2016 Boys’ Soccer Preview

Boys’ Soccer Preview: Handley Eyes Crown
Posted: March 12, 2016
By ROBERT NIEDZWIECKI
The Winchester Star

WINCHESTER — Local boys’ soccer teams won’t have to wait long to get an idea of where they stand in Conference 21 West this season.

Millbrook, Handley, Sherando and James Wood will each play Harrisonburg during the first two weeks of the season, and for all but Handley, those games against the Blue Streaks will serve as season openers. The Judges’ game against Harrisonburg, which takes place Friday, will be Handley’s second game of the season.

The Blue Streaks are expected to be strong this year after advancing further in the playoffs than any current Conference 21 West team in 2015.

Harrisonburg went 15-3-2 and advanced to the 4A North Region semifinals. The Blue Streaks defeated Conference 21 tournament champion Park View in the regional quarters and they won all three matchups with Handley by an aggregate score of 9-1, including a 3-0 win in the Conference 23 semifinals. The Blue Streaks lost three first team all-conference players to graduation, but three of their second team all-conference picks last year were underclassmen.

If anyone in Conference 21 West can knock Harrisonburg off this year, it might be Handley. Though the competition should be fierce as always among the local schools, Millbrook coach Keith Kilmer said the edge should probably be given to the Judges right now because of their combination of experience and talent.

The Judges return 13 players and nine starters from the team that went 10-7-1 overall last year and placed second in the Northwestern District with a 5-3 record.

Sherando won the Northwestern District with an 8-0 mark last year but must replace eight starters, including co-Northwestern District Players of the Year and second team all-state selections Tommy Buono (The Winchester Star Player of the Year) and Andrew Wade.

“I think this is the most talented team we’ve had in about five or six years,” Handley coach Cosmo Balio said. “We’ve named Seth [Bridgeforth] and Jesus [Rojo-Trejo] the captains, but we’ve told all of our eight seniors, ‘This is your team. Don’t be afraid to speak up and do what you need to do.’ We’re working hard to be a devastating force.”

The senior forward Bridgeforth (eight goals and nine assists) and the senior midfielder Trejo (12 goals, best among returning players in the area, and five assists) were each all-region selections as well as Conference 23 and Northwestern District first team selections.

This year’s Handley team also features All-Conference 23 second team selections Hardel Santos-Sanchez, a senior midfielder whose improvement continues to impress Balio, and sophomore midfielder Chris Nerangis.

While the Judges’ game against Harrisonburg will be a big contest, it won’t hold as much significance in terms of Conference 21 West as it does in other team sports.

In volleyball, basketball, baseball and softball, every team in the conference plays one counting game against each other, and the team with the best record in those games is named the Conference 21 West regular season champion and earns an automatic berth into the 4A West Region tournament.

In soccer and tennis though, not every team will play each other this year. Because schools have to play each of the other schools in their district twice, and schools are limited to 16 games in soccer and tennis, Harrisonburg — which plays 12 district contests — was not able to schedule Woodgrove this season.

As a result, soccer and tennis will not hold regular season competitions to determine a regular season champion and an automatic region berth. The two teams that make the Conference 21 West tournament final will qualify for the region tournament. James Wood coordinator of student activities Craig Woshner said seeding for the Conference 21 West tournament will be based on a regular-season formula, but the details of that formula still have to be worked out.

As Balio notes, Handley will have its work cut out for it if it hopes to make it to the region tournament.

“Harrisonburg and Millbrook are really going to be tough outs for us,” Balio said. “And you can never discount Sherando because of how well [coach Pat] Anderson always gets his teams to play defense.”

Though the Warriors lose Buono and Wade (42 goals and 27 assists) they still do have a Buono and a Wade. Younger brothers and juniors Sean Buono (three goals, six assists), a forward, and midfielder Seth Wade (one goal, five assists) were each second team all-district selections last year.

Millbrook had a string of four consecutive region berths snapped last season, but the Pioneers (eight players back with starting experience) have plenty of talent to make a run at getting back.

Kilmer feels there isn’t a player in the area who’s more dangerous with his back to the goal than senior forward Brian McGuire (11 goals and six assists) and he feels he has one of the premier midfielders as far as passing and ball control in senior Jonathan Richards (10 goals, seven assists). Both players made the district first team and the Conference 21 second team.

James Wood improved its win total from just two to three last year, but the Colonels definitely got better over the course of the year, earning a win over Millbrook in the second meeting between the two teams.

The Colonels return all but one starter from last year’s team and will feature second team all-district selections in Aidan Houser (five goals), a junior midfielder, and senior goalkeeper Cole Morris (8.1 saves per game, two shutouts). Morris, along with senior midfielder Colin Watts (three goals, seven assists) also made the All-Conference 21 second team.

Like James Wood, Clarke County is also coming off a losing season, and like the Colonels, the Eagles also hope the fact that they bring back most of their team will pay off in a better season.

The Eagles feature 15 returning players, including 10 seniors. Leading scorer Ian Dors (eight goals) won’t be one of them because he tore ligaments in his knee in December while wrestling, but Clarke County’s senior contingent includes second team All-Bull Run District selections Chase Fletcher, a forward, and Henry Leta, a midfielder. Each player had five goals and four assists last year.

In the five-team Conference 35, the Eagles will have to contend with three teams that finished ahead of them in the Bull Run District standings last year, including three-time defending state champion George Mason, which went undefeated last season.

The following is a glance at each area team:

Sherando

Coach: Pat Anderson, 23rd year.

Last year: 14-4-2 (8-0 Northwestern District); Northwestern District and Conference 21 regular season champions; lost to Charlottesville in 4A North Region quarterfinals.

Key losses: Tommy Buono, Andrew Wade, Jake Adams, Jov Hall, Kevin Riley, Rhett Morris, Tanner Wernecke, Zach Wagner.

Top returnees: Seth Wade, Jr. M; Sean Buono, Jr. M; Travis Ferraro, Sr. D; Jack Flanagan, Sr. D; Max Polio, So. M; Nic Craig, Jr. M; Brandon Teets, Sr. G.

Top newcomers: Jacob Crowley, So. D; Nathan Wagner, Jr. M; Victor Pinto, Jr. M; Mason Scott, Sr. M; Arevalo Diego, Sr. F; Isaac Prock, Jr. M; Jacob Sites, Jr. D; Renzo Blasutto, So. M; Mike Berry, So. G.

Anderson’s outlook: “We’ve got 17 new players out of 25, so it helps that we’re not playing our first game in the opening week. We’re the most inexperienced among the local schools, so we’re still learning to play together. We have to get everyone on the same page with the same philosophy. I think our midfield play is going to be our strength. As far as the conference, I think it’s anybody’s to win.”

Opening game: March 22 at Harrisonburg, 7 p.m.

Handley

Coach: Cosmo Balio, 11th year.

Last year: 10-7-1 (5-3 Northwestern); lost to Harrisonburg in Conference 23 semifinals.

Key losses: Jay Fox, Bryan Gomez, Nestor Castillo, Joe White.

Top returnees: Seth Bridgeforth, Sr. F; Jesus Rojo-Trejo Sr. M; Hardel Santos-Sanchez, Sr. M; Rosser Sirbaugh, Sr., D; Haniel Lopez-Cajero (four shutouts), Sr. G; Norman Au, Sr. D; Joe Brink, Sr. D; Andrew McIntyre, So. D; Tyler Heglas, So. D; Jorge Cruz, Sr. M; Chris Nerangis, So. M; Saber El Abani, Sr. M; Nathan Langford, Jr. F.

Top newcomers: Stuart Keith, So. D; Brinn Enders, So. M; Jesus Trejo Santander, Jr. M; John Avant, Fr. D; Raheem Smith, Jr. M; Miguel Ortiz, So. G.

Balio’s outlook: “I really feel Seth has developed into the strongest striker in the area, and he’ll probably be seeing some double- and triple-teams this year. And then with [Rojo-Trejo] underneath him in the midfield, we have one of the most fundamentally sound soccer players I’ve been around at Handley. He’s one of the student leaders at Handley, and he’s someone you know you can rely on. We want to do well against our conference teams during the season, but the main goal is being at our best for the conference tournament.”

Opening game: Tuesday vs. Stuart Hall, 4:30 p.m.

Millbrook

Coach: Keith Kilmer, 7th year.

Last year: 10-7-1 (4-4 Northwestern); lost to Sherando in Conference 21 semifinals.

Key losses: David Myers, Cal Lockley, Tyler Gray, Rody Diyoka, Andres Torres.

Top returnees: Jonathan Richards, Sr. M; Brian McGuire, Sr. F; Chris Kozlowski (five shutouts), Jr. G; Hans Kloo (four assists), Jr. M/F; Matt Hershberger Jr. D/M; Ricardo Sanchez, Sr. M; Paul Blanco, So. M., Zach Hicks, So. D; Alex Hicks, Sr. M; Jovan Soto Leanos, Sr., M/F.

Top newcomers: Darin Douglas, So. M; Tim Holzer, Sr. D/F; Jake Hansbrough Fr. M/F; Dylan Frederick, Jr. G; Kevin Valyear, Jr. D.

Kilmer’s outlook: “We’re a very fast team, so speed is going to be a strength for us, and I think our depth should be a key too. I think we’re capable of competing with anybody. We beat Liberty 2-0 in our first scrimmage and gave up three shots, and when I was talking to their coach before the game he was saying that he hoped his team could get to the state tournament this year.

“A lot of guys are stepping up and taking ownership of the team. I’ve been really pleased with Kevin Valyear. He scored one goal and assisted on another as a defender against Liberty. He’s really coachable and he’s someone who should play a big role for us in the center of our defense.”

Opening game: Tuesday vs. Harrisonburg, 7 p.m.

James Wood

Coach: Brian Sullivan, 2nd year.

Last year: 3-14 (3-5 Northwestern); lost to Sherando in Conference 21 quarterfinals.

Key loss: Chris Francis.

Top returnees: Aidan Houser, Jr. M; Colin Watts, Sr.. M; Trenton Kite Sr. M; Skyler Newlin, Sr. F; Alec Hager, Sr. D; Cole Morris, Sr. GK.

Top newcomers: None mentioned.

Sullivan’s outlook: “Most of these guys have been together for two-to-three years. The team has really grown, and the seniors are showing a lot of leadership. Aidan’s been playing for an ODP Region team, and we expect big things from him. Chris Francis is a big loss for us, but I expect Alec Hager to do a good job leading our defense.”

Opening game: March 24 at Harrisonburg, 7:30 p.m.

Clarke County

Coach: Scott House, 6th year.

Last year: 6-11-2 (5-9-2 Bull Run District); lost to George Mason in Conference 35 semifinals.

Key losses: Ian Dors, Levi Mayo.

Top returnees: Henry Leta, Sr. M; Graham Smith, Sr. D; Thomas Detwiler, Sr. D; Keaton Leta, Sr. D; Robert Moore So. M; Seth Mayo, Jr. G; Isaac Weintz, Sr. M; Jacob Peterson, Sr. M; Daniel York, Sr. F; Chase Fletcher, Sr. F; Charles Moore, Sr. M; Luis Camacho-Bruno, So. M.

Top newcomers: Ian Smith, So. D; Cameron Scheib, So. F; Evan Nicholas, Fr. M; John Bresnan, Jr. D; Ian Smith, So. D; Tristan Price, Jr. M; Zephir Leary, So. D.

House’s outlook: “Losing [sweeper] Levi Mayo is definitely tough, but I think we should be really strong defensively with everything else we have coming back. We tied John Champe, a 4A school, 1-1 in our first scrimmage. Evan Nicholas assisted Cameron Scheib just before the half in that game, and I think they’re really going to add to our offense this year. We’ve got a lot of desire, a lot of heart and a lot of experience, and we look to have a great year.”

Opening game: Tuesday at Riverside, 7:15 p.m.

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