Kids start young in sports, sometimes as early as three and four years old, which is soon followed by the pressure to make travel and tournament teams and before long, those original groups are scattered with many giving up the sport all-together, thus hampering a child’s natural progression to develop and grow a love for the sport.
A group of parents, who knew the way things were being done needed to change, formed the Marshall County Dynamo soccer program in 2012 and the dividends are paying off. Andy Pagel, Angie Fisk, Ralph Jennings, Frank Grant, David Alvey and Scott McWilliams were the original leadership of the program that has seen growth from approximately 40 players the first year to over 200.
What began with a group of U8 girls, later adding U10 girls and U9 and U10/11 boys, now offers single-year teams for nearly every age which is remarkable for a community our size. The majority of the players are from Marshall County but in a few cases, players from outside the county play on Dynamo teams and organizers say they are always welcome.
“In small communities like ours, we can’t be really good at 10/11 years old AND later at 17/18”, Pagel said. “If we weed out the developing kids when they’re young, we aren’t left with much going forward. On the other hand, if we take our lumps, remain patient and develop them when they’re young, we will have a better product at the end of their careers.”
The original group of eight year old girls in 2012, have now entered the Marshall County High School soccer program, currently in eighth and seventh grade, and comprised two JV teams who finished successful fall seasons for the Lady Marshals.
Finishing with a record of 19-3-2, many times playing against more experienced upper classmen, the team won a tournament in Hopkinsville and defeated Henderson County 8-2, a successful and dominant program that has advanced to the state playoffs the past four years. Other signature wins came over Owensboro Catholic 5-1, McCracken County 5-1, Madisonville 4-0 and Clarksville High 3-2, a program that in 2017 won the Tennessee state title.
Former Marshals head coach and current Lady Marshals assistant, Andy Pagel, has been coaching the current eighth grade group since they began in Dynamo six years ago and described them as “24 unselfish kids who work hard and have a great work ethic.” Pagel added that former Lady Marshal and current assistant, Erica McWilliams, has also been invaluable to their development and focus.
Pagel said the goal for this group is to be the most tactically advanced team in the area, utilizing their hard work, hunger and tremendous overall talent. The hope for the high school program is to be 18-20 deep in both JV and Varsity rosters, with Varsity consisting of mostly juniors and seniors and the JV made up of freshman and sophomores with a few advanced eighth graders.
“Dynamo is really an investment that you have to see through and many people that want to “win, win, win” when they are really young just don’t understand that it’s the process and blueprint we want to stick with”, Pagel said. “We are seeing evidence in the older Dynamo teams who have been in the program longest. We are tasked with the challenge of constantly educating the parents of the younger players.”
As Dynamo has grown, the leadership has changed with Lady Marshals Head Coach Michael Boone as primary leader and organizer with help from Marshals Head Coach Donnie Heath, Kent Dodd, Frank Grant, Scott McWilliams and Pagel as advisor.
The Dynamo blueprint is leading to success at the high school level and beyond, while fostering proper development, encouragement and “fun” during the early years…when it matters most.
2018 JV Roster
| Player | Grade |
| Abby Bevil | 8 |
| Clara Boddy | 8 |
| Amelia Boone | 7 |
| Kelsey Crass | 8 |
| Chloe Crosby | 7 |
| Jennifer Devore | 8 |
| Cera Freeman | 7 |
| Kallen Fuller | 8 |
| Presley Gallimore | 7 |
| Chase Hill | 7 |
| Peyton Lamb | 8 |
| Zoe Maxlow | 7 |
| Janie Pagel | 8 |
| Kinsley Perry | 8 |
| Parker Perry | 8 |
| Phoebe Ramsey | 7 |
| Kaitlyn Ringstaff | 8 |
| Anna Robertson | 7 |
| Karsyn Serpico | 7 |
| Laney Smith | 8 |
| Mia Teague | 7 |
| Maddie Terry | 7 |
| Caitlyn Tucker | 8 |
| Johnna Walker | 8 |
| Koral Whybark | 7 |