Since the KHSAA realigned soccer districts in 2012 to match basketball, baseball, and softball, Madisonville-North Hopkins has won 12 straight district titles.
The Maroons have won two straight region titles and three of the last five. With 11 seniors on this year’s roster and coach Christakis Agisilaou taking a job in Tennessee at season’s end, expectations are sky-high in 2024.
Hopkins County Central and Caldwell County are both looking to rebound in 2024 and have key pieces returning as they look to dethrone the Maroons from the top of the district mountain.
MADISONVILLE (19-4-3)
The Maroons breezed to the region title by outscoring their opponents 13-2 and were looking for a return to the state quarterfinals. However, their season came to an unceremonious end with a shootout loss to McCracken County in the first round.
It’s a loss that Agisilaou still burns with his squad this year.
“It doesn’t always go your way and I just told the boys you guys have another chance to see how you’re going to respond to that. At the end of the day, you get to come back and compete one more year. It gets to fuel their fire and it’s burning in their hearts,” he said.
Madisonville returns three of its top four scorers from last year’s team that averaged over five goals a game.
Back for the Maroons are All-State players Eli Redpath (30 goals, 18 assists) and Logan Terry (27 goals, 38 assists).
“Logan is a three-time All-State player and a Division I player. He and Eli will be our main guns, and we’ve got a couple of other guys that are going to step up,” Agisilaou said. “Brighton Mier (five goals, two assists) has only played soccer for about three years. He has some speed up top and has done well in the preseason.”
Dru Lile also returns after a 15-goal, 10-assist season.
“He’s not flashy, just a simple player. He and (Benjamin) Schneider work well together in the midfield along with rising sophomore Dominic Blanford who’s going to show some flashes of brilliance.”
On defense, Hunter Gamblin is back in goal after allowing 1.5 goals a game with nine clean sheets.
“He’s a baseball kid that we got out there three or four years ago who’s continued to work hard and he’ll be our anchor in the goal. He’s very athletic with good hands,” Agisilaou said.
He’ll be joined in the back by junior Noah Mays and Nelson Menjivar-Villalobos.
Despite three region titles in five years, Agisilaou said there will be some subtle differences in Madisonville’s attack.
“The last two years we have played a very similar type of soccer and this year we’re going to make some minor tweaks with our formation. We’re going to do more of passing with purpose. It’s not just pass the ball to pass the ball, it’s pass the ball to get from point A to point B,” he said.
He also wants his team to be more physical.
“We have a really experienced team with 11 seniors. And we’re big, strong, and fast and I think we can use that to our advantage and just be physical.”
Madisonville played in the top tier of last month’s Bluegrass State Games in Lexington.
“We played three good teams, and we came away with two ties. One thing we have to work on is playing from behind. We went down 1-0 against good good teams. You can’t always put yourself in the hole and dig out,” Agisilaou said.
In addition to the 11 seniors, it will be the final season for Agisilaou as Maroons’ head coach. He has taken the head coaching job at Nashville private school power Father Ryan High School.
“I’m all in for one last season here and ride the wave as long as I can. That’s my whole focus right now. It’s been a good run for me here for seven years. We’ve done great things at Madisonville.”
The Maroons open the 2024 season on Monday when they host University Heights Academy.
CALDWELL COUNTY (6-12)
Caldwell County is hoping the right mix of seniors and new faces will equal a successful season on the soccer pitch in 2024.
“It’s an interesting year for us. We’ve got a very diverse squad of upperclassmen and underclassmen. So we really think we have the technical ability to compete with most teams, it’s just going to be the game management, understanding the fundamentals and ins and outs that make the difference each game,” said Tanner Reed, who begins his sixth year as Tiger soccer head coach.
“Two of our seniors, Deacon Carter and Chase Lantrip have been with me since they were both in middle school. They’re stepping into that senior leadership role this year. They’ve been good leaders so far,” said Reed. “And then on the other end, you’ve got the underclassmen in the Turmero twins, Colin and Kale. Of course, they’ve been well trained, but their fitness has been probably some of the best out of the squad. They’ve already made a big contribution to the squad at the Bluegrass Games.”
The Turmeros will spearhead Caldwell’s offensive attack, with Colin on the left wing and Kale as an attacking midfielder.
Colin scored four goals as the team turned in a 2-0-1 showing in its three games in the Bluegrass State Games in Lexington last month. Kale helped set up a lot of scoring opportunities.
Joining the Turmeros up front are Lantrip at right wing and sophomore Colson Mattacks at center forward.
Carter helps anchor the defense at right back. Junior TreVaughn Copeland gets the call at left back while junior Sutton Ritchey and freshman Landon Lanham play the center back spots.
Junior Xander Sample takes over in the net after the graduation of all-region goalkeeper Corbin Nichols, who was a four-year starter.
Sophomore Alex Noffsinger and freshman Grayson Harris will man the defensive midfield positions.
Juniors Ben Jones and Dillon Samuels will provide depth along with seniors Justice Andrews, Matthew Moll, and Ethan Hodges.
Caldwell went 6-12 a year ago. The Tigers were 6-8 at one point before finishing the season 0-4 against a difficult slate.
Reed said he should field a team that is in excellent physical condition.
“That’s something that I’ve preached to the boys for the last couple of years, watching your water intake, slowly trying to cut sodas out of your diet. And a lot of them have really taken that to heart. And you’re seeing it on the field with their energy levels, not cramping up as much and being able to go harder for the longevity of the game.
“This is one of those years where I honestly feel more pressure than I have as a coach, just because I feel like I have correct players in place, it’s going to be how do I manage it? How do I manage the load? How do I keep the tides in our favor throughout the game? So that’s gonna be something that’s very much on me and my staff.”
The 7th District is as difficult as ever, with Madisonville-North Hopkins expecting another strong season while Hopkins County Central continues to improve.
“Madisonville has just proven over the last few years that they were on a completely different level than the rest of us. And then, you know, regionally, you’ve got Henderson, who’s been a powerhouse and all these teams have, you know, put players in good positions.
“But this is, at the end of the day, it’s a game. And these are high school kids, which means they’re the most frustrating creatures on the planet. Because one day they can show up and be the greatest thing you’ve ever seen. And then 10 minutes later, it’s like they’ve forgotten everything that they’ve learned. So it’s one of those things where it’s purely day by day.
“We’ve seen from the Euros and the Copa America tournaments, and even the Olympics right now, that anybody can beat anybody on a given day. It doesn’t matter how much star power or how many names you have on your team, it’s who wants it more that day and makes fewer mistakes.”
Reed believes his team can have success this season if it continues to progress.
“A successful season for us would be, in my opinion, I would love to go above .500 for sure, which is something that I haven’t actually done in my coaching career yet. And to get back into the regional tournament, I think would be considering the season a success.
“But of course, you have to take every game day by day. These boys every single day are growing, developing, learning how to be you know, better men both on and off the soccer field. No matter what, at the end of the day, that’s a successful season.”
HOPKINS COUNTY CENTRAL (3-11-1)
The bad news for the Storm was three wins in 2023 and scoring a little over a goal a game.
The good news for the Storm in 2024 is the return of their top three scorers and most of their defense.
Senior Will Scott and juniors Riley Dunlap and Jude Mitchell all scored five goals for the Storm last season. Dunlap led the team with six assists, and Mitchell contributed four.
Five other players – including goalie William Clevenger – return for Coach Joseph Bridgforth. The returning players will also be complemented by five freshmen.
Another area of good news is Hopkins County Central’s roster which has 22 players, four of which are seniors.
After slipping from 10 wins and a region tourney trip in 2022 to three wins last year, the Storm are looking to rebound strong and produce the program’s first winning season in eight years.
Hopkins County Central opens the 2024 season at home on Monday against Todd County Central and will travel to Trigg County on Thursday.
