Boys soccer: Scouting Lake County

NORTH SUBURBAN CONFERENCE

LAKE ZURICH

Coach: Mike Schmitz (12th year)

Last season: 8-10-2, lost to Mundelein in Class 3A regional semifinals

Top returning players: Michael Blasko Sr. MF, Ryan Bobrowski Sr. D, Barrett Hindman Sr. F, Zak Kaminski Sr. MF, Jaden McCreary Sr. F, Robert Mepham Sr. GK, Austin Myhre Sr. D, David Zaccarine Sr. MF, Eric Bibb Jr. F. Lucas Pytlak Jr. MF, Andrew Juarez Jr. MF, Mikolaj Wierzbicki Jr. MF, Aiman Naqvi So. F

Newcomers: Francisco Maldonado Sr. D, Jaiden Lawlor Jr. D, Eric Rejent Jr. D, Eryk Grabowski So. D, Miles Larson So, D, Matt Volmer So. GK

Schmitz says: "We have a lot of players returning that gained valuable experience last year. "We're hoping to build on that experience and be competitive in every game we play."

LIBERTYVILLE

Coach: Kevin Thunholm (second year)

Last season: 20-1-2, lost to Naperville North in Class 3A state championship

Top returning players: Jacob Demacols Sr. D, Zach El Gathit Sr. GK, Nick Garno Sr. D, Grant Herbeck (DePaul) Sr. D/MF, Tanner Kelly Sr. MF, Brandon Murphy Sr. MF, Evan Rasmussen (Michigan) Sr. MF/F, Jack Van Dixhorn Sr. M, Scott Wagner Sr. MF, Mason Williams Sr. D. Micky Riely Jr. MF/F, Luke Underwood Jr. MF

Other players: Kevin Aquadro Sr. F, Sawyer Abington Sr MF, Matt Gaines Sr. MF, Noah Highsmith Sr. D, Gabriel Kosciuch Sr. MF, Jacopo Francosi Jr. D/MF, Hunter Lynch Jr. GK, Brendan Quigley Jr. D/MF, Chuck Rasmussen Jr. D, Jack Brennan So. F, Will Herbek So. D

Thunholm says: "This should be a solid team. We enjoy being together and believe in each other. We've had a fantastic offseason with a common goal. We are focusing on one play, one half, one game and respect everyone."

MUNDELEIN

Coach: Ernie Billittier (eighth year)

Last season: 9-7-3, lost to Libertyville in Class 3A regional final

Top returning players: Bryan Alba Sr. MF, Eddy Avila Sr. MF, Armando Rosiles Sr. MF, Camden Kowalski Jr. F

Newcomers: Darren Gray Jr. F, Jahir Jimenez Jr. MF, David Bochniak So. F

Other players: Alexis Fedorets Sr. D, Alexis Martinez Sr. F, Tony Martinez Sr. D, Victor Noriega Sr. D, Andy Rodriguez Sr. MF, Chris Villasenor (Marines) Sr. GK, Ivan Montiel Jr. MF, Matt Whalen Jr. D

Billittier says: "I expect us to compete for every competition we play in. We return a good number of players after graduating only three starters, to the challenge will be for our seniors to create a culture of success and consistency."

STEVENSON

Coach: Mark Schartner (32nd year)

Last season: 6-10-1, lost to Wheeling in Class 3A regional semifinals

Top returning players: Ethan Bende Sr. D, Josh Dicker Sr. GK, Zack Klaber Sr. GK, Kai Mayahara Sr. MF, Kyle Riekki Sr. D, Hunter Tam Sr. MF, Nick Brickman Jr. MF, Ben Dixon Jr. MF, Austin Kody Jr. MF, Rei Kubota Jr. D, Luka Lezhava Jr. MF, Camron Mahdavian Jr. MF, Kevin Yan Jr. D, Alem Duratovic So. F

Newcomers: Anthony Espinosa Paiotti Sr. MF, Jaemin Soe Sr. F, Takashi Uchida Sr. D, Ryan Allen Jr. D, Justin Cho Jr. D, Itay Gozahani Jr. GK, Cameron Lenor Jr. MF, Evin Paldrmic Jr. MF, Segi Odongo So. F, Anthony Skoridiks So. F, Connor Riekki Fr. MF

Schartner says: "We do have a well-balanced team. We have a seasoned starting lineup - outstanding leadership, great speed and a very hardworking team."

WARREN

Coach: Jason Ahonen (11th year)

Last year: 6-8-2, lost to Buffalo Grove in Class 3A regional semifinals

Top returning players: Jovan Selakovic Sr. D, Nolan Ehlers Jr. MF, Ishaan Shah So. MF

Newcomers: Clayton Mobile Jr. MF, Josh Segura Jr. F, Max Floriani So. D

Other players: Jarod Geiger Sr. D/MF, Chris Uribe Sr. GK, Noah Schwab Jr. D, Marlo Guadiana So. MF, Sebastian Rodriguez So. MF, Alex Senko So. MF, Bradley Strauss So. D

Ahonen says: "We had a great summer and had an opportunity to find out what kind of depth we have across the board within our program. To be honest, we had more quality, varsity caliber players than we had slots for. The team that was selected has had a great summer growing together as a collective group. Even though we're young, I expect this group to focus on what's in their control and focus on getting better each day at training to reach their true potential."

NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY CONFERENCE

ANTIOCH

Coach: Michael McDermott (first year)

Last year: 8-12-2, lost to Lakes in Class 2A regional semifinals

Top returning players: Alex Keeler Sr. MF, Joey Kestian Sr. D, Christian Ortiz Sr. D, Adam Lynn Jr. F

Other players: Ian Gugel Sr. GK, Easton Herbon Sr, Josh Lahti Sr, Krystian Nikolov Sr, Joey Whithall Sr. GK, Adrian Aguayo Jr. F, Merrick Foote Jr, Brandon Pinto Jr, Aiden Trusky Jr. D/MF, Troy Coleman So, Trevor Niznik So. D/MF, Elijah Rauno So., Aidan Weir So

McDermott says: "We're in transition from a longtime coach (Marni Polakow) to transforming the program into one with longevity. We will be working with refining our current talent and building toward our future, while being mindful of being able to compete this year. We have a lot of young talent on our lower level so we will be evaluating our talent throughout the year with making call-ups on an as-needed basis, but we hope to be able to be prepared for league play with our current core of talent."

GRANT

Coach: Bryan Mark (seventh year)

Last year: 2-15-2, lost to Deerfield in Class 3A regional quarterfinals

Top returning players: David Acevado Sr. D, Xander Barillas Sr. F, Drew Berwanger Sr. MF, Alexis Bustamante Sr. MF, Michael Galvan Sr. D, Will Gonzalez Sr. F, Charlie Granat Sr. MF, Danny Talavera Sr. F

Newcomers: Kyle Rehm Sr. MF, Misael Tellez Sr MF, Adryan Gonzalez Fr. MF

Other players: Valentin Cerna Jr. F, Juan Cervantes Jr. D, Kevin Gosciniak Jr. MF, Noah Johnson Jr. MF, Jacob Lotietko Jr. D, Jose Luna Jr. MF, Cade Morley Jr. GK, Thomas Slomiany Jr. D, Thomas Granat So. MF

Mark says: "I'm excited about this team. We have a lot of experience coming back and along with key additions it should make us a tough team to play. The players are competing day in and day out and we're eager to get playing games. We lost some close games last year that easily could of gone our way, and players are using that to fuel their practices. We're hoping to win some games early, win one of our tournaments and compete in the top of the NLCC."

GRAYSLAKE CENTRAL

Coach: Tom Hamilton (fourth year)

Last year: 12-7-2, lost to Lakes in Class 2A regional final

Top returning players: Ozzy Gaytan Sr. D, Peder Harvey Sr. F, Jack Kulis Sr. F, Henry Morrison Sr. M, Kevin O'Brien Sr. D, Dani Orozco Sr. MF, Owen Aaberg Jr. MF, Thomas Ramsey Jr. MF

Newcomers: Tyler Armstrong Jr. MF, Thomas Conlon Jr. MF, Tyler Kalata Jr. MF, Mitchell Kocialkowski Jr. D, Drew Kosilkowski Jr. D, Alexis Garcia-Perez So. GK, James Rohlfing So. D

Other players: Nick Murphy Sr. GK, Dapo Osinaike Sr. F, Erik Filas Jr. MF, Noah Styczen Jr. F, Caschu Model So. D

Hamilton says: "The Rams look to build off (last year's) success with a balance of experience and youth. The experienced core up the spine of the squad, combined with the infusion of talent and hunger for success from newcomers, figure to make the Rams a squad competitive both in the NLCC and in Class 2A. It will take a great deal of hard work to make it happen, but these boys seem more than up for the challenge, and we're all looking forward to it."

GRAYSLAKE NORTH

Coach: Adam DeCaluwe (12th year)

Last year: 11-11, lost to Grayslake Central in Class 2A regional semifinals

Top returning players: Matt Heery Sr. MF, Will Meyer Sr. F, Jack Moran Sr. MF, Angel Uriostegui Sr. MF, Omar Cordova Jr. D, Logan Holevas Jr. MF, Sam Inmon Jr. F

Newcomers: Zak Bauer Sr. MF, Tyler Clausen Sr. GK, Edwin De Ita Cruz Sr. D/MF, Eduardo Fonseca Sr. MF, Alex Kagay Sr. D, Amir Kherzai Sr. D, Auturo Mata Sr. F, Anthony Ocampo Sr. MF, Robert Santiago Sr. F, Cole Schultze Sr. D, Gabe Vellejo Sr. D, Edwin De Ita Cruz So. D

DeCaluwe says: "This year's team is working incredibly hard, as they have a great work ethic and have a real desire to improve and compete. While we have a good number of new players joining the team this season, the returning players have true quality in both skill and leadership potential. We are really looking forward to the challenges ahead as our group looks to be competitive in every game we play, looking to defend first, while we have some really attacking quality and potential."

LAKES

Coach: Kevin Kullby (14th year)

Last year: 15-7-1, lost to Freeport in Class 2A sectional final

Top returning players: Andrew Gaetano Sr. MF, Max Keenan Sr. MF, Patrick McMahon Sr. GK, Alec Meyer Sr. D

Other players: Tyler Atkinson Sr. D, Nick Bombicino Sr. F, Charlie Gada Sr. D, Dom Kaspar Sr. F, Carlo Picchietti Sr. MF, Ravi Singh Sr. F, Nathan Stange Sr. D, Drew Sweeney Sr. D, Luke Chamernik Jr. Dejan Djenadic Jr. MF, Tyler Donovan Jr. D, Zach Dydo Jr. MF, Marcello Guifarro Jr. F, Brady Lucas Jr. F, Curtis Smith Jr. D, Camden Steinert Jr. GK, Cyrus Daruwala So. B, Evan Larsen So. D, Patrick Mayer So. MF, Eliam Mier So. F. Tim Pollak So. MF

Kullby says: "We have players that have a lot of varsity experience. The defense and goalkeeping is solid, the starting midfield returns, but our forwards need to prove that they can score goals, and like with most teams, that remains to be seen. That being said, we will be competitive in the NLCC and in the 2A class."

ROUND LAKE

Coach: Hugo Tellez (ninth year)

Last year: 12-4-4, lost to Palatine in Class 3A regional semifinals

Top returning players: Christian Alverez Sr. MF, Rudy Bernal Jr. MF/F, Ivan Guerrero Jr. MF, Cristobal Hidrogo Jr. D, Sergio Montes-Decoa Jr. MF, Jesus (Chuy) Ramos Jr. MF/F, Uriel Sanchez Jr. MF

Newcomers: Jorge Contreras Sr. GK, Christian Millan Sr. D/MF, Carlos Navarrete-Rojo Sr. F, Oscar Ponce Sr. MF, Jose Valedez Sr. D/MF, Danny Galvan Jr. D, Juan Gomez Jr. D

Other players: Alvaro Clara Sr. D, Tony Fonseca Sr. F, Maqiis Haywood Jr. F

Tellez says: "We're a younger group and we're learning how to play together. The group works well together. It's a matter of finishing and being able to communicate with one another. Once we get rolling, we should be a team that will be able to work together and challenge for the NLCC title."

WAUCONDA

Coach: Tim Miller (first year)

Last year: 6-8-2, lost to St. Viator in Class 2A regional semifinals

Top returning players: Connor Brannick Sr. D, Chase Hayden Sr. MF, Jorge Morales Sr. F, David Ramirez St. MF, Preston Chartier Jr. GK

Newcomers: Ulysses Ruiz Jr., Matthew Czerwinski So, Cristopher Zavaleta So, Ethan Yost Fr. D/F

Other players: Brandon Castalonos Jr. D

Miller says: "We want to be dangerous and dynamic offensively. We play with high pressure, a quick attacking style that is fun to watch. Our team needs to work hard to defend and to communicate with a number of young players stepping into starting roles. Our team loves to compete and puts forth tremendous effort in sessions. Long-term our goals are to win a regional title and compete in a very competitive league. The rest depends on the development of young players and growing the program."

CENTRAL SUBURBAN LEAGUE NORTH DIVISION

VERNON HILLS

Coach: Mike McCaulou (sixth year)

Last year: 3-11-3, lost to Prairie Ridge in Class 2A regional semifinals

Top returning players: Stephen Awe Sr. F, Sean Collins Sr. MF/F, Brandon Kim Sr. D, Jake Schulman Sr. F, Carlos Aguilar Jr. MF, Matthew Quandt Jr. D

Newcomers: Ben Krok So. MF, Dema Lebedev So. F, Zach Hanson So. MF

Other players: Victor Camacho Sr. MF, Tyler Gonzalez Sr. MF, Cooper Guillaume Sr. MF, Isais Sanchez Sr. MF, Nick Burrows Jr. GK, Kevin Martinez Jr. GK, Jesse Sanchez Jr. F, Edgar Uribe Jr. D, Aiden O'Flaherty So. D

McCaulou says: "We look to be very organized defensively and have the best work rate in every game. We have more depth this year than last year and more experience. This group wants to bring it this year and we are excited. We embrace the challenge."

EAST SUBURBAN CATHOLIC CONFERENCE

CARMEL

Coach: Ray Krawzak (seventh year)

Last year: 15-3-1, lost to Waukegan in Class 3A regional final

Top returning players: Shane Farrell Sr. MF, Michael Handel Sr. D, Eli Larson Sr. D, Sean Seidl Sr. MF/F, Ian McKernan Jr. MF

Newcomers: Matt Grzesiak Jr. MF/F, Aidan Day So. MF/F, Riley Pierson So. D

Other players: Ryan Bobber Sr. D, John Baude Sr. D, Ryan Long Sr. MF, Ricardo Murua Sr. GK, Aidan Monroe Sr. MF, Aidan Harrison Jr. MF/F, Camden Krautsack Jr GK. Tim Milner Jr. F, Avery Krautsack So. D

Krawzak says: "This group will be different from our group for the last several years. We won't have the speed up top to play very direct balls and have guys run onto them like we have in recent years. We will find another way to win. We are starting the season focused on the back line and gaining confidence in our ability to defend."