DRAFFENVILLE – Marshall County High School introduced Donnie Heath as the new Head Coach for the men’s soccer program on Friday replacing Andy Pagel and becoming the fourth Head Coach in program history. The transition from Coach Andy Pagel to Heath should be an easy transition since Heath has been involved in the program for 17 years, from a player to an assistant coach.
“Having played here and coached here for so long, this is where I want to be”, Heath said. “We have the facilities, the support, we have everything in place to be successful and we hope the coaching staff can just continue the success we’ve had for quite some time.”
Coach Heath said they are excited and believe they have a team that can win the region championship every single year saying, “that’s our goal, that’s our expectation and that’s what we believe will happen.”
Heath’s staff will include Bryan Blevins, Nathan Arant and Tyler McKenty, all former Marshall County players. Blevins has been an assistant with the program for six years.
The Marshall County High School program has won 14 regional titles and said he and his staff look forward to adding to that number. Heath said he firmly believes that Marshall County is the best soccer job in the region and has been preparing for this opportunity since he began coaching.
“This is a program, it’s not about one person, it’s about the team”, Heath said. “We don’t need to create something special here, this program is special and we’re aware of that and we believe that and we intend to keep it that way. We want to develop excellent players, excellent people and excellent members of the community.”
Heath said they plan to create a culture that is positive, a strong sense of togetherness, clear expectations and accountability for everybody, including players and coaches.
“There will not be another team in the region or that we play that will outwork us”, Heath said.
Heath is no stranger to success at Marshall County. As a player at Marshall County from 2000-2003, he was a part of three district championships teams and two regional championship teams. In 2002, he was a starter on the state runner-up team that has since been selected to the Marshall County Athletic Hall of Fame.
A graduate of Murray State University, he has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and Political Science. While at MSU, he began as an assistant coach with the Marshals in 2005 and has been a part of seven district championships, four regional championships, and a trip to the Elite 8 in the KHSAA State Tournament.
As head JV coach since 2010, he has guided his teams to two undefeated seasons and multiple JV tournament championships. He spent six years coaching the middle school level, guiding them to three district championships and one regional championship. Donnie has served on the Marshall County Soccer Association Board and has been involved with many recreational and competitive soccer teams in the county.
“I’m happy to teach here, I’m happy to coach here and there’s no other job than I’d rather have”, Heath said.
He is currently an 8th grade Social Studies and Spanish teacher at North Marshall Middle School. Donnie and his wife Samantha have a son Jack, who is two and a baby girls that is due the end of April.
