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John Varlas: Teams to watch in soccer
John Varlas
8:21 PM, Mar 23, 2015
High school soccer is in full swing. So with that in mind, here are some teams who will
be competing to make it to Spring Fling.
Arlington: The Tigers will be rebuilding after graduating 11 seniors. But there’s still
plenty of talent on hand for coach Zeke Vezina. The midfield should be strong with
Jesus Ramos, Jordan Gamedah, Christian Castellano and Chris McDaniel with Karim
Kchouck playing up front. Sophomores Andre Bucks and Tyler Daniels anchor the
defense.
Bartlett: Top goal-scorer David Erazo has graduated, but a combined 17 seniors and
juniors will make Robby Midyett’s Panthers tough to beat in a very competitive district.
Goalkeeper Jacob Grissom and center back Rylie Gordon anchor the defense with John
Nesbit and Ebrahim Allouzi in midfield. Juniors Devin Malone and Justin Raines should
provide lots of scoring pop.
CBHS: The biggest change at CBHS will be on the bench, as Nick Glaser replaces
Rogerio Lima, who took the Lausanne job after leading the Brothers to their ninth state
title in 2014. Cole Cannon returns after a terrific freshman year — including the winning
goal in the final — and there are plenty of other experienced veterans, including
defenders Hayden Whitley, Jake Barrett and Peter Kinsella, midfielders Chris DiPietro
and Juan Monserrat and forward Julian Rainey.
Collierville: The Dragons had the best year in school history in 2014, finishing as AAA
state runners-up with a 19-2-3 record. Star goalkeeper Brady Thornbury must be
replaced, but coach Drew Hensarling has plenty of veterans left, led by midfielders
Jackson Bentley and Austin Sutton, defender/midfielder Dalton Marin and defender Will
Carmon. Freshman forward Danny Blaisdell and sophomore midfielder Elijah Mendoza
are the top newcomers.
ECS: The Eagles lost in the Division 2-A state semifinals last spring but will be replacing
some key parts. Jack Oliver is steady in goal; Stephen Oliver will anchor the defense.
Peter Linn and Conner Deck are a nice center-midfield pairing and coach Jordan
Thompson is also excited about the return of winger Harrison Cox.
Houston: Last year was one of the rare times Houston missed a state tourney bid, and
you can expect the Mustangs to be locked in all year as they try to return. Forward
Peyton McKnatt, midfielder Oshi Amro and defender Austin Gray are talented veterans,
and coach David Wolff is looking forward to blending in some fine newcomers, including
freshman forwards Stefano Della Rosa and Ben Shepherd.
Kingsbury: Last year’s 14-AAA champs and Region 7 champ will be formidable again
with a roster that features 12 seniors. Defender Keven Navarro and midfielder Richard
Navarro lead the way, and coach Jihad Haidar also is expecting big things from forward
Jaylen Harvey, midfielder Sergio Lopez and defender Luis Martinez.
MUS: Vincent Beck’s Owls lost in the D2-AA quarterfinals in 2014 but have several key
players returning, most notably Michael Jacobs, Matthew Davidoff, Batey Daniel and
goalkeeper William Merriman.
St. Benedict: Luke Parker (21 goals last year) and Peter Wagner (12) lead the
returnees as Nick Dressman’s Eagles look to build on last year’s 10-1-3 campaign.
Johnny Aeschliman is a three-year starter in midfield; Zayrion Harris and Jack Fletcher
are the most experienced players at the back.
St. George’s: Tony Whicker said the challenge for this year’s team will be restructuring
defense. But if that comes together, you can expect the Gryphons, last year’s D2-A
state runners-up, to be in the mix again. Keep an eye on midfielder Carson Schelp (nine
goals, 14 assists), midfielder Tim Whicker (the coach’s son) and defenders Logan
Parsons and Eric Rivera-Peraza. Freshman Lathan Spadafora has been impressive
early.
White Station: The Spartans won 10 of their last 15 games last year — including a
region win over Houston — to reach state, where they lost to eventual champion
Franklin in the quarters. Graduation took its toll, but first-year coach Drew
Sachenbacher will be happy for the return of midfielder Taylor Rudolph, forward Marcell
Wierdl, midfielder Xavier Lake and fullback Max Law.