Sports
Hanline siblings coaching Danville soccer teams
Priceville names Childress new girls’ basketball coach
For the Enquirer
Soccer has profoundly shaped the lives of siblings Kelsie and Justin Hanline. From childhood backyard games to standout varsity careers, their journey has now come full circle as they collaborate as head coaches at their former high school.
Although Kelsie, a 2017 Danville graduate, is five years older than brother Justin, who completed his Danville High School career in 2022, they quickly bonded through soccer.
Kelsie started playing soccer at age 7, and even at 2 years old, Justin followed her into the sport.
“He always wanted to do what his sister did, so he liked following in her footsteps and was always outside with her playing and practicing,” said Kay Hanline, the pair’s mother.
Their passion for soccer grew from there.
“They’d go outside and practice on their own,” Kay said. “My husband (Mike) set up a soccer field in the backyard. He would even paint the lines sometimes for them to have an actual field to play on. They’d bring their friends out here and have a little pickup game in the backyard all the time. They still do that today.” “We have spent so many years of our life playing soccer,” Kelsie said. “When we weren’t playing for our teams, we were at home practicing with one another. It’s always been competitive, which I feel is why we became the players we are.” At Danville High, both played varsity soccer from seventh through 12th grade.
Kelsie set the school record for goals scored in a season as a junior (44) and senior (48). The totals led both girls and boys programs. That record stood until 2024, when freshman Layla Sherrill shattered the mark with 84 goals, third all time in the state for goals in a season.
The girls team achieved the school’s first soccer playoff appearance in 2017, her senior year.
“It was a year to remember for sure,” Kelsie said.
Despite receiving scholarship offers to further her career in college, Kelsie joined the Danville boys coaching staff as an assistant under then-coach Brandy Sutton.
“It was weird that a lot of the team was filled with friends of mine just a year younger than me,” Kelsie recalled. “Respect was never really an issue even though I was young because they all knew how I played.” Justin was a sophomore on the 2018 team. Kelsie assisted with the boys team from then through his senior season in 2022. She was named head coach of the girls team in 2021.
“I received a phone call from the principal asking if I would be willing to step up as the head coach of the girls varsity team,” Kelsie said. “I was hesitant at first because I knew I still wanted to continue helping coach the boys team, and I knew it would be hard to balance both. I started thinking about how bad of luck the girls have had the seasons before not winning many games and going home with their heads down after being beaten badly game after game. I knew how that felt, because that is what I went through during my years of playing varsity, too. I wanted to help change that, so I accepted the job and we made it to the playoffs that first year.” Kelsie’s balancing act proved to be successful in 2021 and 2022. Not only did the girls reach the playoffs each year, but she also contributed to the boys postseason appearances in each season. After Justin graduated, Kelsie coached the girls exclusively in 2023 and 2024 and extended the team’s playoff streak to four straight seasons since she became the head coach.
“This has probably been my favorite season I’ve had with the varsity girl’s team yet,” Kelsie said following a 19-4-2 season that included a Class 1A-3A Area 7 championship and ended with a first-round 4-3 playoff loss at home to Madison Academy. “We unfortunately fell short during our playoff game, but after having the season we have had, I couldn’t be too upset.
Kelsie credited her brother for his support in that success.
“We’re a good team on and off the field,” she said. “I have asked Justin many times this year to stand beside me for some of my games to help coach. My assistant coach put him on the roster for our playoff game. We always do good beside each other because we are constantly talking about the game and talking with the players nonstop. I would say we are both very knowledgeable with the game itself, so it’s super beneficial getting to stand beside one another for big games like that. He was a lot of help during my warmups this season as well. He always volunteered to warm up my keeper while I focused on the rest of the team. I appreciate all that he does, and I know he will continue to grow as a coach. I’m definitely a proud big sister.” Justin traveled a similar path to coaching as his sister. Team captain for all six years with Danville, he also endured brutal losing seasons before leading the Hawks to the playoffs his junior and senior years. He capped his varsity career with 31 goals and 17 assists as a senior, and was named to the Super All-State Boys second team, Class 1A-3A Boys All-State first team and Decatur Daily Boys soccer Player of the Year.
Sutton coached Justin from the eighth through 12th grade.
“His eighth-grade year, we would get 10-0 mercy ruled all the time,” Sutton said. “By 10th grade, we had a solid foundation.” After graduating, he passed on offers to play college soccer and volunteered with the Danville boys and girls teams in 2023.
“I had several offers to play soccer in college although I didn’t feel as any of them were a good fit for me,” Justin said. “I knew I wanted soccer in my life in some form. So last year I volunteered to help with both the Danville guys and girls team.” After Sutton decided to step down from coaching, Justin applied for the job.
“This year when the head coaching spot opened, I knew I wanted to step up for that position,” Justin said. “With the position being at the school and in the community I lived in my whole life, I knew it was the icing on the cake. I also want to pursue coaching at the next level, so I felt like this would be the perfect start and experience I need for that.” The team he inherited resembled his eighth-grade team more than the one that finished 12-4 his senior season. Only five players remained from the 2022 group.
“We lost 22 seniors in the past two years,” Sutton said.
The Hawks finished with two wins in 2024, but Justin saw significant growth from his young team.
“During this season, I have seen more accountability and team support than I ever have,” he said. “Before I could even point out what went wrong during a game, I would have players speak up and say what they could have done better on. If a player has a bad game, it’s always his teammate who lifts him up and encourages him not to beat himself up about it. Also when they give each other criticism, it’s more constructive than negative. We always say family during the team huddle after the game, because win or lose we do it as a team and as a family.” Justin further reflected on his first season as a head coach as he looked forward to building on its lessons.
“We had a tough season,” he acknowledged. “I learned that sometimes progress can be slow. I feel like as long as we continue to progress as a team and strive to do better, we will continue to grow. Through hard work and dedication my team will only get better from here. As far as coaching I do love it and I hope to continue to help this team and program grow.” Same as she did during Justin’s playing career, Kelsie helped her brother navigate his first coaching season.
“My mentor is my sister,” Justin said. “I’ve always respected her play style and the way she coaches. I’ve always looked up to her as a player, and I also love the way she took a losing team to a team that makes playoffs every year. It’s very beneficial being able to coach alongside her. She has taught me how to use my player mindset to work it in to be a good coach. It’s also very easy to reach out to her at anytime if there’s any issues, due to us being siblings. I know if there’s anything we need to work on, I know we will be straight forward with each other. I think it’s cool that we get to share our love for soccer on the same field that we both shined on as players, and now we’re coaches trying to help others be the ones to shine.”
