DICKINSON – After a 5-10-2 2023-24 record that saw the Dickinson High School boys varsity Midget soccer team close out the season with three wins out of their last five, the program is seeing an uptick in interest, particularly with the infusion of three new leaders — co-head coaches Tom Peters and Tom McAvoy, along with assistant coach Erika Massey — and with the 2024-25 season just around the corner it will be interesting to see how the team fares over last-year’s numbers. “I can’t wait for the season to start and we’re hoping to see a lot of good results,” Peters said. “We’re hoping to make a run this year and hopefully we can make it to state and go as far as we can.
” McAvoy agreed with that positive assessment, and said, “This is a good opportunity and I’m confident that we are all eager to get started and to coach and run the team. Any opportunity to lead a bunch of young, enthusiastic students in a sport for which they’re passionate about is a great opportunity to mold the next generation.” Overall, the Midgets finished in sixth place and saw defenseman Owen Bittner and forward Francis Kouda earn All-Western-Dakota-Association honors in their 2023 run, so the team should be wired-for-sound as they approach the coming calendar.
With a solid, 5-3 win to tout in their play-in match on Oct. 3, 2023 in the state tournament, the advancements over the winless 2022-23 schedule have all signs pointing towards “Go” in the coming season that begins on Aug. 5.
Combined, the team surrendered 53 goals while scoring 30 and were 3-5-1 at home with a 2-5-1 away record. ADVERTISEMENT All that said, the DHS program only began play in 2020 — so any improvement can be easily seen — and with an increase of youth participation climbing from roughly 100 in 2014 to above 600 during the recent recreational-league season, the talent pool is certainly getting deeper by the year. Regardless, both co-head coaches are confident the team will continue to make strides as the years proceed.
“We moved here in 2014 and my wife and kids enjoy it here and it’s been good for us, and in that time we’ve been involved with the Dickinson soccer program and it’s been an integral part of our lives,” said McAvoy, who grew up playing soccer in the 1980s in Philadelphia. The US Marine Corps veteran also has been heavily involved with the recreational league here in town for many years. The coaches are taking over for outgoing Angie Shilman, who has guided the squad thus far.
Her continued involvement in Dickinson soccer is something McAvoy will be counting on — along with outgoing assistant coach Celeste Hughes — as they have been instrumental coaches and enthusiasts who have helped cement soccer’s place in Dickinson. “I think it’s a transition from a group of good Dickinson folk to a few new ones, and I know Angie and Celeste and I respect them and thank them for all their years they’ve put into this,” McAvoy said. “The tactics and some of the techniques are more advanced at the high-school level — and that goes without saying — and I think that’s where having Tom Peters and Erika Massey, and coaching alongside them, is immensely beneficial; they both know the sport very well and love it and the knowledge they bring will be a great combination.
” Peters has been involved with soccer since 2017 and comes from the Under-8 program where he is a coach for that age group. He is a dentist here in town and is anticipating the season because, “Soccer is a beautiful game; it’s a free-flowing game with the clock not stopping and lots of energy throughout and so much excitement.” He is a native Dickinsonian who graduated from Trinity High School in 2010, and went to college at North Dakota State University before graduating dental school at Oregon Health and Science School in Portland.
“I’m very excited about the soccer program in Dickinson, from the bottom-up — when I see the amount of kids in the youth program and I see the sport growing here — it gets me excited,” Peters said. “I’m looking forward to working with the young adults in the program and help the program grow and start seeing some success on the field that matches the enthusiasm we have in this town for the sport.” For more information about Dickinson High School athletics, please keep reading your Dickinson Press and/or visit their website at https://www.
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