Boys' soccer preview: Class 4 Northwestern District figures to be competitive again

In 2018, five of the seven Class 4 Northwestern District boys’ soccer teams had winning records overall and in the district. Fifth-place Millbrook had only two more losses than first-place Handley, and the Pioneers had the Judges on the ropes with a 3-1 lead in the district semifinals before the Judges rallied for a 4-3 win.

In Year 2 of the Class 4 Northwestern District, area coaches don’t expect to see any changes from the competitiveness and intensity that was consistently displayed in 2018.

“I know this sounds really cliché, but I really see it being a pretty leveled-off district,” Millbrook coach Keith Kilmer said. “I see a lot of battles. There was a lot of battles last year.

“Last year we dumped 14 goals in three games on a returning state champ in Kettle Run, but then we lose to other teams that Kettle Run beat. If you look at the scores and the results from last year, there’s a lot of that that happened among our group. I think it’s going to be very similar again this year. Every team better bring it every time.”

The Judges (15-4-1) are coming off a memorable 2018 season in which they won the district tournament championship in addition to the district regular-season title. Handley also advanced to the Class 4 state tournament, marking the first time that the Judges had reached that level of the postseason since 2004.

Handley will look dramatically different in 2019, though. The Judges lost seven starters from last year’s team, including five who earned all-district honors.

The 2019 Judges do feature two of the best players from the district in 2018, though. Senior forward Owen Mattens led the area with 21 goals and recorded nine assists (tied for third in the area) en route to earning Winchester Star Player of the Year honors and a selection to the Class 4 all-state second team. Senior midfielder John Avant also earned all-state second team honors after recording an area-best 11 assists last season as an outside midfielder, a role he will continue to occupy in 2019.

Handley head coach Scott Bucey said his team is going into the year with the mindset that Mattens and Avant won’t have to carry the load. But as Monday showed, there’s nothing wrong with letting all-state players lead the way. Mattens and Avant accounted for all three goals in a win over Heritage, with Mattens recording two goals and one assist. Sophomore Adam Pollak recorded the shutout in goal for Handley, which no longer has Joel Romero (area-best five shutouts) minding the net.

With seven starters back from a team that advanced to the Region 4C semifinals last year, Sherando (13-5-2) also figures to be in the hunt for a district title.The Warriors tied Woodgrove 0-0 in their district opener on Monday.

The Warriors’ returnees include senior goalkeeper Spencer Scott, a first-team All-Region 4C selection who allowed only 0.9 goals per game and recorded four shutouts and 6.9 saves per game.

The Laing brothers are also back. Senior forward Nathan (Region 4C first team) tied for fourth in the area with 11 goals and tied for third with nine assists in 2018 and sophomore defender/midfielder Ethan tied for seventh in the area with seven assists.

Senior defender Mike Leckie and sophomore forward Wade Butler (eight goals) are also back after earning second-team all-district honors last year.

Millbrook lost more than half its starters from last year’s team, including the Class 4 Northwestern District Player of the Year Paul Blanco, who had 19 goals and 10 assists.

The Pioneers do not have anyone back who scored more than five goals last year, but Kilmer believes he should have a pretty potent combination up top. Junior Ronald Velasquez (second team all-district) tied for fifth in the area last year with eight assists in addition to scoring four goals. And the Pioneers have added a transfer from Heritage in junior Ricardo Palma, who Kilmer believes will make an immediate impact after recording 10 assists for the Pride.

Palma (two goals, one assist) was one of three players who scored two goals in Millbrook’s season-opening 7-0 win over Warren County on Monday. Sean Mennard and Tyler McGuire also scored twice.

The Pioneers (8-7-3) will boast some strong experience in the back. Junior Ayrton Justice earned second-team all-district honors last year and will be the team’s sweeper. Jake Hansbrough, who will play for NCAA Division III Virginia Wesleyan next year, is also back and will serve as the team’s stopper, though he and Justice are free to switch responsibilities depending on the situation. Sophomore Nathan Hershberger returns in goal after posting two shutouts and making 5.7 saves per game.

James Wood managed just a 3-11-3 record last year and finished last in the district, but with eight returning starters Colonels coach Brian Sullivan expects a lot of improvement from his team this season.

The Colonels will be led by sophomore forward Chris Garcia, who recorded eight goals and six assists to lead the team in both categories and earned second-team all-district honors in 2018. Garcia had two goals and two assists to lead James Wood to a 6-0 win over Clarke County to open the season on Tuesday. Junior defender Jamie King is also back after making the all-district second team last year.

In Ian Smith, Eric Novak and Dalton Crandall, Clarke County lost three double-digit goal scorers who combined for 31 goals last years. Eagles coach Patrick Casey believes his team, which went 11-5-3 last year, will still pack plenty of offensive punch because of players like All-Bull Run District selection Josh Poe (five assists), a senior midfielder, and sophomore forward Justin Toone (five goals), the younger brother of graduated girls’ soccer star Danielle Toone. In addition to Toone, Clarke County also brings back senior midfielders Nick Bahamonde (five goals), Matias Camacho-Bruno (six assists) and Evan Nichols (five assists).

Clarke County only finished behind George Mason in the Bull Run District last year. The Mustangs ended the Eagles’ season in the Region 2B semifinals en route to winning the Class 2 state championship.

The following is a glance at each area team:

Handley
Coach: Scott Bucey, third year.

Last year: 15-4-1 (8-2-1 Class 4 Northwestern District); district regular season and tournament champions; lost to Blacksburg in Class 4 state quarterfinals.

Key losses: Chris Nerangis, Tyler Heglas, Stuart Keith, Andrew McIntyre, Joel Romero, Mohamed Naama, Brinn Enders.

Key returnees: John Avant Sr., M; Owen Mattens Sr., F; Hunter Roberts, Sr., D; Spencer Dennis, Sr., D.

Key newcomers: None mentioned.

Bucey’s outlook: “Everyone’s very excited for the season. We’re very happy with the depth that we have. We have a lot of new faces on the varsity team, so gelling as a team and getting comfortable at the varsity speed is going to be big for us. As a senior, hopefully, Owen will take on more of a leadership role for us. I think that every year the district games are close and competitive. The teams that we go against always seem to be well organized and ready to battle. I think it’s going to be another year where whichever team puts it together toward the end and is able to grow the most over the year is going to have the most success.”

Next game: Monday at Loudoun Valley, 7 p.m.

Sherando
Coach: Pat Anderson, 26th year.

Last year: 13-5-2 (7-3-2 Class 4 Northwestern District); lost to Loudoun Valley in Region 4C semifinals.

Key losses: Max Polio, Luke White, Garrett Garman, Mike Berry, Josh Smith.

Key returnees: Spencer Scott, Sr., GK; Wade Butler, So., F; Nathan Laing, Sr., F; Ethan Laing, So., M/D; Mike Leckie, Sr., D; Jack Hendren, So., D; Will Freilich, So., M; Ben Rodriguez, So., M; Brent Allegra, Sr., M; Jon Ames, Sr., GK.

Key newcomers: Reed Solomon, Jr., M: Joseph Wagner, Jr., D; Gustavo Gutierrez, Jr., M; Eli Racey, Sr., F; David Berry, Jr., M; Connor Lothrop, Jr., M; Brayden Wilkins, Jr., M; John Rowe, Jr., M; Jacob Soder, Jr., D; Jacob Hill, So., D; Christian Naylor, Jr., GK; Patrick Almanza-Lora, Jr., M.

Anderson’s outlook: “We’ve just to get everyone on the same page. It’s always a struggle at the beginning of the year because of the weather and lack of field practice time. But I think we have a great group of kids. We’re not as young as we were last year. [In the central midfield], we’re going to try Jack [Hendren] there a little bit, and we’re hoping Eli Racey can occupy that center spot where Max [Polio] was last year. I think defensively, having Spencer is always a plus. I think team-concept wise, defense is probably our strength. We just need to find a way to generate enough offense throughout the year. In the district, I think anybody can [beat] anybody on any given night. I think it’s going to come down to the last week.”

Next game: Friday vs. James Wood, 7 p.m.

Millbrook
Coach: Keith Kilmer, 10th year.

Last year: 8-7-3 (5-4-3 Class 4 Northwestern District); lost to Handley in district semifinals.

Key losses: Darin Douglas, Paul Blanco, Zach Hicks, Joel Sherman, Ben Curtin, Malik Perloff, Robby Watts, Sebastian Gallegos, Luis Rivas, Austin Brewer.

Key returnees: Nathan Hershberger, So., GK; Ayrton Justice, Jr., D; Juan Tovar, Jr., M; Ethan Perfloff, Jr., M; Michael Tovar (5 goals), Sr. M/F; Jake Hansbrough, Sr., D; Ronald Velasquez, Jr., M/F; Sean Mennard, So., F.

Key newcomers: Aiden Biddle, So., D; Sam Bryant, So., D/M; Raphael Espinoza, Fr., M; Daniel Humphries, So., M; Irvin Lemus, Jr., D/M; Tyler McGuire, So., M; Kruz Moran, Jr., D; Jack Science, Jr., D; Patrick Sigler, Fr., D/M; Sunny Singh, So., M; Daniel Vivas, Jr., F; Ricardo Palma, Jr., F.

Kilmer’s outlook: “From what I saw in the scrimmage [on March 5 against Loudoun Valley], they’re a hard-working group of boys. We’re pretty well rounded. Palma has extremely nice vision. If I was going to look for a target player [for goals], it would probably be Ronald, but any of my strikers are going to be threats. [In the midfield], Juan [Tovar] is going to center things up with maybe Ethan Perloff [in the middle]. It depends on the formation. Jake Hansbrough is really stepping up right now. He’s had a great offseason and is really taking a leadership role. He’s playing at a totally different level that he’s played at before.”

Next game: Today vs. Loudoun Valley, 7:30 p.m.

James Wood
Coach: Brian Sullivan, 5th year.

Last year: 3-11-3 (1-10-1 Class 4 Northwestern District); lost to Fauquier in the district first round.

Key losses: Xavier Kallash-Kyler, Leonsio Reyes, Zyven Coffman, Damon Schneider.

Key returnees: Chris Garcia, So., F; Paul Ebersole, Jr., F; Wesley Walker, Sr., M; Nate Dansie, Sr., M; Jamie King, Jr., D; Hayden Armstrong, So., GK (two shutouts); Zach Stauzenbach, Sr., D; Jon Davet, Jr., M; Andrew Tanger, Sr., D.

Key newcomers: Erik Nolasco, So., M (transfer from Millbrook); Connor Ballentine, So., M; Efrain Cruz, So., GK.

Sullivan’s outlook: “I think we’ll definitely be better this year than we were last year. This is probably my most committed group of guys that I’ve had, especially in the offseason, and they really took the initiative to take some of our tough losses from last year and hopefully turn some of those around. There were a lot of games last year where we kind of wore down a little bit late in the game. So they’ve been working on finishing and working every day at practice to get better. So I’m excited to see what they’re able to do this year. [Garcia] was a freshman last year and I think his skills have only gotten better. I anticipate him and Paul Ebersole probably scoring a good bit of our goals this year. Zach Stautzenbach is our little spark-plug on defense who’s a nuisance for some of the offensive guys we go up against because he’s always right there.”

Next game: Friday at Sherando, 7 p.m.

Clarke County
Coach: Patrick Casey, third year.

Last year: 11-5-3 (7-2-1 Bull Run District); lost to George Mason in the Region 2B semifinals.

Key losses: Ian Smith, Dalton Crandall.

Key returnees: Justin Toone, So., F., Josh Poe, Sr., M., Logan Reid, Jr., D; Matias Camacho-Bruno, Sr., M; Nick Bahamonde, Sr., M; Brandon Mayo, Jr., GK (four shutouts, 7.5 saves per game), Evan Nichols, Sr., M.

Key newcomers: Jesus Ramirez, Fr., F., Kellan Dalton, Jr., D. (transfer from North Carolina), Joseph Gay, Jr., GK.

Casey’s outlook: “We’re fortunate to have a good group of young guys come through right after those old guys left. We’re really excited to see what the season has for us. We’ve got Jesus Ramirez coming in a freshman. He’s got a lot of talent, so we’re really excited about him. Kellan Dalton is coming in and playing sweeper for us. We’ve got a competition at keeper. Brandon Mayo is going to be our starting goalkeeper for our first few games, but we’re going to let Joe [Gay] get his opportunity to show what he can do and potentially free up Mayo to play in the field for us as a striker. He played there as a freshman when we pulled him up from the JV at the end of his freshman year. The teamwork and unity of this team are better than we’ve had the past few years. They all really get along with each other and they’re together all the time. The communication has been really good. They’ve worked really hard. They’re starting to understand the system now that the older guys have been in it a few years.”

Next game: Friday vs. Broadway, 7 p.m.

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