Boys soccer: Warren rolls past Grayslake North in opener

Cael Harris was one of the Warren boys soccer players who played for the Blue Devils in their undefeated season last spring.

The senior started the new season with a couple of goals and led Warren past Grayslake North 7-1 in the opening game of the Knights Invitational in Grayslake on Thursday evening.

The invitational was pushed back a couple of days because of the intense heat and storms on Tuesday.

"It says a lot about our program and to carry it through for another year," Harris said. "I just want to be a leader for this year's team. We do have a couple of set plays that we've worked on. When the opportunity is there, I will take it. It feels good to get a couple of goals, especially in the opener of the season."

The other goals for the Blue Devils were from Matt Hegge, who scored twice, while Emilio Mancero, Matt Paraskos and Ryan Stanciak had one each. Lucas Ahonen, Paraskos and Harris added assists.

For Warren, it's a different group of players that are hungry to follow up on what was left after the spring.

"We've been working on a lot of things in practice," Warren coach Jason Ahonen said. "Even though we were able to score goals, we were able to to get the set pieces and free kicks just where we want the ball to be on the attack. We finished at a very high rate. A lot of uncertainties and unknowns going into this year. But, the vibe in practice with this team is really good and there's a lot of depth."

Dylan Clausen scored the only goal for Grayslake North. But, the Knights had a few shots on goal and a few others off the post at times.

"With the way the preseason has been with the heat, the storms and practices," Grayslake North coach Adam DeCaluwe said, "we didn't really know what we were going to be like. Warren was one of the best teams that we will see all season. But, we play them for a reason."

Warren will host Harvard at 5 p.m. Friday evening and play Harvard Saturday morning back at Grayslake North. Host Grayslake North plays Harvard also Saturday and Prairie Ridge on Tuesday

In Thursday's other matchup, Prairie Ridge beat Harvard 2-1 and 7-6 in penalty kicks.