The Reporter/Montgomery Media/Times Herald Boys Soccer Previews
Trips to the state title match are starting to become routine for boys’ soccer teams in The Reporter/Times Herald/Montgomery Media area.
Last fall, Archbishop Wood and Faith Christian Academy represented the area in the PIAA 3A and A title games respectively while La Salle was a win away, falling in the 4A semifinals. North Penn and Abington also qualified for states in 4A, as did Lansdale Catholic in 2A, making for plenty of representation in all the state tournaments and that’s before including Germatown Academy’s appearance in the PAISAA title match.
As a new season begins with everyone on equal standing in the tables, plenty of local squads look poised for big things and they’ll all be tested by the quality across the board in the area.
Whether it’s on the team level or on an individual basis, virtually every program has something positive going for it.
Pennridge senior Shane Velez, a UMass recruit, Lower Moreland senior Ian Alicea and La Salle senior Seth Michalak were all tabbed to the preseason watch list for the High School All-American Game held annually in December. All three figure to be central figures as their sides contend for their respective league crowns.
Starting outside the parameters of the PIAA, Germantown Academy has a high bar to reach and a target firmly on its back. The Patriots won the Inter-Ac last season and advanced to the PAISAA title game, so the expectations start right there with repeating in the league and adding one more win to the final register.
Of course, GA will have to fend off league rivals who want their share of an Inter-Ac title and with 2021 MVP Christian Combs now at Drexel, it falls on first team all-league selection Tyler Weiss and the 16 other returners to meet the challenge.
La Salle continued its recent run of dominance in the Philadelphia Catholic League, outlasting Father Judge in an absolute classic last October. For the Explorers, it was their third straight PCL title (there was no Catholic League playoff in 2020) but they’ll again have some rebuilding to do around Michalak after losing another talented class headlined by league MVP Sean Jennings, now at Penn.
Archbishop Wood’s run to the state title match was a bit of a surprise, but also a tremendous credit to the Vikings’ seniors who made their second chance count after being knocked out of the PCL playoffs by Lansdale Catholic. The Vikings will have to replace the leadership the seniors brought, but they have a solid core of players back including Enzo Petruzzelli and Giuseppe Propato.
Lansdale Catholic may be a “small” school by classification but nobody overlooks the Crusaders in the PCL. In fact, LC owns more wins over La Salle in the past three years than any other Catholic League team and are always a contender to make the league’s final four. Senior twins Kam and Kyle Schmidt plus senior Jake Magarity headline some of LC’s top returners.
It seemed fitting the battle for the final state playoff spot in District 1 came down to two teams from the SOL Colonial. North Penn edged Pennridge in a classic, a cap to end another extremely competitive season in the division.
With Velez, keeper CJ Dimmick and forward Jake Hess leading the way, the Rams are looking to make a statement this fall. The Knights, who edged Pennridge by just three points to claim the Colonial title, have some holes to fill but a lot of options leading with seniors Nate Kim, Kyle McKeever, Matt Willis and Hayden Wagner.
Souderton was a playoff team last season and with Tyson Bui and Ty Quintos back, should be in the mix again while CB East has a huge complement of returning players hoping to capitalize after an injury-marred 2021. First-year coach Cooper Moyer takes over a CB West program that always has skilled players while CB South seemed close to a breakout a season ago.
Staying in the SOL, the Liberty division always makes for spirited competition. Abington won the league and advanced to the second round of states but the Ghosts now have to replace a talented and hard-working group of seniors.
Meanwhile, Hatboro-Horsham has its largest senior class ever with 20 players set to graduate after this fall, so the Hatters are eyeing a league title and playoff run to send them off. Jake Freedman, Noah Schlosser and Jacob Kim headline the almost two-lineup deep class of seniors.
Plymouth Whitemarsh finished third in the division while Wissahickon and Upper Dublin are looking to rebound from their 2021 finishes and get back into the playoff picture.
Lower Moreland had to battle all season, but held off Springfield Twp to claim the SOL Freedom title. The Lions, led by rock-solid defender Alicea, will again have to contend with the Spartans, William Tennent and an Upper Moreland side with some quality players coming back.
As for the other team that ended up in Hershey, the Lions of Faith Christian Academy will have a different look this fall after graduating some program cornerstones of the prior two seasons’ runs. Of course, a team doesn’t win five district titles in six years by chance and FCA figures to put things together by late October although BAL rival Dock Mennonite is looking to take another step off last fall’s winning record.
In the PAC, Upper Merion made a mark by winning the Frontier division title. Seniors Patryk Rojek, Casey Lamey, Brandon Vo and Justin Vo lead the returning contingent that has sights set on a repeat, a good showing in the PAC playoffs and a district appearance to follow to raise the standard from last fall.
ABINGTON
Coach: Randy Garber
League: SOL Liberty
2021 Record: 19-4-1
Returning Players: Liam Hartman, Kevin Kretschman, Drew Paxson, Luke O’Donnell, Oscar Hoffman
Others to Watch: Brady Hartman, Braeden Delgado, Daniel Olivera, Braeden Brownholtz
Notable Players Lost: Steven Farjardo, Jimmy Marino, Thiago Danielle, Patrick Capone, Michael Lyou,
Outlook/Goals for Season: “Win the league and get seeded as high as we can for district playoffs. We have a lot of players back, looking forward to a good season. We should be competitive.”
ARCHBISHOP WOOD
Coach: Hugh Kelly
League: Philadelphia Catholic League
2021 Record: 14-3-1
Returning Players: Logan Pietrzak, Julian Naumenko, Enzo Petruzelli, Giuseppe Propato
Others to Watch: Logan Savage, Albert Funk
Notable Players Lost: Lou Daniele, Dom Petruzzelli, Jackson Kiss, CJ Clyde, Colin Christian, Braedon Kehan
Outlook/Goals for Season: The Vikings will have to replace a senior class that was the heart of last year’s run to Hershey but they usually find a way to be playing their best when the postseason rolls around.
CB EAST
Coach: Josh Isaacsohn
League: SOL Colonial
2021 Record: 10-5-3
Returning Players: 13 varsity players, seven starters
Notable Players Lost: Nick Knepp, Ethan Green, Casey Prajzner
Outlook/Goals for Season: “The program hopes to continue to build on the success of last season with so many returning, experienced varsity players. The big question mark is injuries as last year all three of our captains did not play one game together. As always, time will tell how, if team chemistry becomes a positive strength. Our team goal this year is to win the league and continue through districts to states.”
CB WEST
Coach: Cooper Moyer
League: SOL Colonial
2021 Record: 5-12-1
Returning Players: Cole Young (Sr/D), Carter Philo (Sr/M), Chase Naso (Sr/F), Eddie Rafalowski (Jr/M), Harrison Brownlow (So/M)
Others to Watch: Ben Sterling (Sr/F), Griffin Blokker (Sr/GK), Richard Newell (Jr/M), Jace Peterson (Jr/D), Joseph Dowd (Jr/D)
Outlook/Goals for Season: “Good team chemistry, a lot of these guys have been playing together for many years at the club and high school level. We’re looking to get back into the postseason where this program has thrived before, we will take it one game at a time and not look past any matches. With the experience we are returning at the varsity level, we will be very competitive in the league and district this season.”
CHELTENHAM
Coach: Bill Tonkin
League: SOL Freedom
2021 Record:4-14
Returning Players: Cameron Rhoades, Keegan Peet
Newcomers/Others to Watch: Jeremiah Montcriffe
Notable Players Lost: Paolo Musumeci, Nate Quigley, Jacob Sterman
Outlook/Goals for Season: “The Panthers are looking to win a few more games than last year and show growth throughout the season. We would love to be in competition for a district 1 playoff spot.”
DOCK MENNONITE
Coach: Matt Moyer
League: BAL
2021 Record: 9-5-4
Returning Players: John O’Donnell, Zach Fredrick, Cameron Leseur, Nolan Vaszily, Justin Detweiler
Newcomers/Others to Watch: Jacob Lacher, Brayden Kratz, Cody Sell, Adam Shepherd, Nate Lacher
Notable Players Lost: Ignacio Barona, Ben German, Aidan Jurin, Braden Churches
Outlook/Goals for Season: “The team has a positive spirit, improving each day and working hard for each other. Overall, the team is looking to have a quality showing in league, district and state competition.”
FAITH CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
Coach: Ryan Clymer
League: BAL
Returning Players: Colin Moyer
Notable Players Lost: Kieran Rea, Marcus Pringle, Peyton Curry, Bobby Elitz, Arnaud Huet, Christopher Evans
Outlook: The Lions will have some extensive re-tooling to do after graduating 14 seniors following a second straight appearance in the PIAA A title match last November. While FCA fell short of a second straight PIAA title, the program has established itself as a contender on the state level to match its five District 1 titles in six seasons.
GERMANTOWN ACADEMY
Coach: Kurt Wetzel
League: Inter-Ac
2021 Record: 17-3
Returning Players: Jack Strauss, Eli Torrey, Tyler Weiss, Nickolas Venziale, Colin Leon
Others to Watch: Roan Harrington, Aiden Trabosh, Josh Bouchard
Notable Players Lost: Joe Cava, Christian Combs – League MVP (Drexel), Sean Lipshutz, Jacob Lee, Connor Wetzel.
Outlook/Goals for Season: “Coming off a tremendous 17-3 season last year, the bar has been set. The senior class and returning varsity players know they have a target on their backs if they want to duplicate or exceed last year’s performances. The Inter-Ac is a tough league from top to bottom with lots of talent so the first goal would be to defend our title. After that, providing we stay healthy, the goal is to get back to the PAISSA State Title Game. This all starts with taking everything, a game at a time. We know we will surprise no one this year and expect to be challenged in every match.”
HATBORO-HORSHAM
Coach: Kyle McGrath
League: SOL Liberty
2021 Record: 14-8 (district quarterfinalist)
Returning Players: Jake Freedman (Sr/MF), Noah Schlosser (Sr/GK), Jacob Kim (Sr/DEF), Paul Guevera (Sr/DEF), Thomas Shegogue (Sr/DEF), Matt Wingen (Sr/DEF), Enrico Romano (Sr/FOR)
Newcomers/Others to Watch: Anthony Pumilia (Jr/FOR), Mikey Romano (Sr/FOR), Isaac Kakiko (Jr/MF), Brian Cooper (Sr/DEF), Tony Kuhner (Sr/DEF), Raphael Laiss (Sr/FOR), JR Fulginiti (Sr/FOR)
Notable Players Lost: Caleb Hudson (Lock Haven), Tommy Harmon (Jefferson), Ryan Toporowski (Widener), Nathan Scavo (Bryn Athyn), Jack Elwell, Nick Katherine
Outlook/Goals for Season: “We have our largest senior class in history with 20 seniors this fall. Their experience will be valuable throughout the entire season. Defensively we should be solid as we return a four-year starting goalkeeper and three of our starting defenders from last season. Our midfield core will be strong with two returning players and some potential exciting players. Our biggest question will be how do we replace our graduating players who mostly played attacking positions.”
LA SALLE
Coach: Tom McCaffery
League: Philadelphia Catholic League
Returning Players: Seth Michalak (Sr), Aidan Jaggers (Sr), Nick White (Sr), Ryan Kalup (Jr)
Others to Watch: Conor Clair (Sr), Nicholas Colletti (Sr)
Notable Players Lost: Brendan Agnew, Joseph Cole, Jake Yuskevich, Sam McShane, James Barton, Sean Jennings, Tim Madden, Brendan Schaefer, Edward Donovan, Hayden Grosso
Outlook: As usual, the Explorers have a lot to replace coming off another successful season that saw the program lift another PCL title and reach the state semifinals for the second time in three seasons. All-league striker Seth Michalak is back, giving La Salle a keystone player to lean as they navigate their typically staunch schedule and the always grueling PCL slate.
LANSDALE CATHOLIC
Coach: Casey Farrell
League: Philadelphia Catholic League
2021 Record: 9-12-1 Overall
Returning Players: Kam Schmidt (Sr) Kyle Schmidt (Sr), Jake Magarity (Sr, F), Justin McQuaite (Jr, M/D,), Pat Cole (So, M/D)
Newcomers/Others to Watch: Gavin Fanelli (Sr, winger/striker), Gianluca D’Alterio (Jr, M), Matt Schaefer (Jr, F)
Notable Players Lost: Eric Fernandez, Jack Edling, Alex Kulp, Will Kelly, Shane Rodowicz
Outlook/Goals for Season: “We were absolutely marred by injury last year with many key players going down for long periods of time. It really derailed us for a good stretch. But once we stopped feeling sorry for ourselves and realized we still had plenty of talent and determination, we started playing like we always knew we could. We beat LaSalle for the second time in three seasons, a feat no other PCL team has done once in that same time frame. And then we got revenge on (eventual 2021 3A State Title Runners-Up) Archbishop Wood in the PCL playoffs to reach the semifinals. I think we really took people by surprise because we’re a small school and our record wasn’t exactly striking fear in our opponents. But we knew what we had, we believed in ourselves, and we knew that when we played our best we could beat anyone. We plan on doing that again in 2022. As for goals, we return a very strong core from last season that should keep us in the top half of the PCL standings and in the top spot of District 12 (2A). The goal is to take one more step than we did last year and make the PCL Final and fight for Lansdale Catholic’s first ever PCL Title. As for a state title run, that is always at the top of our list of goals. If we can stay healthy and play hard-nosed, fundamental soccer, the sky’s the limit for LC.”
LOWER MORELAND
Coach: Robert Barnhart
League: SOL Freedom
2021 Record: 13-2-2
Returning Players: Ian Alicea, Gabriel Krutsinger, Aiden Moffitt, Sam Morris, Temur Temirov, John Kroll
Others to Watch: Aidan Linus, Maddox Feldman, Jack Krause, Shane Mertens, Nick Ahn, Eden Attias, Liame Attias, Adam Shiloni, Gabriel Shapiro, Albion Pajollari
Outlook/Goals for Season: “The Lions captured their first Suburban One Freedom, also the first division title in over 20 years after playing in the Bicentennial Athletic League. After making the district playoffs in each year since Coach Barnhart took over in 2017, the team was able to secure their first district playoff win last season. The Lions graduated seven seniors all who saw the field in different roles for the squad over the last few seasons. Coach Barnhart is excited about the possibilities and depth that this current squad is bringing into the season.”
NORTH PENN
Coach: Chris DePeppe
League: SOL Colonial
2021 Record: 17-5
Returning Players: Nate Kim (Sr), Kyle McKeever (Sr), Matt Willis (Sr), Hayden Wagner (Sr), Brian Scott, Cameron Pelletier.
Newcomers/Others to Watch: Alou Gamby (Sr), Dmitri Ilvoski (So), Ryan Miller (So), Connor Sullivan (Jr)
Notable Players Lost: Alex Stewart, Hunter Stites, Ryan Mindick, Jovani Gonzalez, Achilles Triantafyllos
Outlook/Goals for Season: “If we get some goal production from a handful of players, I think we could have a great season. We will play an uptempo style and I’m confident we’ll create chances. Converting them at a decent clip will be the key. We hope to win our lucky seventh straight title but we may need some good fortune because our conference is very strong and there’s not much separating the six teams and with the short preseason the first couple weeks could be tumultuous.”
PENNRIDGE
Coach: Pete Valimont
League: SOL Colonial
2021 Record: 15-4-3
Returning Players: Shane Velez (Sr/D), CJ Dimmick (Sr/GK), Jared Hess (Sr/F), Tommy McKinney (Sr/D)
Notable Players Lost: Jeff Stritzl, Jake Saville, Ryan Saville, Aiden Castle, Nicky Williams
Outlook/Goals for Season: “Talented and experienced senior class. We return 1st team all league Shane Velez and CJ Dimmick, Jared Hess & Tommy McKinney are all league caliber players with leadership and varsity experience. Hungry and skilled underclassmen with varsity experience will be all over the field to support. Goals are the same, win the division, qualify for districts, qualify for the state tournament and enjoying the ride one last time.”
QUAKERTOWN
Coach: Bill James
League: SOL Liberty
Record: 2-16
Returning Players: Tyler Walsh (Sr), Stone Renshaw (Sr), Sam Maugle (Sr)
Others to Watch: Alex Jalboot (Jr)
Outlook/Goals for Season: “Last year’s record is irreverent for us. We just need to do better than last year. We lost a great group of young men from our senior class last year. Our main goal this year is improvement. Whether that’s how we train, how we treat each other, goals, shout outs, grades, wins and losses. We just need to be better than last year and get better each day. We are a young team. We have three returning seniors in Tyler Walsh, Stone Renshaw and Sam Maugle. We also have a very good junior class that I look forward to seeing take the next step.
One of our juniors, Alex Jalboot, played at Nationals this summer and we are looking for him to use that experience to enhance his season.”
SOUDERTON
Coach: Matt Benner
League: SOL Colonial
2021 Record: 11-6-3
Notable Returning Players: Tyson Bui, Nolan Hughes, Ty Quintois, Ryan Schewe
Others To Watch: Johnny Argueta, Danny Brun, Ryan Jackson, Ethan Lacher, Chris McKenna, Joe Sirchia
Notable Players Lost: Dillon Barbieri, Tyler Bovell, Brandon Fornwall, Aidan McClure, Thomas Smith.
Season Outlook: “The Indians will lean on an experienced backline to navigate the difficult league campaign in the SOL Colonial. Scoring goals will be a group effort. Returners Nolan Hughes and Joe Sirchia will be heavily involved in the attack once again. Junior goalkeeper Chris McKenna will step into the starting role in net. The team looks to build on its playoff appearance from a year ago and progress further this time around.”
SPRINGFIELD TWP
Coach: Dan Meder
League: SOL Freedom
2021 Record: 13 – 4 – 1
Returning Players: Julian Casabon-Aznar, Dan Fitzpatrick, Peter Schmidt, Riley Martin
Others to Watch: Nicholas Marino, Jack McKittrick
Notable Players Lost: Grant Williams, Mac Dearnley, Evan Bunting, Thomas Bailey, Jaxon Weiss
Outlook/Goals for Season: “Compete in the league, qualify and advance in District playoffs”
UPPER DUBLIN
Coach: Noah Johnson
League: SOL Liberty
2021: 8-10-0
Returning Players: Our entire senior class, Gabe Copley (Jr), Reilly McLaughlin (So)
Newcomers/Others to Watch: Brady Hillman (So)
Notable Players Lost: Zachary Berman
Outlook/Goals for Season: Redemption, we want to give our school another team to go crazy about.”
UPPER MERION
Coach: David Lawrence
League: PAC Frontier
2021 Record: 10-7-1
Returning Players: Patryk Rojek (Sr), Casey Lamey (Sr), Brandon Vo (Sr), Justin Vo (Sr)
Others to Watch: Sean Rogers (Fr/D)
Notable Players Lost: Ashton Fox, Tyler Runkle, Even Wintersteen, Ethan Nguyen
Outlook/Goals for Season: “Upper Merion boys soccer is looking to improve on last year. We are looking to repeat being PAC Frontier Divisional Champs and make it into Districts. Upper Merion has plenty of potential to have another very successful season and better the previous year, but the question will be, can we stay disciplined and focused? Will we have the willingness to put maximum effort into every practice and game while playing for each other as a team?”
UPPER MORELAND
Coach: Justin Allegra
League: SOL Freedom
Returning Players: Aaron Snyder (GK), Max Gerlach (F)
Newcomers/Others to Watch: Jackson Costello, Aidan Scullion
Outlook: “The Upper Moreland boys varsity team is looking to build on a strong league showing and district playoff appearance last year. Third-year returning goalkeeper Aaron Snyder will control the defense while Max Gerlach hopes to continue his scoring prowess for the Bears. The Bears graduated siix starters and will look to up and coming players to fill the positions.”
WISSAHICKON
Coach: Stuart Malcolm
League: SOL Liberty
2021 Record: 8-9-1
Returning Players: Blake McClintic, Ziggy McFarlene, Michael Om,
Newcomers/Others to Watch: Sam Grossberg, Chris Rossetti, Jack O’Donnell, Ryan Berger, Bobby Graefe, Logan Schorn
Notable Players Lost: Julian Memis, Quinn Fonash, Aidan McKelvey, Phil Dias
Outlook/Goals for Season: “There will be a steep learning curve for several players this season but we hope to challenge for the league and make the playoffs.”
