2018 Boys Soccer Capsule Previews
(as submitted by coaches)
— —
ARBOR VIEW
League: Class 4A Mountain
Head coach: Robert Starbird, seventh season
2017 record: 3-13-5 (2-8-2 Northwest/seventh)
Returning lettermen (starters): Thirteen (four)
Top athletes: D/MF Hayden Turnier (Sr.), MF Cameron Kornock (Sr.), MF/F Arthur Medina (So.), MF Ricky Mogollon (So.)
Outlook: The Aggies bring back 13 lettermen, but only four starters.
“With a mix of some of our older guys and some newcomers, we hope to gain some experience together before we start league play in the new Mountain Region,” Starbird said.
— —
BASIC
League: Class 4A Desert
Head coach: Abel Arteaga, second season
2017 record: 1-13 (0-10 Southeast/sixth)
Returning lettermen (starters): Seven (seven)
Top athletes: MF Elijah Buchanan (So.), F Pablo Sanchez (So.), D Brayden Hummel (Sr.)
Outlook: Buchanan (4 goals, 3 assists) and Sanchez (4 goals) return to help the offense, and All-Southern Nevada honoree Hummel is back to guide the defense for a Wolves squad that hopes to make big strides this year.
“This year we are very excited about our returning seven lettermen and new talent on the team,” Arteaga said. “Adding only six new players to our roster, we have developed a genuine strong camaraderie.
“We expect great results this season.”
— —
BISHOP GORMAN
League: Class 4A Desert
Head coach: Tommy Tate, fourth season
2017 record: 20-2-4 (8-1-3 Southwest/second)
Returning lettermen (starters): Eighteen (nine)
Top athletes: MF Hayden Madsen (Sr.), F Alex Daseler (Sr.), D Caden Buckley (Jr.), GK Diesel Fiore (So.)
Outlook: After advancing to the Class 4A state tournament last year, the Gaels welcome back nine starters.
Madsen (13 goals, 2 assists) and Daseler (8 goals, 7 assists) should be among the leaders on offense, with Buckley (2 goals, 3 assists) and Fiore (4 shutouts) anchoring the defense.
“The team returns a veteran group led by seniors Alex Daseler and Hayden Madsen,” Tate said. “The Gaels will look to once again challenge for a state title after losing out in the semifinal last year.
“The Gaels’ defense will be led by junior Caden Buckley and sophomore goalkeeper Diesel Fiore.”
— —
BONANZA
League: Class 4A Mountain
Head coaches: Dan Bressler and Andrew Sherer, seventh season
2017 record: 6-6-3 (4-5-3 Southwest/fifth)
Returning lettermen (starters): Nine (nine)
Outlook: The Bengals came up just short of earning a postseason berth last year.
With nine starters back, Bonanza aims to be competitive in the Mountain Region.
— —
BOULDER CITY
League: Class 3A Sunrise
Head coach: Chad Smith, fourth season
2017 record: 5-10-2 (3-8-1 3A Sunrise/fifth)
Returning lettermen (starters): Twelve (10)
Top athletes: MF Mason Hood (Jr.), D Caden Mendiola (Sr.), F Julian Balmer (So.), D Noah Dent (Jr.)
Outlook: The Eagles seemed to be primed for a successful season with 10 starters back from a team that contended for a postseason berth last year.
“Boulder City is looking into improving on its win/loss ratio,” Smith said. “We have been pushing the athletes to build on muscle and fine tune their technique. As coaches we have been adding to the program to give the athletes more reason to improve.
“We are looking forward to a great season.”
— —
CANYON SPRINGS
League: Class 4A Mountain
Head coach: Michael Langager, second season
2017 record: 13-5-2 (4-3-1 Northeast/third)
Returning lettermen (starters): Ten (four)
Outlook: The Pioneers bring back 10 lettermen from a team that finished third in the Northeast League.
“The team is looking great and playing well together,” Langager said. “We are hoping to make a deeper postseason drive this year.”
— —
CHAPARRAL
League: Class 3A Sunrise
Head coach: Eric Rolwing, eighth season
2017 record: 13-8-3 (8-2-2 3A Sunrise/third)
Returning lettermen (starters): Ten (six)
Top athletes: D Angelo Grossi (Sr.), F/MF Alexander Caro (Jr.), D Jonathan Raffta (Jr.), F/MF Bryan Macias (So.)
Outlook: The Cowboys return six starters, but still will be young.
“We will most likely be starting six underclassmen, so the future is really bright with this group,” Rolwing said. “With that said, we have the talent to win now, but there will be some bumps along the way.”
— —
CIMARRON-MEMORIAL
League: Class 4A Mountain
Head coach: Mark Bailey, 10th season
2017 record: 15-7-2 (7-3-2 Northwest/second)
Returning lettermen (starters): Thirteen (seven)
Top athletes: F Diego Zacarias (Sr.), F George Balcazar (Sr.), MF Jimi Villasenor (Sr.), D Philip Obradovic (Sr.)
Outlook: The Spartans have been among the upper echelon of Southern Nevada teams in recent years and hope to continue that trend this season.
Zacarias (9 goals, 9 assists), Balcazar (9 goals, 2 assists) and Villasenor (5 goals, 4 assists) all are back to guide the offense, and Obradovic returns to help lead the defense.
“With seven returning starters and some new high quality additions, we expect to have a good season,” Bailey said. “As always, our goal is to challenge for a region and state championship.
“We have a capable bunch, and we hope to go far.”
— —
CORONADO
League: Class 4A Desert
Head coach: Dustin Barton, 11th season
2017 record: 26-2-3 (8-1-1 Southeast/first)
Returning lettermen (starters): Twelve (seven)
Top athletes: F Alfredo Diaz (Sr.), MF Lincoln Aquino (Jr.), D Alex White (Sr.)
Outlook:The defending Class 4A state champions bring back seven starters, but for the first time in four years will experience life without John Lynam.
Lynam scored the third-most goals in a season in state history (55) last year and finished his career with 109 goals, also third-best in state history.
Picking up some of the scoring load will be a challenge for the Cougars who still hope to contend.
“After losing several key players to graduation, we look to rebuild and make a deep run in the playoffs,” Barton said.
— —
DEL SOL
League: Class 3A Sunset
Head coach: John Britt, 15th season
2017 record: 10-3-2 (9-1-2 3A Sunrise/second)
Returning lettermen (starters): Five (three)
Top athletes: MF Oscar Morales-Casimiro (Sr.), GK Jesus Gallardo (Sr.), D Richard Magallon-Escalera (Sr.)
Outlook: The Dragons lost all but three of their starters from last year’s squad, which lost only one game in Class 3A Sunrise League play.
Morales-Casimiro (5 goals, 11 assists) returns to guide the offense. Gallardo and Magallon-Escalera should be among the leaders on defense.
“We hope to be competitive in every game,” Britt said.
— —
DESERT PINES
League: Class 4A Mountain
Head coach: Deborah Whitmoyer, second season
2017 record: 13-7 (9-3 3A Sunset/third)
Returning lettermen (starters): Fourteen (seven)
Top athletes: F Joel Sanchez (Sr.), F Erick Santillan (Sr.), MF Hector Zamilpa (Jr.), D Jaime Lujan (Sr.), D Johan Matamoros (Jr.)
Outlook: The Jaguars bring back 14 lettermen, including a pair of talented forwards in Sanchez (39 goals, 9 assists) and Santillan (11 goals, 15 assists). Zamilpa (6 goals, 10 assists) also will be looked to for leadership, as will Lujan and Matamoros.
“We have been moved up to (Class) 4A, and the challenge this year is to be competitive at this level,” Whitmoyer said. “I have several very strong returners and some new young men who should be an asset to the team as well.”
— —
DURANGO
League: Class 4A Desert
Head coach: Richard Cuellar, fifth season
2017 record: 16-5-3 (8-2-1 Southwest/first)
Returning lettermen (starters): Eleven (eight)
Top athletes: Gael Delangel-Parra (Jr.), Tyson Tesfamariam (Sr.), Marcos Delgado (Jr.)
Outlook:Tesfamariam (21 goals) and Delagado (15 goals) return to guide the offense, and Delangel-Parra, last year’s Southwest League Defensive Player of the Year, will lead the defense for a Trailblazer squad that is hoping for another successful season.
“We’re hoping to continue to make playoffs again this year and improve on the chemistry of the team,” Cuellar said.
— —
ELDORADO
League: Class 4A Mountain
Head coach: David Ostler, third season
2017 record: 14-3-3 (6-0-2 Northeast/first)
Returning lettermen (starters): Eight (four)
Top athletes: MF Roberto Gonzalez (Jr.), D Alejandro Plazola (Jr.), D Jose Torres (Jr.), GK Emiliano Garcia (So.)
Outlook: Last year’s Northeast League champions and Sunrise Region runners-up took a hit from graduation.
Gonzalez (9 goals, 10 assists) is back to lead the offense.
“After an excellent year last year, we are rebuilding around a talented core of juniors,” Ostler said. “Defensively we should be strong with Alejandro Plazola, Jose Torres, and senior Fransisco Ulloa-Tapia. The reins on offense will be turned over to Roberto Gonzalez.
“If we can find some complementary scoring, we should be able to finish in the top half and make some noise come playoffs.”
— —
EQUIPO ACADEMY
League: Independent
Head coaches: Salvador Garcia, Horacio Ortiz, second season
Returning lettermen (starters): Three (two)
Top athletes: F Edgar Torres (Sr.), F Edward Diaz (Jr.), MF John Gandarilla (So.), D Diego Rubio (Fr.)
Outlook: The Yetis are gaining experience as an independent, playing several Southern Nevada teams this year.
“It’s a young, inexperienced group at the high school level,” Garcia said. “More than half of the team plays competitive club soccer outside of school.
“We’re looking to build a strong program and to compete in every game.”
— —
FOOTHILL
League: Class 4A Desert
Head coach: Andrew Risheg, 14th season
2017 record: 8-10-1 (7-2-1 Southeast/second)
Returning lettermen (starters): Nine (six)
Top athletes: D Noah Morris (Sr.), D Kade Euteneier (So.), MF Colton Cook (Sr.), MF Devan Henriott (Sr.)
Outlook: The Falcons bring back six starters from a squad that finished second in the Southeast League last season.
“We are going to be very young and inexperienced this season,” Risheg said.
— —
GREEN VALLEY
League: Class 4A Desert
Head coach: Jacob Rivera, eighth season
2017 record: 8-15-1 (3-6-1 Southeast/fifth)
Returning lettermen (starters): Eleven (eight)
Top athletes: MF/F Christian Sevilla (Sr.), MF/F Kai Zurfleuh (Jr.), MF/D Stuart Gallardo (Jr.), D Zach Hanson (Jr.)
Outlook: The Gators had a down season last year, but bring back eight starters who are hungry for success.
“After a disappointing 2017-2018 where we missed playoffs, this season we are not only looking to compete for a playoff position, but will look to advance far in the tournament,” Rivera said. “A blend of great young talent and senior leadership will return Green Valley to a competitive group again this year.
“We look forward to the challenges and development of our underclassmen to help lead us into the future.”
— —
LEGACY
League: Class 4A Mountain
Head coach: Jorge Cobian, fifth season
2017 record: 6-9-4 (4-4-4 Northwest/fourth)
Returning lettermen (starters): Six (four)
Top athletes: GK Omar Alvarez (Sr.), MF Juan Cervantes (Sr.), D Christian Coronado (Sr.), F Jesus Cruz (Sr.), D Aalan Rosales (So.)
Outlook: After qualifying for the Sunset Region playoffs last year, the Longhorns welcome back four starters.
“The Longhorns return with a few experienced players since a large part of the starting lineup graduated,” Cobian said. “This year the team consists of a few experienced players with a large group of new disciplined and talented players.”
— —
LIBERTY
League: Class 4A Desert
Head coach: George Rodriguez
2017 record: 10-7-4 (6-2-2 Southeast/third)
Returning lettermen: Eleven
Top athletes: GK Ivan Rodriguez, F Hayden Prasad, D Angel Gilliand
Outlook: George Rodriguez returns to guide a Patriots squad that brings back 11 lettermen.
Prasad (14 goals, 15 assists) should be among the leaders on offense with Gilliland and Ivan Rodriguez anchoring the defense.
“With nine seniors graduating this year, we will need to develop our younger players to be able to step into starting roles,” George Rodriguez said. “The last four years we have gotten close to advancing past quarterfinals. This year it’s our goal to achieve this.”
— —
MOAPA VALLEY
League: Class 3A Sunrise
Head coach: Randy Tobler, first season
2017 record: 2-13 (2-10 3A Sunrise/sixth)
Returning lettermen (starters): Four (three)
Top athletes: MF Bryan Robles (Sr.), F Sebastean Guierrex (So.), MF Gabe Hernandez (Sr.), MF Zach Bailey (So.), MF/D Rylin Tobler (So.)
Outlook: Guierrex (4 goals), Robles (2 goals, 1 assist) and Hernandez (2 assists) are among a group of four returning lettermen for the Pirates, who are hoping a new head coach can start them on a path to future success.
“This is a rebuilding year, and we have a very young team,” Randy Tobler said. “We lost our entire back line including the keeper.
“It will be a learning year and one spent building a program for the future.”
— —
MOJAVE
League: Class 3A Sunset
Head coach: Martin Serrano, second season
2017 record: 5-10-1 (4-7-1 3A Sunset/fourth)
Returning starters: Seven
Top athletes: MF Anibal Ponce (Sr.), MF Jesus Ubario (Sr.), MF Adam Trejo (Sr.)
Outlook: Ubario (9 goals, 3 assists), Trejo (6 goals, 2 assists) and Ponce (4 goals, 8 assists) all return in the midfield and are among seven starters back from last year’s squad.
“With a very experienced squad, we expect to finish the year with a winning record,” Serrano said.
— —
PALO VERDE
League: Class 4A Mountain
Head coach: Jose Gomez, first season
2017 record: 17-6-2 (7-3-2 Northwest/first)
Returning lettermen (starters): Twelve (seven)
Top athletes: GK Hudson Huckfeldt (Sr.), MF Tanner Stevenson (Sr.), F/MF Michael Vogel (Sr.), MF Anthony Kaskie (Sr.), F Bryan Montoya (Sr.), F/MF Antonio Gomez (Jr.), MF Tim Stephens (Jr.), D Cole Lawrence (Jr.)
Outlook: The Panthers bring back 12 lettermen from last year’s Northwest League title winning team.
“A lot of the players that won the league last year are back,” Jose Gomez said. “Expectations are high. They’ve been working hard during the off-season and are looking to get back into the playoffs and make a run.”
— —
RANCHO
League: Class 4A Mountain
Head coach: Jorge De La Hoya, first season
2017 record: 7-9-4 (4-2-2 Northeast/second)
Returning starters: Five
Top athletes: MF Arturo Reveles (Jr.), D Cesar Escalante (Jr.), D Jorge Avalos (Sr.)
Outlook: De La Hoya takes over a squad that returns five starters.
“We have about 8-10 returning varsity players and a good complement of new younger players,” De La Hoya said. “We feel that we have a few leaders on the team that will be able to bring together good chemistry among the team.
“We expect to be able to compete this season.”
— —
SHADOW RIDGE
League: Class 4A Mountain
Head coach: Brian Lavoie, ninth season
2017 record: 8-11-2 (4-7-1 Northwest/sixth)
Returning lettermen (starters): Five (three)
Top athletes: GK Ian Dalton (Sr.), D Brandon Bumacod (Sr.), D Leland Schmidt (So.)
Outlook:The Mustangs return just five lettermen, the bulk of those on the defensive side.
“With only three returning starters and five returning varsity players, this will be a young, inexperienced team,” Lavoie said “We look to work very hard every time we are on the field, and a good result for this team would be to make playoffs. Although the future looks bright, we will need to mature very quickly to reach that goal.
“Although goals are not going to come easy, senior goalkeeper Ian Dalton should be a difference maker and keep us in most of our games.”
— —
SIERRA VISTA
League: Class 4A Desert
Head coach: Ryan Quinn, 15th season
2017 record: 8-10-2 (6-5-1 Southwest/fourth)
Returning lettermen (starters): Eleven (four)
Top athletes: D Eduardo Perez (Jr.), MF Stefano Villagomez (Sr.), MF Jadon Jeffery (Sr.), MF Eduardo Garcia (So.), GK Chance Witt (Jr.)
Outlook: The Mountain Lions return 11 lettermen, but only four starters after losing key contributors.
Among those who should see more of an expanded role this year are Villagomez (3 assists), Jeffery (1 goal, 2 assists), Garcia, Perez and Witt (33 saves).
“We graduated most of the starting lineup from last year, but we have a good mix of returners ready to step up and some new players to the program that are looking to make an immediate impact,” Quinn said. “We are in a slight rebuild year, but will look to surprise some teams.”
— —
SILVERADO
League: Class 4A Desert
Head coach: Kurtis Cenatiempo, fourth season
2017 record: 7-13-1 (3-6-1 Southeast/fourth)
Returning lettermen (starters): Five (three)
Top athletes: MF David Matias-Flores (Sr.), D Sean Borla (Sr.), MF Conner Barlow (Jr.)
Outlook: Cenatiempo has steadily been building the Skyhawks, but will have a less-seasoned group this year as only three starters return.
“We’re looking to keep on track with our trend of improving each year as a program,” Cenatiempo said. “This bunch is hard working, and good outcomes will certainly be a product of that.”
— —
SKY POINTE
League: Class 3A Sunrise
Head coach: Mike Harris, first season
2017 record: 2-14-1 (1-10-1 3A Sunrise/seventh)
Returning lettermen (starters): Ten (seven)
Top athletes: GK Sebastian St. Jules (Sr.), CB Garrett Odom (Sr.), F Steven Obi (Sr.), MF Don Jean-Francois (Jr.)
Outlook: The Eagles bring back seven starters from last year’s squad.
“This year’s team has a lot of talent,” Harris said. “We will be very competitive this year. There is no reason why this team couldn’t reverse its record from last year.”
— —
SOMERSET-LOSEE
League: Independent
Head coach: Steven Ross, fifth season
2017 record: Did not compete as an NIAA member
Returning lettermen: Zero
Outlook: The Lions make their NIAA debut this season after competing for the past three seasons in a charter-school league.
— —
SPRING VALLEY
League: Class 4A Desert
Head coach: James Tippett, sixth season
2017 record: 9-6-4 (6-5-1 Southwest/third)
Returning lettermen (starters): Ten (eight)
Top athletes: F Bum Cho (Sr.), F John Goecke (Sr.), MF Cysco Martinez (Sr.), D Jeffer Rivera (Sr.), D Dominic Velasco (Jr.), GK Alejandro Lopez (Jr.)
Outlook: After finishing third in the Southwest League last year, the Grizzlies bring back eight starters.
Tippett said that he believes a top-four spot in the Desert League is a good goal for his team.
— —
SUNRISE MOUNTAIN
League: Class 3A Sunrise
Head coach: Patrick Mohrbacher, second season
2017 record: 20-1 (11-1 3A Sunset/first)
Returning lettermen (starters): Six (five)
Top athletes: MF Angel Arreola (Sr.), D Eric Guillen (Sr.), GK Enrique Perez (So.), F Brandon Polendo (Jr.), MF Estiban Olandez (Jr.)
Outlook: The defending Class 3A state champions will have plenty of new faces.
Arreola (19 goals, 10 assists) is one of only six returning letter winners for the Miners, who still should be among the top teams in the classification.
“Sunrise will need to fill some key spots from departing seniors, but we have some very promising underclassmen that need to step up,” Mohrbacher said. “It may be a steep learning curve as the season begins, but we expect to be back contending for the region and state crowns again this fall.”
— —
TECH
League: Class 4A Desert
Head coach: Josh Jones, 20th season
2017 record: 14-7-4 (10-0-2 3A Sunrise/first)
Returning lettermen (starters): Eleven (eight)
Top athletes: MF Asish Pandey (Sr.), MF/F Eduardo Gomez (Sr.), MF Alex Mejia (Jr.), MF Gabriel Aguilar (Jr.), MF/F Cruz Velazquez (Jr.), GK Yobani Garcia-Benitez (Jr.), F Alan Lopez (So.)
Outlook: The Roadrunners bring back eight starters from a squad that won the Class 3A Sunrise League title and was the Southern Region runner-up.
Lopez (13 goals, 5 assists), Velazquez (7 goals, 12 assists), Mejia (9 goals, 3 assists), Aguilar (6 goals, 7 assists), Gomez (1 goal, 11 assists) and Pandey (1 goal, 2 assists) all return on offense. Garcia-Benitez (8 shutouts) anchors the defense.
“Tech returns a solid nucleus of players that are starting to play well together and gained experience making it to state at the 3A level last season,” Jones said. “The team is looking forward to playing in a much more competitive 4A conference this year.
“Tech hopes that the youth on the team from last year has matured to make another strong playoff run.”
— —
VIRGIN VALLEY
League: Class 3A Sunrise
Head coach: Sam Martinez, first season
2017 record: 7-11-1 (5-7 3A Sunrise/fourth)
Returning lettermen (starters): Four (four)
Top athletes: F Christian Martinez (Sr.), D Ty Bryant (Sr.), D Daxon Toone, MF Carlos Campos, F Pablo Aguilar
Outlook: After qualifying for the postseason last year, the Bulldogs have a new coach and only four returning starters.
“It’s a young team that has had excellent summer workouts,” Martinez said. “Expectations are a winning record and playoff victory.”
— —
WESTERN
League: Class 3A Sunset
Head coach: Kory Pippin, third season
2017 record: 17-5-2 (10-2 3A Sunset/second)
Returning lettermen (starters): Sixteen (seven)
Top athletes: F Juan Estrada (Sr.), MF Gustavo Sanchez (Sr.), D Jose Muniz (Sr.)
Outlook: Estrada (25 goals, 12 assists) and Sanchez (11 goals, 6 assists) will be among the leaders on offense, and Muniz is back to help anchor the defense for the Warriors, who advanced to the Southern Region semifinals last year.
In all, 16 lettermen are back for Western.
“With a lot of returning players, our team expectation remains to play an enjoyable style of soccer and be the best team in Nevada at the end of October so we can challenge for a division, region, and state championship,” Pippin said.
