Scouting DuPage County boys soccer
Top local teams: Addison Trail, Benet, Naperville North, Neuqua Valley, St. Francis, Waubonsie Valley, Wheaton Academy, Wheaton Warrenville South.
Top players: Jimmy Allen (Timothy Christian, sr., F), Angel Barriga (Fenton, sr., MF), Jack Barry (Naperville North, jr., MF), Will Buxton (Wheaton Warrenville South, sr., D), Parker Domschke (Neuqua Valley, sr., MF), Jake Dzarnowski (Wheaton North, sr., MF), Best Emena (Glenbard North, sr., MF), Roeglio Grimaldo (Waubonsie Valley, sr., MF), Ethan Grosam (St. Francis, sr., MF), JD Gunn (Wheaton Academy, sr., GK), Ethan Harvey (Naperville North, sr., D), Billy Heniades (Neuqua Valley, F), Colin Iverson (Naperville North, jr., D), Jesus Juarez (Lake Park, jr., F), Jimmy Kalkofen (Naperville Central, sr., D), Seamus Kilgallon (Wheaton Academy, jr., MF), Mitch Konrad (Naperville North, so., D), Evan Lang (Metea Valley, jr., MF), Nathan Lukasik (Montini, sr., MF), Matt Moscatello (Glenbard South, jr., MF), Giacomo Parrino (Waubonsie Valley, sr., MF), Brandon Pineda (Glenbard East, sr., D), Ricardo Porcayo (West Chicago, sr., GK), Joe Reinhofer (York, sr., F), Jake Richards (Downers Grove North, sr., MF), Henry Roback (St. Francis, sr., D), Parker Smith (Downers Grove South, jr., GK), Tom Welch (Naperville North, jr., D), Ethan Ytterberg (Metea Valley, sr., D), Nate Zain (Naperville Central, sr., MF).
Scouting report: The "Definitely Very Challenging" conference, better known officially as the DuPage Valley Conference, will once again test the teams that are in pursuit of the prestigious title. Despite the competitive nature of the conference, Naperville North has proved to be the most dominant team, capturing 15 conference titles since 1999. The defending Class 3A champion will need to overcome some key losses, especially all-everything Chris Sullivan, but the program always seems to find a way to reload. The Huskies actually return a lot, which doesn't bode well for their opponents. All but one starter from the defensive midfield, back line and goalkeeper spots return. Tom Welch, Colin Iverson, Mitch Konrad and Ethan Harvey will lead the way, while Cesar Recendez will look to fill the scoring void with Sullivan's departure.
Glenbard North coach Gregg Koeller is in his final season after 30 years in the DVC. He'll not only retire from coaching but also teaching. That will give him an opportunity to watch his son play at North Central. It won't be easy this fall for Koeller and the Panthers; they are definitely in rebuild mode with 16 players graduating last summer and only four starters returning. "We will have three freshmen and five sophomores up on varsity and this group proved they can compete with quality schools during summer league play," Koeller said.
Lake Park returns an experienced group that will look to get the Lancers on the positive side of .500. "We have seven players who were significant starters and impact players last year as sophomores that will be returning as juniors," Lancers coach Sean Crosby said. "On top of that we have four other starters that will be seniors this year that also have varsity experience in 2016 and understand the expectations." The Lancers should also be tough through the midfield and through their forward line.
Last year was a struggle for Metea Valley. The Mustangs finished 4-11-4 and couldn't piece things together. The good news is that while they lost some key players who were seniors in 2016, they also return some guys who gained experience and will look to lead the team, including Evan Lang and Ethan Ytterberg.
If Naperville Central can find enough scoring they can be dangerous. The Redhawks finished 9-7-4 last year but had a rough finish, losing their last three games. They also struggled in finding the net, scoring multiple goals in just 6 of their 20 games. The return of seniors Jimmy Kalkofen, Zack Kokes and Nate Zain bodes well for the Redhawks' chances. Look for senior forward Ryan Coleman or others to attempt to step up and fill that scoring void.
Neuqua Valley was one of the best teams in the DVC last fall, putting together a 5-1-2 record and then continuing such success in the postseason, finishing with a regional title, a 13-6-4 record and battling until falling short in a sectional title to conference foe Naperville North, a team the Wildcats had tied in the regular season. The Wildcats lost 14 players to graduation, but Daniel Costea, Ryan Carlin, Amish Gupta, Parker Domschke, Edon Kosova and top scorer Billy Heniades do return. Plenty of new bodies will need to step up and contribute if the Wildcats hope to remain competitive.
Waubonsie Valley managed to win three conference games and finished 10-8-1 overall last season. Coach Jose Garcia thinks the Warriors will be able to score often thanks to a great offense. Giacomo Parrino, an all-conference selection a season ago, returns along with veterans Rogelio Grimaldo, Mitch Mueller and Stephan Spano.
Wheaton North knows firsthand how difficult the DVC can be, especially after going winless last season in conference and only 2-16-2 overall. Despite that record the Falcons battled some of the best teams last year and come back with most of their roster and a hunger to get on the winning side. "The team is pretty much intact from last season with the small additions made to round out a nice team," Falcons coach Rob Stassen said. "Biggest strength will be the possession game and their confidence in holding the ball as a team. This is very technical group and are building their team unity each practice."
Wheaton Warrenville South will not only be challenged in conference but also in the Jacksonville tournament, PepsiCo Showdown and the annual Wheaton Cup. The Tigers return seven players from last season with their biggest strength being in the midfield and back line, with senior defenders and co-captains Will Buxton and Gabby Lazcano highlighting their returnees.
Glenbard East's roster boasts a great soccer IQ, but the Rams will be playing several guys in this year's Upstate Eight Valley that only played limited minutes a season ago. Now, they'll be asked to play an even bigger role. "We're looking to build off a very positive 2016 campaign," Rams coach Josh Adler said. "We want to put ourselves in position to be competitive on a daily basis and focus on the details of the varsity." Senior Brandon Pineda returns to lead the back line as do juniors Ian Moran and Nick O'Brien in the midfield.
Football numbers may be down throughout the state, but soccer numbers are most definitely skyrocketing at West Chicago where more than 110 kids tried out for the soccer program. That should allow the Wildcats to be competitive. Last year they just fell short of a few victories that would've pushed them above .500, settling at 8-10-5. Behind four-year starter Ricardo Porcayo, forward Arturo Marquez and several newcomers, the Wildcats will look to overcome a lack of height by utilizing ball control and movement with their technical skill and ability.
Coming off its best season since 1992, Addison Trail (22-2) hopes to do its part to prove that the Blazers aren't a one-hit wonder. They received some great news when Jonathan Hernandez chose to return for his senior year instead of heading into an academy. The majority of the Blazers' roster is made up of juniors, though, so developing team chemistry will be key, as well as overcoming inexperience in tight games. "Our biggest strength is team speed and ball skills," Blazers coach Ryan Dini said. "We have many players who are very good with the ball and dangerous." Midfielders Martin Juarez, Melvin Mora and Christian Garcia return, as well as goalkeeper Jean Avila who started about half of the team's game last year.
Downers Grove South is coming off a regional title season (12-5-4) but will look different on the attack since it graduated 97 percent of its goals. "New players will have the opportunity to step up this season and pick up where other's left off last year," Mustangs coach Jon Stapleton said. How the Mustangs progress will be key since they will rely on several players, who while talented, don't have much experience. Midfielders James David and defenders Adam Chaplin and Max Schmidt-Bailey are some of their top returnees.
Downers Grove North is coming off a 16-4-1 season but graduated a lot of players who possessed a lot of individual talent. Coach Mike Schmitt still likes what he sees from this year's team, though, having said, "The players we have this year give us more of a team dynamic and make us a really strong unit." Senior goalkeeper Chris Bull, senior midfielder Jake Richards and junior defender Nick Eshghy all return.
Glenbard West will rely heavily on the eight seniors and two juniors who return from last year's 9-9-2 team. The Hilltoppers also have a strong junior class that coach Maciej Kusmierz expects big things out of this fall. "(We're) looking for consistent effort and improvement on a game-to-game basis, especially when facing reputable conference opposition."
Hinsdale Central should be especially tough in the back and the midfield as Gavin Schwarz, Trey Tabachka, Gareth Maritz, Brady McKay, Ian Becker and Zach Drescher will lead the way. "This group is positive, hard working and a skillful collection of talented players," Red Devils coach Michael Wiggins said. "This group has been a terrific, coachable team that represents us well." A tough schedule awaits, and Wiggins is looking forward to seeing how his kids respond. The Red Devils went 10-7-4 last year.
Youth will look to lead Hinsdale South as the Hornets only have four seniors on their roster. One again Coach Danny Makaric's program will stress more than just winning as he'll look to build excellent leaders, teammates and people out of his players while also stressing the enjoyment of the game. Hopefully some winning can accompany that foundation as the Hornets ended last season with a rough 9-1 loss to Lyons in a regional semifinal.
Joe Reinhofer will be York's biggest offensive threat, but the Dukes will also need to see guys really step up in the midfield and on the back line to shut down opponents. "I think we have a great group of kids," Dukes coach Lukasz Majewski said. "And if we can figure out how to mesh them together, if we get all those guys on the same page, I think we can be dangerous."
Willowbrook is coming off an 8-9 season and has plenty of experience with 21 upperclassmen on its roster and only a pair of sophomores. The Warriors also have a new coach as Ed De La Cruz takes over for Pete Ginter.
Benet (21-2-2) is coming off a third-place finish in Class 2A where its only losses were to Class 3A Fremd last August and to Latin in the state semifinals. The Redwings did lose nine seniors from that team so they will need to overcome those losses, especially of Connor Mote, Bennett Curtis and Ben Kelly. Thankfully, they have a lot of energy and talent returning in junior Franklin Rutkowski, but those around him will need to step up and make an impact right away.
Montini won conference and a regional last season but had to rebuild in some areas and coach Barry Briggs expects to start as many as six sophomores, including Johnny McManus and Joshua Gonzalez who started as freshmen. "We are deeper than we have ever been in almost every position," Briggs said. Four-year starter Nathan Lukasik can pretty much excel anywhere on the field while junior Anthony Burger returns as one of the team's top scoring threats.
St. Francis has an experienced senior group of players that should lead it to success in the Chicago Catholic League White. "We have an opportunity to have another solid season and as we tend to do, we will take one game at a time and see how it all comes together," coach Kevin Ward said. All-sectional defender Ethan Grosam will pace a midfield along with junior returnees, Sean Conley and Nick Gulli, while senior defenders Jacob Power and Henry Roback are also back, as is senior Leo Herard at striker.
Fenton will rely on the engine that is senior Angel Barriga to guide a relatively young squad. "Angel is our best player and the leader of this team," Bison coach Victor Ruiz said. "We will look for his leadership to guide the new squad." Fenton is strong in midfield and at the forward position but have to rework the back line. "We will be a well-balanced team on both sides of the ball," Ruiz said. Freshman Ivan Jaramillo, sophomores Sebastian Palacios and Ethan Rojas and juniors Ismael Ibarez and Carlos Popoca will need to step up as newcomers.
Glenbard South will play a tough nonconference schedule to get ready for its transition to the Upstate Eight next year. Of course, with teams like Fenton, Riverside-Brookfield and Wheaton Academy, the Raiders already have a tough slate in conference now. The Raiders have four players who are in their third season on varsity, so they'll be banking on their experience to improve upon last year's 8-8-3 mark. Juniors Matt Moscatello, John McMahon and Alex Flores and sophomore Josh Cohen highlight their top returnees.
Timothy Christian has Jimmy Allen and Michael Martens returning to lead the way. Allen already has established a school record for goals. "He is always dangerous with the ball and knows where to find the ball when he doesn't have it," Trojans coach Stephen Fernandez said. "(Martens) is also an attacking player with incredible quickness and technique on the ball. We will look for both of these players to play huge roles in our offense this year." Five other starters return for the Trojans.
IC Catholic Prep hopes its get improve on last year's 3-11-2 record. The Knights are only in their third season but will finally be more experienced with 10 seniors on the roster after only have one last fall. "Our players play with heart and being a young program they keep learning the game," Knights coach Javier Andrade said. "Great attitudes and our midfielders will make the difference this year." Seniors Alex Meurer and Zen Tverdokhlib and sophomores Thomas Sloan and William Russ are the team's top returnees.
Wheaton Academy lost 14 seniors to graduation, plus Ethan Stoneman, who opted to play club, from last year's 16-2-3 team that also went a perfect 5-0-0 in the Metro Suburban Conference. Look for the Warriors to continue to find success with their fast-paced, possession-oriented style. "We have a really good core of players who like to play a quality version of soccer," Warriors coach Jeff Brooke said. "J.D. Gunn will be a huge component for us in the goal and our senior class in pushing a great deal of team chemistry." Look for the Kilgallon twins to be a great pair in the midfield.
Lastly, Lisle will be young with 11 of its roster spots taken by underclassmen. The Lions also only have six seniors. Lisle, which went 8-9 last season, lost to Montini in a Class 1A regional championship in 2016 and would like to get redemption for that tough 1-0 loss this year and make a solid run in the postseason. The Lions won the Class 1A title in 2010. "Depending on how quickly we can get up to speed, we should be very competitive, Lisle coach Paul Kohorn said. "Some would say this is a rebuilding year, but I feel our won/loss record will be better this season. We have a great future and are hoping it matures quickly enough this season to make some end of the season noise.' Senior Justin Brinegan returns along with forwards Grif Myslewiec and Martin Bandzoumouna, among others.