Ever look up in the sky and wonder where the jet on top of that long, straight, cloudy puff is heading to? Well, the pilot may as well have the crop of talented, young soccer ladies in the cockpit with him because they're on the rise.

As much as traditional sports fans like myself may hate to admit it, soccer is the fastest growing sport in the United States.

Sophomore Casey Bearden was All-District 8-AAA this year. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge]

Icons like Mia Hamm and Julie Foudy carried the Stars and Stripes to international dominance and girls here at home have taken notice.

Although the Region 4-AAA semifinal didn't end on the positive note Shelbyville Central wanted it to, their matchup with Siegel's Lady Stars should just be one of many to come.

"Shelbyville is definitely beginning to prove themselves out of that district with two wins over Tullahoma the past two years," Siegel coach Eric Shelton said. "They're definitely contending for championships in that district now."

The Golden Eaglettes beat Siegel 3-1 early in the 2004 season.

"You can bet that we'll see Siegel every year for the next couple of years," Shelbyville coach Neal Gordon said. "They're going to be one of the teams. We know Tullahoma lost a lot of their kids this year. We're going to be one of those teams.

"This year it was all about Shelbyville, Siegel and Tullahoma. One of us had to go home this week and it looks like it's going to be us. But, there'll be other days."

Siegel didn't have a senior and started three freshmen but do play six juniors.

"We're looking good, barring injuries, which can always creep up and knock any good player out," said Shelton, whose team already has 15 wins going into tonight's region championship. "We've got a good crop of freshmen that are starting. From what I understand, we've got a good crop of girls coming up through middle school as well. Depth is a luxury that we're definitely enjoying right now.

"These girls in middle school had a couple of opportunities to play against them as well. They had a reputation coming up through middle school. So, our girls are pretty familiar with them. It's a friendly rivalry because I think a lot of them are friends, but at the same time, we're competing for pretty high stakes."

Sophomore Emily Hale will be counted on to score more goals for Cascade in 2006. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge]

The Eaglette roster contains the 2003-05 District 8-AAA Freshman Player of the Year in Ashley Smith, Hannah Martin and Kayla Warren, respectively.

"We're in good shape right now," said Gordon, this year's district coach of the year. "We only lost one senior that played (a lot) this year and one other senior that was on the team. We've obviously got some work to do in the offseason to try and catch up and try and do a little better job on what we've done the last two years."

Gordon's gals faced the toughest competition the midstate has to offer and took their share of bumps and bruises but will only prosper from the experience.

"We knew that we played the right teams this year. It's just a matter of getting the breaks when we need them and we just didn't catch a lot of breaks here."

More help is on the way for Shelbyville as Harris Middle compiled a record of 14-1-1 under the leadership of coach Frankie Swing as they again dominated the Central Tennessee Conference en route to its crown.

Who was responsible for the one blemish though? You guessed it, Siegel Middle in a 2-0 victory back in mid-September.

The rivalry knows no age.

The ball doesn't stop bouncing once it hits the county level either.

Cascade loses only three seniors as they program continues to skyrocket as well.

Lady Champion coach Patricia Petty wanted this year's team to improve upon last season's 6-10 record.

Mission accomplished. Her girls finished with a mark of 8-8 after falling to Forrest in the District 11-A/AA tournament without their first and second string goalies available.

"This team has a number of sophomores and freshmen who have been playing since they were little and have talent," Petty said before the season. "Over the next couple of years, Cascade is going to develop even moreso into a team that is to be taken seriously. But, we have not had girls who have played when they were little until you get up to this sophomore group. So, even though they are young, they've got experience.

Anne Windham was one of several eighth graders that competed on the high school level for Webb this season. (T-G Photo by Danny Parker) [Click to enlarge]

"We're still in the building business, but we're getting stronger every year."

Indeed they are as Monica Lewis' Cascade Middle squad won their district title and compiled a record of 8-3.

The river of talent flows through Bell Buckle too as Webb battled through a grueling schedule with as many as five eighth graders taking the field...for the high school.

Those same Lady Feet even went over to Wartrace to and shut out Cascade 1-0 to avenge a loss earlier in the year.

Not sure if it's something in the water that was added when these athletes hit middle school or not, but they are definitely starting to make a name for themselves.

"It has a lot to do with the coaching that these girls are getting at the select level," Shelton said. "The select programs in Middle Tennessee are really beginning to pick up. Girls are trying to find the best teams that they can to play on."

If the local girls can just find a way to play together more often when they're not competing for their schools, that little extra chemistry could prove fruitful.

Don't be afraid to poke your head out your window and wave at a soaring jet, you might just be passing salutations onto a local daughter.