Boys soccer preview: Beach District teams dominate first ranking

Posted to: High Schools Sports

By Darrell Cuenca
The Virginian-Pilot
© March 9, 2008

PRESEASON TOP 10

1. Cox: State semifinalist Falcons return nine key seniors, including first-team all-state midfielder Caleb Thomas.

2. Landstown: Kendall Lawson fuels the Eagles’ senior-laden attack.

3. Ocean Lakes: Coach Don Hart says this is his most talented group of players at the school.

4. Great Bridge: Rutgers signee Adam Klink is a force in goal and sometimes will be asked to spark the offense.

5. Maury: Tony Tchani and Earl Floyd, who totaled 45 goals last season, return to power the Commodores.

6. Hickory: The three-time defedning Southeastern District regular-season and tournament champs have as many as eight new starters.

7. Kellam: The Knights lost seven starters from last year’s team that reached the state quarterfinals.

8. Churchland: Senior goalkeeper Jay Coble leads an experienced Truckers squad,

9. Western Branch: Speedy Bruins are paced by Donny Chattin.

10. Kempsville: Veteran midfield and defense will be the Chiefs’ backbone.

DON’T COUNT OUT

Granby: Eastern District scoring leader Jeremy Jones returns but is recovering from offseason knee surgery.

Indian River: Ari Dimas will provide leadership in a rebuilding year for the Braves.

First Colonial: It’s a youth movement for the Patriots, with possibly just two senior starters.

PICKING THE DISTRICTS

Beach District

1. Cox;

2. Landstown;

3. Ocean Lakes;

4. Kellam;

5. Kempsville;

6. First Colonial;

7. Princess Anne;

8. Salem;

9. Bayside;

10. Tallwood;

11. Green Run.

Eastern District

1. Maury;

2. Churchland;

3. Granby;

4. Lake Taylor;

5. Wilson;

6. Booker T. Washington;

7. Norview;

8. Norcom.

Southeastern District

1. Great Bridge;

2. Hickory;

3. Western Branch;

4. Indian River;

5. Nansemond River;

6. Grassfield;

7. Oscar Smith;

8. King’s Fork;

9. Deep Creek;

10. Lakeland.

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS

State Group AAA: Thomas Jefferson-Alexandria

Eastern Region: Kellam

Beach: Kellam (regular season), Cox (tournament)

Eastern: Maury (regular season and tournament)

Southeastern: Hickory (regular season and tournament)

AROUND THE PITCH

-- Caleb Thomas has a tremendous supporting cast at Cox, which lost 1-0 in last year’s state semifinals to eventual champion Thomas Jefferson. Brothers Alex and Will Martin, both seniors, will power the Falcons out wide. Sophomore forward Ryan Oakes, the team’s leading scorer last year, is bigger and stronger, according to coach Jim Snodgrass, who says he will retire after this season.

-- Kendall Lawson will be joined in the Landstown offense by seniors Brian Cunningham and John McKenzie, each of whom has three years of varsity experience. Coach Andrew Blackmore said, though, his roster is not very deep.

-- Ocean Lakes must replace leading scorer Josh Moore, but coach Don Hart expects goals to come from a number of players. He added that Taylor Brittan led the Dolphins in assists last year, and Rory Mills gave up the fewest goals in school history. Both are juniors.

-- Kellam lost 16 players, including seven starters. Junior Jordan Grumney, the team’s second-leading-scorer with 12 goals last season, will be counted on for scoring, along with newcomer Hector Arellano, who had 12 goals for Annapolis High School in Maryland.

-- Denny Arinello, Stephen Hedley and Mike Shofner will patrol the midfield for Kempsville, and seniors Greg Freeman, Wil Klinger and Kevin Steward will anchor the defense. Coach Adam Schultz said Hedley returns after sitting out almost a year due to back injury and that his presence will benefit the Chiefs’ offense.

-- The play of Pat Focke and David Prochilo in defense will be key for First Colonial, which will look to Alex Gylfason (nine goals last season) and Matt Ross for goals.

-- First-team All Beach-District midfielder Aden Weeks highlights a Princess Anne roster that lost just three starters. Salem’s first-year head coach, Jason Byzewski, said his team is strong defensively and could be in a lot of 1-0 and 0-0 games. Bayside will look to improve on last season’s 0-10 district record with the return of at least eight seniors. Tallwood is rebuilding under new coach Juice Pantophlet.

-- Senior Tony Tchani had 25 goals and junior Earl Floyd added 20 more for Maury last season. They will be helped in attack by Will Grimes, the team’s third-leading scorer with 11 as a freshman. All three were first-team Eastern District selections.

-- Coach Larry Wylie said Churchland seniors Jay Coble, Adrian Bravo, Jesse Meents, Adam Taylor, Danny Lambert and Jacob McIntyre have played together since the under-10 level in club soccer. This will be their last year together for the Truckers. Lambert, McIntyre, Bravo and Travis Lane are all expected to contribute on the scoring end.

-- Granby, which has 12 seniors, had won the previous three Eastern District tournament finals before falling 2-1 to Churchland in last year’s semis. Keeper Daniel Knerr and striker Jeremy Jones look to influence the Comets at opposite ends of the pitch.

-- Lake Taylor is seeking its third straight season without a losing district record. It starts in the back, with defenders Dino Canales, Huy Nguyen – a first-team, all-district selection – and Skylar Thornton. Patrick Thompson had 16 goals last season and again will be counted on to spur the Titans attack.

-- First-year head coach Dustin Hudson said Wilson will bring some international flair with Frenchmen Ezekiel Agboram and Abdul Sylla and Haitian Mike Cadet. Booker T. Washington looks to continue its turnaround under coach Janita Burgess Hess.

-- The success of Great Bridge, which lost just three seniors, could hinge on the play of Adam Klink, last season’s Southeastern District Keeper of the Year. Coach Paul Duval said Klink finished last season with a 1.23 goals-against average. Duval added Klink also will see some time on the field. Stevin Rossman and Matt Travis also will be playmakers for the Wildcats.

-- Southeastern District first-team selection David Meadows is one of 12 juniors for Hickory, which lost district Player of the Year C.J. Gehin-Scott and first-team all-district pick Stephen Holmes to graduation. Coach Eric Blackmore said those juniors will have to carry the team if the Hawks want a chance at four consecutive years of district dominance.

-- Western Branch coach Ed Velazquez said his team’s biggest asset is its speed. Donny Chattin was the Southeatern Ddistrict’s third-leading scorer, with 15 goals, last season, and Peyton Lambert and Brant Hawkins will provide support. Mike Moore, Matt Sierra and Kevin Smith strengthen the defense. Midfield, though, is a question mark.

-- Indian River coach Keith Freeman said Ari Dimas has Southeastern District Player of the Year potential and standout defender Paul Dillon will see more time on offense. The Braves will be starting as many as five underclassmen.

Seniors Alton Donovan and Trevor Moyer each had 10 goals last year for Nansemond River, which returns eight starters and is looking to make some noise in the Southeastern District. Grassfield coach Robbie Gobble has seniors Jacob Heatherington, Coleman Clark and Jabari Powell to kick off the first-year school’s program. Sophomore Richard Diaz (13 goals) will spearhead Oscar Smith, which graduated 10 seniors from last year’s team that finished third in the district. King’s Fork will have to overcome the loss of Kurt McIntyre due to injury early in the season.