Boys soccer: Scouting the Fox Valley area

The Tri-Cities dominated the DuKane Conference in the spring with St. Charles North, St. Charles East and Geneva finishing 1-2-3.

The reigning champ North Stars (12-4-2) have 8 players back, led by seniors Michael DePasquale and Zach Curtis and sophomore Walter DelaPaz. With a great understanding of the game and commitment to hard work, the North Stars will remain competitive.

Across town, the Saints (12-4-3) welcome back all-state selection Sebastian Carranza (20 goals, 13 assists) and 14 other players, including midfielders Josh Ruiz and Luca Avendano and defender Connor King and goalkeeper Tyler Benhart.

The Vikings (7-4-6) are excited to have 12 players returning, including goalkeeper Hayden Vostal and defenders Braeden McPheron, Grant Havertine, Landon O'Donoghue and Clayton Williams. Forwards Trent Giansanti and Ryan Leake combined for 14 goals in the spring.

Batavia (1-11-3) is looking to build relationships on the pitch throughout the season with a good mix of talent, which includes returning senior midfielders Ryan Kahley, Will Bardol and Ben Hanson and goalkeeper Logan Saenz.

Jacobs (12-1-1) has a nice big target on its back after a perfect 9-0 Fox Valley Conference season several months ago. The Golden Eagles return 5 starters and will look for experienced all-conference players like Ruben Zarate (8 goals) and Shotaro Seto (10 goals) to lead a young, but talented group. Peter Wolf will look to add to the offense while John Kraft, Fernando Rojas and Carter Roper lead the defense.

Hampshire (10-3) won the Fox Valley tournament last year, outlasting Jacobs 4-3 in the shootout. The Whip-Purs lost 8 players from that squad. On the flip side, Cary-Grove ended its season without a victory in April, finishing 2-4-2 overall and winless in its last four games. The Trojans will look forward to a fresh start.

Huntley (9-4-1) is thrilled to have Austin Killen back from injury as well as many veterans, including 7 starters like goalkeeper Ehan Kornas (69 saves) and Thomas Rodriguez (5 goals, 4 assists). Some young talent also will add depth to an already solid Red Raiders roster.

Crystal Lake South (6-4-2) should benefit immensely from the quick turnaround from spring to fall with 15 returnees, including 8 starters. That includes all-conference selections Tom Coughlin (12 goals, 10 assists in career), Sam Bahnfleth, Michal Dejworek and Deven Tinajero.

Dundee-Crown (6-7-2) welcomes back 9 players including defenders Jefferson Leon, Jason Martinez and Fernando Ramirez. Coach Rey Vargas is also excited about some of his younger talent that should mix in well.

Burlington Central suffered through a winless spring, but new coach Dimitri Tsoukalas has high expectations for this group, which includes 9 returnees. Goalkeeper Sam Buckman, defender Mason Freeman, midfielder Luciano Metallo and forward Frankie Mazziotta will look to keep the Rockets well organized while playing with tempo and intensity.

Bartlett (4-7-1) is in rebuilding mode in the Upstate Eight, but welcomes some new talent. Strikers Sean Cox and Patryk Pabian are formidable and midfielder Giovanni Palid and defender Andrew Nava have key roles.

Elgin (4-5-2) is another year older and hungry to compete with a more potent attack. Ola Ajayi, Isaac Espinosa, Miguel Navarro and Erick Ortiz combined for 18 goals in the spring.

The last time Streamwood (8-3-3) had a young club like this one was 2014 and the Sabres took fourth in the state. They have five freshmen and will rely heavily on its defense with Michael Garcia, Marcos Gutierrez and Bryan Huerta leading the way.

South Elgin (4-6-2) has standout forward Ryan Doherty (7 goals, 4 assists) and fellow seniors Omar Lara, Chris Coria and Rocco Marzullo among its 6 returning starters. A couple new seniors, Brandon McKee, who didn't play in the spring, and Andrew Montenegro, a transfer student, are expected to make impacts.

Larkin (0-9) will look to make strides after a difficult spring in which the Royals only scored five goals.

Aurora Christian is in good hands with new coach Blake Hughes, who played for Norm Hillner at Lake Park and recently coached in Timothy Christian's program. Jonah Rominski and Carter Henning are among 8 seniors while junior Josh Skogerboe is a key addition. Hughes recognizes it's a year of change yet expects the Eagles to challenge opponents every game.

Marmion (9-4-1) is seeking its first Chicago Catholic League title and with 7 starters returning, the Cadets are in a good place right now and should only get better as the season moves forward. Defenders Lucas Brummel and Nate Sowers, midfielders David Saucedo and Barry O'Neill, forward Harley Karner and goalkeeper Danny Jankowski return, giving the team veteran presences all over the field.

Kaneland (9-6-1) will look to Lucas Bass (14 goals) to lead the offense as the Knights will need a lot from him as well as the rest of their seniors, including goalkeeper Jack Rissman and midfielders Nick Mitchinson, Sean Gannon and Cade Ory. A challenging nonconference schedule is par for the course for coach Scott Parillo as the Knights continue to excel in conference play.

West Aurora (18-0-0) beat up on its Southwest Prairie opponents so the Blackhawks know teams will be coming after them. The potent attack up top that frustrated teams is gone so the Blackhawks will need new faces to step up since only three starters return.

Harvest Christian welcomes new coach Pedro Assumpcao along with 5 freshmen after losing 8 players to graduation. The team will look to leverage the experience of returning players Eric Puquirre, Caleb Fast, Seth Pritchett and David de Souva to build up the program for years to come.

Westminster Christian coach David Siers said this is the deepest and most talented team he's had at the school with a huge upperclassmen presence. The Warriors (9-0) are coming off a fantastic spring and with 16 players back, including Nathan Siers (15 goals, 15 assists), defender Cal Hoon and goalkeeper Jack Layne, great things are coming to the small school.