Coaching two varsity high school soccer teams requires heaps of time, energy and patience. Many people would call it hard work, but Geoff Kittle calls it his passion.
Kittle has been hired as head coach of the Marysville-Pilchuck High School boys soccer team. Kittle, who on Nov. 21 found out he’d been hired, recently completed his second season as head coach of M-P’s girls squad.
After serving as an M-P boys team assistant coach for four years, Kittle said he’s thrilled to get an opportunity to run the program. He said he’s wanted to be a head boys soccer coach since 1996, when he graduated from Tumwater High.
“To me, it’s a lot of time outside of school but it’s something that I love to do,” Kittle said when asked what he thinks it will be like to coach two varsity teams. “It doesn’t ever seem like work to me. It’s my passion. It’s what I enjoy doing. It makes life enjoyable for me.”
“He’s young and he’s enthusiastic, and he’s definitely got goals in mind,” said Marysville School District athletic director Greg Erickson.
Kittle, who played prep soccer for Tumwater and competed two years at Pierce College, will guide an M-P squad that this past spring was 10-7-1 and qualified for the Class 4A District 1 tournament for the second consecutive year. The Tomahawks must replace 11 seniors, including standout goalkeeper Kaleb Kuehn. But talented returners like midfielders Nick Burdett and Elwood Sevon will lead the team, said Kittle.
“I would like to see our boys team build off what they’ve done the past two years. I would like to see them get to the state playoffs and be successful,” Kittle said.
M-P has qualified for the state tourney only once (4A in 1985), according to Washington Interscholastic Activities Association records.
Kittle replaces former M-P boys coach Kyle Suits. Kittle said he learned a lot by coaching alongside Suits, particularly about how to interact with players and help them develop character.
This past fall, Kittle guided the M-P girls team to its first postseason appearance in the program’s nearly 30-year existence. Erickson said the girls bought into Kittle’s ideas and worked hard all summer to prepare for what became a historical season.
“Things that he said would happen did happen,” Erickson said. “He just did a really nice job of getting to the point where (the girls) really believed.”
Contact Herald Writer Mike Cane at mcane@heraldnet.com. For more high school sports news, check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam.
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