Lake County season soccer preview
East Suburban Catholic
Carmel
Coach: John Halloran (9th year)
Record last year: (12-12-3), lost to Deerfield Class 3A sectional semifinal
Top players lost: Lukas Manieri (Heartland Community College), Kevin Quinn, Ari Sandoval (College of Lake County), Ian Tune (Hiram College), Drew Wycoff (University of Tampa),
Top players returning: Donald Kolb Sr. MF/F, Phil Gross Jr. D, Jimmy Ryan Jr. F, Jack Stefanski Jr. D, Shane Einloth Jr. D.
Top newcomers: Blake Quaiyoom Jr. MF.
Briefly: The Corsairs return with plenty of experience after making a strong push at the end of last season by reaching the Class 3A sectionals. "We expect to be very competitive," Halloran said. "We've got 10 returning players with starting experience. We had a nice run at the end of last year and feel they've built on it for this year. We've really don't have a weak spot and a lot of players can contribute."
Rest of team: Matt McHugh Sr. GK, Bobby Merlo Sr. MF/F, Jon Monroe Sr. D, Nick Strum Sr. D, Jake Changelon Jr. F, Ryan May Jr. GK, Tommy Miller Jr. D, Aaron Ogunro Jr. MF, Joe Purtell Jr. F. Justin Gibbons So. D, Ian Heinrich So. MF.
Fox Valley Fox
Grayslake Central
Coach: Mike McCaulou (fifth year)
Record last year: (3-18), lost to Lakes Class 2A regional semifinal.
Top players lost: Jeremy Bethke (UW-Platteville),Tyler Blevins, Victor Cruz, Brad Martinez, Nick Sloan (Aurora), Kyle Wardin (St. Thomas, MN).
Top players returning: Albert Acosta Sr. F, Jose Roman Sr. MF, Caleb Longnecker Jr. D.
Top newcomers: Byron Perez Jr. D, Phillip Longnecker Fr. MF.
Briefly: Improvement is on the way. The Rams return with anexperienced group, but one that seems ready to challenge for the Fox Valley's Fox Division title. "We're definitely stronger coming in," McCaulou said. "We're a younger group, but we're more prepared physically and tactically. This group really does have the focus."
Rest of team: Sebastian Bibat Sr. MF, Andrew Bryan Sr. F, Nick Schneider Sr. D, Jon Ayala Sr. MF, Bryant Olmos Jr. D, Kevin Anderson So. GK, Asa Goldsmith So. D, Caleb Munk So. MF, Carlos Sanroman So. MF, Kyle Martinez Fr. D,
Grayslake North
Coach: Adam DeCaluwe (fourth year)
Record last year: (15-6), lost to Lakes Class 2A regional final
Top players lost: Alex Duebe, Jorge Gomez, Josh Harmon, Jordan Lee, Patrick O'Gorman, Blake Peek, Nolan Peek (club), Lyndon Russell, Kyle Smith
Top players returning: Freddy Rosas Sr. MF/F, Brian Stout Sr. Sr. D/MF, Julio Zamora Sr. MF/F, Chris Myers Jr. MF, Daniel Bazan So. D.
Top newcomers: Richard Klarck Jr. GK, Claudio Guerrero So. F, Arnaud Bataille Fr. MF, Carson Klarck Fr. F
Briefly: The Knights will need some help early on as Julio Zamora recovers from an ACL surgery. "We know we can win games without him." DeCaluwe said. "There's not too much of a drop off with the learning curve and we work well as a unit. With the belief in themselves, we're right where we want to be."
Rest of team: Adrian Avila Sr. GK, Austin Coolidge Sr. D, Hans Germain Sr. F, Luis Martinez Sr. MF, Michael Revord Sr. D, Michael Tednes Sr. MF, Andrew Rohrer Jr. D, Mark Lewis So. MF, Kip Wetter So. F, Micheal Rohrer Fr. D,
North Suburban Lake
Lake Zurich
Coach: Mike Schmitz (third year)
Record last year: (18-2-3), lost to Barrington Class 3A regional final.
Top players lost: Brad McCurley, Mike Messmer, Andy Lynch, Jeff Owens, Brady Rein, Taao Scarnato (Carthage), Jake Schauer, Nelson Still.
Top players returning: Brett Harper Sr MF, Matt Hussey Sr, D, Nick Janus Sr.. MF, Tim Kreutz Sr. F, Eric Pothast Sr. MF/F, Jack Rathe Sr. MF
Top newcomers: Taylor Raineri Sr. GK, Jose Corral Jr. F, Mark Osikowicz Jr. MF
Briefly: They're back: All-state players and all-area team captains Nick Janus (Wisconsin) and Tim Kreutz (Michigan State) return with Eric Pothast (Marquette) and several more seniors with a goal of reaching state. But don't let the Bears know about it. "We just have a good group of guys," Schmitz said. "Each season brings a new opportunity. A new group of guys doing what they can do. Our expectations are working hard together and play to our potential. If we can do that, everything will take care of itself."
Rest of team: John Cerqua Sr. D, John Jordan Sr. D, Matt Methling Sr. D, Colin Rathe Jr. MF, Kyle Callender So. D, Nate Holicky So. MF, Jeff Kreutz So. GK, John Pothast So. MF, Brandan Seeger So. MF.
Libertyville
Coach: Andy Bitta (24th year)
Record last year: (8-4-4), lost to Palatine Class 3A regional semifinal.
Top players lost: Adam Chernoff, Mitchell Dure (Marian College), Ben Grozier, Lucas Guamaccio, Kyle Gustafson (club), Brad Novak, Dennis Mudd (Marian College), Chris Peterson, Andrew Stone, Kyle Schory (Air Force) Alek Uransel (Air Force), Gavin Winkel, Kevin Wolf
Top players returning: Kevin Fanning Sr. D, Austin Gearing Sr. MF, Tim Grozier Sr. MF, Miles McNeir Sr. F, Andrew Bitta Jr. GK.
Top newcomers: Marshall Hollingsworth So. MF, Sam Kaplan So. D, Joey Ruppert.
Briefly: The Wildcats are a much younger group, but with some returning players they'll be expected to get the ball rolling quickly. "It might take us a while to jell," Bitta said. "Once we do, we should be a good team. This group has potential. We need to mold together, learn the system and get confidence."
Rest of team: Andres Alvarez Sr. MF, John Clark Sr. F, Victor Jacob Sr. GK, Derek Kappes Sr. F, Tim Kopera Sr. D, Josh Muchmore Sr. MF, Austin Slone Sr. MF, Andrei Alvarez Jr. F, Jose Ibarra-Luna Jr. MF, Andy Roska Jr. D/MF, Ethan Andrews So. D, Ellis Mathews So. GK, Adam Nitucki So. D, Shane Reilly So. D, Griffen Pils So. MF, David Ruiz So. F,
Mundelein
Coach: Dave Ekstrom (22nd year)
Record last year: (9-9-5), lost to Wheeling Class 3A regional semifinal
Top players lost: Kevin Burda, John Dimitriou (golf), Eduardo Dominguez, Eric Latkow, Edgar Murillo, Nick Neubauer (College of Lake County), Jesus Olmos, Adam Reister, Joe Riddle, Eric Valin, Kevin Wojnicki
Top players returning: Bryant Portillo Sr. F, Daniel Marcos Jr. D, Robbie Munnings Jr. D, Javier Ramirez Jr. GK
Top newcomers: Chris Best Sr. D, Nick Fanz, George Hernandez Sr. MF, Will Lardner Sr. D, Kirk Remrekis Sr. D
Briefly: Experience goes a long way. For the Mustangs, it signals some high expectations for the season ahead. "This might be one of our strongest teams in a number of years," Ekstrom said. "Based on experience and skill. These players have played a lot of soccer, and they've been successful at a lot of levels. It's a skilled group and they know how to play the game."
Rest of team: Robert Blod Jr. D, Juan Jaimes Sr. MF, Ruben Monroy Sr. MF, Estaban Nambo Sr. F, Juan Reynoso Sr. D, Saul Figueroa Jr. MF, Zach Guthrie Jr. D, Gabriel Marcos Jr. MF, Nick Brune So. D, Christin Maca So. MF
Stevenson
Coach: Mark Schartner (23rd year)
Record last year: (11-3-5), lost to Carmel Class 3A regional semifinal.
Top players lost: Ryan Duffey, Spencer Hartung, Connor Kelly, Torin Lacher, Ryan Loris, Kiko Malouf, Brandon Olson, Michael Stablein, Kegan Tiernan
Top players returning: Yonda Abogunrin Sr. D, Greg Golovan Sr. GK, Gordy Gurson Sr. F, Steven Johnson Sr. MF, Alex Nadelman Sr. MF, Shawn Singh Sr. D
Top newcomers: Christopher Horvath Jr. D, Larry Luna Jr. D, Quentin Low Fr. D.
Briefly: The Patriots have a lot going for them, including a senior dominated club. Experience will be the key for a successful run. "Speed is our gift," Schartner said. "We've got a ton of seniors. We should be strong on defense and in the midfield." The Patriots will be without junior forward Johnny Watrich, who will miss the season due to injury.
Rest of team: Jeffery Aranas Sr. D, Brent Loomis Sr. MF, Brady Olson Sr. MF, Eric Smith Sr. MF, Niki Antonijevic Jr. F, Justin Georg Jr. F, Arturo Hernandez Jr. MF, Thomas May Jr. MF, Mike Martin Jr. MF, Ricky Lekakh So. D.
Warren
Coach: Jason Ahonen (second year)
Record last year: (9-10-5) lost to Deerfield Class 3A regional semifinal.
Top players lost: Andrew Arizmendi, Oskar Gasecki (Western Illinois), Jordan Foster (Carthage), Ernesto Hernandez, Jarrett Jespersen, Matt Kinka (College of Lake County), Drew Liogas (Carthage), Mike Osmera (Luther College)
Top players returning: Thiago Ganancio Sr. F. Ruben Gayton Sr. MF, Zack Nitch Sr. D, Brady Walsh So. GK
Top newcomers: Michael Szczepanek Jr. D
Briefly: The Blue Devils lost some talent but return a quality core of players. "We've got an even distribution of sophomores, juniors and seniors," Warren coach Jason Ahonen said. "There won't be a drop off. The program has a solid foundation. I expect us to be competitive and learn as we go. Our work rate coming in is high."
Rest of team: Alex Giraldo Sr. MF, Michael Hanackek Sr. MF, Adrian Hernandez Sr. MF/F, Danny Marco Sr. MF, Brandon Brown Jr. MF, Alex Buvala Jr. GK, Ryan Foster So. MF/F, Danny Herrera So. F, Tyler Stenzel Jr. MF/F, Leon Mardehow So. MF, Andrew Piotrowski So. MF, Patrick Schultz So. D, Jon Trout So. D.
NSC Prairie
Antioch
Coach: Marni Polakow (second year)
Record last year: (10-8-5), lost to Marian Central in Class 2A sectional semifinal.
Top players lost: Noah Bohmann, Kyle Sytsma (Concordia-WI)
Top players returning: Robert Nogle Sr. MF, Andre Sippy Sr. D, Alex Grimm Jr. GK, Oscar Segura Jr. F, Ryan Geidner So. F.
Top newcomers: Taylor Westrate Sr. D, Jordan Frazier Jr. MF/F, Billy Mohr So. MF/F, Carson Moore Fr. D, Erik Van Treek MF/F.
Briefly: The Sequoits are building on last year's success. "We're a young team again," Polakow said. "A lot of my young guys have experience from last year. We've got a lot guys who work hard and don't quit." Nogle already had a 4-goal effort against Richmond-Burton this past Tuesday.
Rest of team: Jack Schwarz Sr. MF, Taylor Krumpos Jr. MF, David Mrnak Jr. MF, Juan Perez Jr. D, Jacob Jost So. MF, Zach Semitka So. MF.
Grant
Coach: Shane Rivette (seventh year)
Record last year: (2-18-1), lost to Woodstock Class 3A regional quarterfinal.
Top players lost: Sean Jasiak, David Kevhishvilli, Adrian Trujillo, Jeff Szelewicki
Top players returning: Tim Burns Sr. MF, France Franceler Sr. D, Shane Hunter Sr. MF, Estaban Diaz Jr. D, Andrew Noda Jr. F.
Top newcomers: Luis Zhagul Sr. D, Josh Tapia Sr. MF.
Briefly: The new field turf playing surface ought to be a positive in the Bulldogs' attack this fall."It should be good for us," Rivette said. "It should help us out improving our touch by playing on that type of surface than grass and should make us faster. I expect us to be better than last year. We've got some pretty good chemistry coming back."
Rest of team: Jack Kramer Sr. D, Alex Kupinski Sr. F, Darrin Schrimpf Sr MF/GK, Josh Wigutow Sr. D, Steven Cervantes Jr. MF, Christian Medrano Jr. D, Anthony Pecorini Jr. GK, Emilio Salinas Jr MF, Gabriel Velarde So. F, Andres Valarde Fr. MF.
Lakes
Coach: Kevin Kullby (fifth year)
Record last year: (13-7-1), lost to Marian Central Class 2A sectional final.
Top players lost: Matt Beadle, Matt Braden, Damian Brown, Mike Mulloy (Clark college), Tom O'Brien (club), Mark Polanin, Ryan Rudynski, Dan Walsh
Top players returning: Steven Korosis Sr. MF, William Lebavitz Sr. D, Ben Goforth Jr. GK, Mitchell Post Sr. MF, Nathan McMahon Jr. D,
Top newcomers: Jonathan Stanley So. F.
Briefly: Eagles will be soaring with a number of seniors returning. In fact, Lakes will be mostly dominated with seniors. "We've got nine of them that will start," Kullby said. "All with experience. It's a very coachable group wanting to do their best. It would be nice to have something to show for, by the end of the season."
Rest of team: Joseph Antony Sr. F, Joel DeGrave Sr. MF, Andrew Larson Sr. MF, Erik Lennartson Jr. F, Alex May Sr. MF, Shane Peter Sr. D, Ben Pierce Sr. D, David Schau Sr. B, Matthew Dexheimer Jr. MF, Brandon Stanley Jr. MF, Mark Beadle So. D, Scott Brugioni So. D, Thomas Langbein So. F, Zachery Reimer So. D, Bojan Zgonjanin So. F.
Round Lake
Coach: Mike Hruska (seventh year)
Record last year: (17-4-1), lost to Jacobs Class 3A sectional semifinal.
Top players lost: Tim Cleveland, Cesar Garcia, Angel Lira, Bryant Martinez, Edwin Martinez, Joe Martinez, David Tellez
Top players returning: Gilberto Alfaro Sr. F, Jose Landa Sr. GK.Eli Martinez Sr. D/MF, Alex Murea Sr.. MF, Carlos Salgado Sr. MF.
Top newcomers: Mauricio Delgado Fr. MF, Edgar Rodriguez Fr. MF/F
Briefly: The Panthers return 13 players from a history-making season last year as they reached the Class 3A sectional semifinals and a North Suburban Prairie Division title. "Our depth is really good coming in with a lot of skill and quickness," Hruska said. "We lost some height and leadership. We still have some good little players and should be a quick team."
Rest of team: Juan Chavez Sr. D, Miguel Miranda Sr. MF, Jimmy Ramirez Sr. D (transfer from Graysake North), Fernando Tovar Sr. MF, Jose Garcia Jr. D/MF, Andres Gomez So. MF, Giovanni Navarette Jr. D, Eduardo Sanchez Jr. D, Geraldo Tonce Jr. MF, Jordi Rubio So. F, Abraham Valadez So. D,.Lorenzo Cortez Fr. D.
Vernon Hills
Coach: Shannon Etnyre (third year)
Record last year: (3-13-3), lost to Grayslake North Class 2A regional semifinal.
Top players lost: Adem Senalan, Jason Leach (club), Sam Lee, Jose Lopez, Jose Montoya, Santos Montoya, Hamza Senalan
Top players returning: Brandon Goldstein Sr. MF/F, Luis Juarez Sr. MF, Kyle Miller Sr. D, Spencer Raak Sr. MF.
Top newcomers: Misha Pavelko Jr. MF, Johnny Huicochea So. D, Martin Niemczwski So. GK, Evan Gorden Fr. F, Brad McGee Fr. D
Briefly: After a couple of years of rebuilding, the Cougars return with 10 seniors and 6 starters and being a contender isn't out of the question. "These players are ready to leave their mark," Etnyre said. "Seniors want to do better this year. Maybe, be in the top three teams in the (Prairie) division. It's a hard working group and most of them have been around since sophomore year."
Rest of team: Joel Bissell Sr, MF, Christian Martinez Sr. D/F, Cole Moffat Sr. D/MF, Peter Otoo Sr. MF/F, Matt Robb Sr. MF/F, Andy Clark Jr. GK, Matt Tomback Jr. D/MF.
Wauconda
Coach: Terry Stevig (26th year)
Record last year: (11-6-7), lost to Marian Central Class 2A regional final.
Top players lost: Silvestre Bonilla, Kevin Carpenter (football), Greg Gustafson, Greg Henk, Alex Kasula, Mike LeClaire, Mike Mrohen, Colin Murphy, Ed Perez, Jo Radice, Juan Velazquez.
Top players returning: Hector Madrigal Sr. F, Mike Mantas Sr. D, Austin Moskal Sr. GK, Jesus Rodriguez Sr. D/F, Trever Stellwag Sr. MF
Briefly: Bulldogs might consider a rebuilding year, but may be not if the underclassman step up. "We might have a slower start," Stevig said. "We've got confident players at all positions. It all depends whether they can mold together. I can see them willing to work hard and being competitive."
Rest of team: Kevin Hernandez Sr. F, Darren Llewellyn Sr. MF, Axel Madison Sr. D, Christian Avita Jr. MF,Tyler Carolin Jr. F, Erik Gomez Jr. MF, Rolando Hernandez Jr. MF, Gerard Ledvora Jr. D. Luis Rodarte Jr. MF, Irving Ramirez So. MF, Valentine Ramirez Fr. MF.