady Rockets began 2023 strong but dropped six of their final seven matches to miss the region tournament.
Improving the defense will be one of the top priorities for head coach Jess DeBurgo as the Lady Rockets gave up eight or more goals in five of their final seven matches. DeBurgo also has to replace seven seniors including leading scorer Elizabeth Campbell.
“There have been a lot of changes for our team. We have new girls and the girls working in different positions with different strategies. We are working on fitting all of the pieces together,” DeBurgo said.
Junior Ella Geary, one of the school’s top athletes, who scored 12 goals and assisted on six others, returns for the Lady Rockets.
Sophomore Kylie Bloodworth, freshman Adri Berry, freshman Haley Moore, and junior Ella Whitney will also be playing up front for the Lady Rockets.
DeBurgo likes her team’s versatility in the midfield.
We’ve got (junior) Mollie Blazina and (sophomore) Ruby Peek in the middle and agility-focused players like (junior) Kiersten Smith and (junior) Hayden Peek in the wing positions,” she said.
A pair of freshmen, Haley Moore and Aliza Maraman, will also play in the middle for the Lady Rockets.
Defense is an area that has been a focal point for the Lady Rockets in the preseason. DeBurgo said captains Joslyn Silcox and Dixie Hunter will run the ship in the back with Zoey Hodge, newcomer Madison Walker, and Callie Rich also helping out in the back.
Macibelle Hardesty, who was pressed into action in last year’s district tournament, returns in goal.
Another area DeBurgo has been stressing is teamwork.
“We have focused on training these girls properly on the way of the game, but also on how to be a good teammate. Our success this year will come if the team camaraderie stays in balance,” she said.
Crittenden County will open its season Tuesday at home with defending district champion Trigg County.
