Rhea Middle Brings back a Big 8th Grade Class For 2025
Evensville, TN -- I had a chance to communicate with Rhea County Middle School head girls' soccer coach Audrey Norman about the 2025 Rhea County Middle Schools soccer team. As usual, Audrey offered a detailed look into the Lady Eagles. Audrey is assisted this year by Allison Sekura and Mark Palmer, who will coach goal keeps.
What will be the strength of the team?
We look pretty good this year, especially when we took a big hit, losing most of our Varsity starters last year. We thought it may be a re-growing year, but we have had several players up their game and work in the off-season to become better and fill in the gaps on the field and in the goal that were left behind from last season. Our girls are really bonded as a unit and are encouraging to each other, and as a coach, that is what you want more than anything..... to have players who love and encourage each other on and off the pitch. These girls are super special, and I'm excited to see them continue to grow over the season.
Who will be your top offensive players?
We have returning Varsity players Addie Hughes and Bryn Fitzgerald up top, who are both quick and fast to help move the ball for goals. We also have great midfielders as well with amazing crosses and shots outside of the 18, Millie & Harper Darnell, Collyns Stinson, Talitha & Glory McKinney, and an amazing defender with crazy 100 yard rushes and a corner kick to die-for, Leah Daniel.
Who will be your top defensive players?
Leah Daniel is an absolute beast on defense, quick, fast, understands the game well, and can take the ball from our 18 all the way down to the other side of the field in their 18 and finish. Her corner kicks are just superb as well. We have some new defenders helping our game as well, not normally positions they've played before but are doing a great job stepping into the roles to help us, Kelby Anderson and McKenna Ryan. Ana Matias is also a solid defender back there as well.
Talk about your goal keep situation.
We started over in the net for this year basically, so it has been a process but I am extremely proud of the girls who have stepped up and have 1 or less years' experience in goal. Brooke Reeves stepped in shortly into last season as a JV goalie and has really been working hard on her game for us but is dealing with injury right now. Harmony Raymer just started in February practicing in the net and quickly improves and listens well. Lola Bamber, the biggest surprise of all, expressed interest in keeper work in June of this year, at the very start of the season, and has naturally improved every week in goal, earning her starting spot for Varsity in net. I only wish she had started earlier! So our girls in net are quite new, not a lot of experience under their belt, but what they lack in experience, they make up for with pure grit, determination, heart, and amazing attitudes and work ethic!
Talk about Allison Sekura, your assistant coach.
Could not be happier that Coach Allison was willing and able to step in as Assistant Coach to both the girls middle and high school soccer teams. She is a former Rhea County soccer star, holding the Lady Eagle's season goal record until Laurel Butt broke it 2 years ago, and she is also a former collegiate soccer athlete, just like me. So her knowledge of the game and understanding of the processes and work ethic is great to work beside. We think so much alike, we laugh about it a lot! The girls just love her, she has a big heart, and I am so grateful to be working alongside of her! It's a great gift that the girls have been given, to be able to work with her in middle school but then also have someone to seamlessly transition to high school with as well, and both sets of girls really admire her, her heart, and her knowledge. I'm also really excited to keep working as a team with her as the boys' soccer coaches as well. We actually talked at the tryouts of our girls back in May about how much we would love to coach both boys' and girls' middle school soccer teams together, so when we got offered the jobs, it was such a trip of ecstatic joy, as it had been something on our minds and hearts already! Like, a full circle moment of something we had both expressly talked about with each other about wanting and then it happening was a surreal moment for us! We are both ecstatic about the privilege of coaching both teams for RMS and are excited about the future of both teams! She has just been a joy to work with, an instant friend, and just gives so much of herself to the girls and to me, and I'm so incredibly grateful for her!
I see you have a large 8th grade class.
This is the largest group of 8th graders that we have ever had since I started coaching, but I also think it's also the largest group of girls in RMS soccer history with 21-8th graders on our team! 5 of them weren't even on our team last year, and 3 of them are brand new to playing competitive soccer with a team ever, but all of them showed promise, determination, and great attitudes throughout the whole process and have only steadily improved as our season has gone on. They are such a diverse mix of personalities and backgrounds, and it has been fun to see each of them step up and show leadership in small and big ways. Every time I start talking about how proud I am of these girls, I start crying, so it's already a running joke amongst our girls how much of a wreck I'm going to be on 8th grade night! Lol. These girls truly are special, and I really hope that they continue this bond of friendship, rivalry, and encouragement with each other over the years as they move through high school into life.
Talk about your experience and the mentoring your receiving.
I am super grateful to Chris for getting my foot in the door with the school, and I'm so thankful for Coach Palmer and our coaching teamwork over the many years together as well. Coaching girls was a transition after only coaching boys at the competitive level, so the first year was a learning curve of adjusting to different emotions and how each athlete functions. Coach Palmer was always great about reinforcing the "follow each negative with positives when they correct", and that is something that has stuck with me over the years. Correction with encouragement and reinforcement, training hard and pushing the girls, but always letting them know they are seen and loved too.
Talk about mentoring from Mark Palmer.
Coach Palmer and I actually started off as "rival" coaches at Rc3 years ago, back when my son Sean was in 3rd or 4th grade, and we just loved coaching against each other so much, the rivalry and good sportsmanship, that when it came time to start up a competitive select soccer team for U14 boys, Mark asked me to keep coaching, but beside him this time. We started off coaching boys' travel soccer together for 3 years, the Bandits, which just bonded all of us together for life. To this day, the Bandit boys and their families are such a huge part of my heart and when we get together, it is like no time has been lost and big bear hugs are given all the way around! Mark does such a great job of open communication, working hard behind the scenes to build relationships with other teams and coaches, creating bonding events and opportunities for every single athlete we have coached together, and really searching for ways to help grow every athlete.
He pours so much of himself into this community of soccer athletes. He researches and writes letters of support and encouragement and tries to help every single soccer athlete that wants to progress on find a pathway to get there. He is an imminent source of wealth and knowledge and constantly working to grow soccer in our town, and Rhea County is honestly so lucky to have him! I just admire and respect him so much, and I am eternally grateful that he saw my potential and love of the game and pulled me alongside of him for the ride!
I have grown as a person, as a coach, and as a leader under his friendship and mentorship over the years and words honestly fail me when it comes to expressing just how much he means to me and how much I admire him, as a friend, mentor, and coach. I am a better person all around for having him as my mentor and friend over the years. Thank you, Coach Mark, for teaching me, mentoring me, encouraging me, always supporting me, and having my back over our many, many years together!