Northwestern is out to repeat as District 11 champions while Jim Thorpe will be looking to build on its Schuylkill League crown from last season. Both squads will likely be in contention for more success this year.

JIM THORPE

BIG SHOES TO FILL … The returning Schuylkill League Division I champions have some big shoes to fill this season as All-State and All-League player Thor Muth, along with All-League players Alex Putt, Ray O’Neill and Leandro Ramirez have all graduated.

KEY SKILLS BACK … After a heartbreaking loss in last year’ District 11 Class 2A semifinal, a returning group of Olympians are back to once again chase a championship. Seniors Jack Morris, Chris Condly (a 2019 All-League selection) and Marc Waslesyn will lead the way. The Olympians’ back defensive line remains largely intact with senior Jonah Coit leading the way alongside are juniors TJ Dudak and Georgiy Sakharov. Sophomore Jacob Geiser will return in goal for his second season.

HONORED ADDITION … Head coach Michael Dudak begins his fourth year as head coach of the Olympians (45-15-3 overall record). Now, a seasoned veteran joins his staff. “Chris Geiser brings 20 years of experience and a lifetime of soccer knowledge,” said Dudak about his new assistant coach. “I’m so grateful he has joined me this year. He fits right in and is a huge addition to our program.”

KEY MOTIVATOR … A year ago, the Olympians knocked off Pine Grove 4-2 in the Schuylkill League title game. However, it was a different story in the District playoffs where they dropped a 4-3 setback to Pen Argyl. “Losing a district game to Pen Argyl on penalty kicks is still fresh in the minds of our kids,” Dudak said. “I’m sure every player on my roster would like that one back, it was a heart breaker. We will use it as the motivation to get back there this year for another opportunity at a district title.”

LEHIGHTON

VETERAN STAFF … Over the last decade, Dave Yob has been a continued presence on the Indians’ sidelines. Yob enters his 11th season with the Indians, in which he has guided the Tribe to an 83-104-6 overall record. Assistants Joe Zarelli enters his eighth year with the program and Dylan Smith is in his seventh.

RETURNING FOR THE TRIBE … Experience is not a question for Yob and his coaching staff, as the Indians have a long list of returning players. Leading the way are seniors Carter Strauss (midfielder, seven goals, one assist), Logan Lucas (midfielder, four goals, two assists), Eldin Cokrlija (defense), Chris Fisher (defense), Cassidy Schaeffer (midfielder) and Kaleb May (goalie). Next in line are juniors Zander Bauer (defense), Tyler Rehrig (midfielder/defense) and Ryan Graver (midfielder/defense). Finally, a seasoned sophomore class returns AJ Light (defense, four assists), Mason Marchessault (midfieler, one goal, one assist), Matt Sofranko (midfielder, one goal), Nick Zeigenfuss (midfielder, one goal), Levi Monk (defense), Daniel Hoppes (midfielder/defense), Connor McDonough (defense/goalie), Trent Dorward (midfielder) and Nic Yaro (defense).

A WORK IN PROGRESS … Losing the likes of Drew Lorenz, Connor Hanley, Alex Zeigenfuss and Nader Beatty to graduation, as well as Randy Bongiorno to a spring sport injury, has brought forth some position changes this season. “Right now, we have some growing pains as we change formations to better suit our personnel,” Yob said. “Strauss and Lucas are the top returning scorers, but we feel we can get balanced scoring from Marchessault, Sofranko and Zeigenfuss to help in that area. Cokrlija, Light and Fisher have a leg up in the battle for starting spots on defense. In only having 21 out for the team, several other players will have to step up for us to be successful.”

NEWCOMERS … Aidan Gruber, Jacob Hall and Avery Hosler look to break the Indians’ lineup as freshmen. Gruber and Hall will add to the midfield and forward position, while Hosler will be back on the defense.

LOOKING FORWARD … Last season, the Indians compiled a 4-13-1 overall record and a 3-9 Schuylkill League Division I mark. “Last year, the team was young and took its lumps. While we are still somewhat young this season with nine sophomores on the roster, valuable experience was gained during last season. If we can stay injury free, I’m confident we will show improvement this season.”

NORTHERN LEHIGH

SENIOR LOADED … Entering his sixth year with the Northern Lehigh team, head coach Jason Ruch returns four-year starters Chuck Wilk (midfielder), Aidan Williams (defense), Evan Horninger (defense) and Eli Jackovitz (utility) as the lead dogs. Josh Sollars returns to his midfielder position with 15 goals, two assists in his career, while Logan Dyer (GK), Mike Adams (Utility) and Bielman Perez (For.) come back for one more time. “We have several experienced seniors who have been playing since their freshman year mixed in with some younger, fast underclassmen,” Ruch said. “We should be strong in the back with several seniors starting and a strong, experienced goalie.”

LOOKING FOR MINUTES … A trio of Bulldogs have caught Ruch’s attention with their progression through offseason and preseason workouts. They are sophomores Ethan Kunkle (midfielder) and Bryce Lopinto (forward), as well as with freshman Jackson Hunsicker (midfielder).

STRIVING TO BE COMPETITIVE … A year ago, the Bulldogs were only able to taste victory once in 18 games. “Our goal is to play on a competitive level no matter the competition,” Ruch said. “We should be versatile as many of our players have been playing numerous positions over the last four years due to our lack of numbers. If we can work together and communicate on a constant level, we should be able to string some wins together this year.”

NORTHWESTERN

DEFENDING CHAMPS ... Last season, Northwestern (16-5-1) captured the District 11 championship on an improbable bicycle kick goal by Jeff Garcia in overtime. This season, Garcia is a senior and will serve as one of the team’s leaders. “I don’t see myself as different than everyone else on the team because we all have the same goals,” said Garcia about his upcoming senior season. “I’m there just to push everyone but I think anyone could be in my position really.”

FULL SPEED AHEAD ... The Tigers have holes created by graduation as they will be without players like Luke Bryan, Matt Renner, Jason Blaine, Michael Rebert and goalie Zach Rosamalia this season. Coach Nate Hunsicker is focusing on the fact that he has players like Garcia and Ryan Baker, who also played a key role in Garcia’s district winning kick last year, returning to the lineup. He also has Austin Vogwill, who has some varsity experience under his belt in goal. “We’ve got a lot of kids who really took a giant leap forward over the offseason and they have worked really hard to be ready,” said Hunsicker. “The offseason was crazy for everyone but once we got rolling, we had good summer numbers and nearly everyone there every day.”

NO GOALS FOR YOU ... Northwestern’s 1-0 win in districts over Southern Lehigh was the third straight time that the Tigers shutout the Spartans. Early in the 2019 season, the two teams played to a scoreless tie during the regular season and before that, Northwestern shutout Southern Lehigh 3-0 in the 2018 Colonial League playoffs. In the last eight meetings between the two teams, the Tigers are 6-1-1 and have outscored the Spartans 21-6 with four shutouts. It’s coming up on six years since Southern Lehigh beat Northwestern.

JUST PUT ME IN COACH ... Baker isn’t too particular about where on the field he’s playing, and he has displayed his talent anywhere that Hunsicker puts him. With that in mind, Hunsicker will continue to move Baker all around the field, using him wherever he has a spot that needs to be filled or to take advantage of another team’s weakness. “Ryan was kind of like a utility knife last year, but he kind of ended up playing primarily on offense. This year, he’s making the switch back to defense which is kind of where he started back when he was a sophomore,” said Hunsicker.

A SILVER LINING? ... While the pandemic has caused havoc with high school sports, Hunsicker noticed something this summer. The team’s voluntary workouts had much higher attendance than normal. Hunsicker credits the fact that families weren’t traveling as much and players had little else to do except play soccer. He credits the high attendance with making his team stronger coming into the season.

PALMERTON

NEW PILOT ON BOARD … Antonio Orlando is Palmerton’s new boys’ soccer head coach after Rich Roselli resigned in the off-season. Orlando brings on board plenty of experience, as he previously served as a goalkeeper coach, and an assistant to the head coach at Monroe College in the Bronx.

BOMBER FORMATION … The Bombers will look to the guidance of their returning upperclassmen. Seniors Jonny Perloni, Zach Brotzman, Brayden Kline, Caleb Sommers, Colton Stroup, Nolan Walters and Corlan Wood will lead the Bombers. Juniors Alex Cohen, Aaron Gardner, Ignacio Gonzalez, Ray Heimbach, CJ Kern, Ethan Page and Aidan Wentz are right behind.

YOUNG WINGS … Looking to break into the Bombers’ starting lineup are sophomore Riley Fallon and a trio of freshmen – Noah Marks, Damian Miller and Noah Sell.

FLY TOGETHER AS ONE … Orlando wants the Bombers to do it “together.” “I rely on the whole team, and just not one player,” Orlando said. “The philosophy of soccer is about teamwork. So I like to rely on all of them to perform. I want to give credit to the whole team, not just one player.”

HARD WORK PAYS OFF … The Bombers’ first-year coach is trying to get a point across in a program that has had some recent struggles. Last year, the Bombers posted a 5-13 overall record. “If we work hard, I expect us to win at least half of our games. I’ve told our kids we need to be focused and disciplined, and we will be successful.”

PLEASANT VALLEY

NOT AS EXPECTED … Alex Wunder’s third season with Pleasant Valley is quite unusual, just like it is for every other head coach and program this season. “This season did not start the way anyone hoped it would start,” Wunder said. “The players are incredibly happy to be having a season even though it is shortened. As a team, we have really come together in the offseason.”

BACK AT IT … Returning with the intent of improving on a 6-11-1 overall record and a 6-9-1 mark in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference are seniors Jake Alles (defense), Matt Erhardt (forward), Joe Stayer (defense), Jason Kapsis (forward), along with juniors Aidan Green (midfielder), Damen Janotti (midfielder) and Damian Sopanski (midfielder).

HERE TO ASSIST … A few Bears have excelled in preseason workouts and are looking to add a helping hand. They include Onious George (sophomore, forward), Bailey Snider (junior, defender) and Richard Carmona (senior, goalie).

PV PRIDE … Wunder has been with the early season practices. “We continue to play really well as a team and have good communication out on the field,” he said. “This group has played together for years and with that I expect them to have a great year.”

STAYING POSITIVE … “With there only being a 10-game season within the Mountain Division, I feel we will have a good year,” said Wunder. “If we are able to stay healthy the entire season, I expect it to be a good one.”

TAMAQUA

NEW COACH ON THE BLOCK … Jim Fisher takes over as the Tamaqua coach. He has been a familiar face within the realms of coaching youth soccer in the school district.

GRADUATED … Brian Milot, Nathaniel Noftz, Wyatt Zeigler and Zachery Frie have taken their soccer skills elsewhere thanks to graduation.

RAIDER UPPERCLASSMEN … Back for their senior years are Tyler Steigerwalt (midfielder), Michael Shlanta (striker), Ian Davis (midfielder), Zachery Campomizzi (midfielder), Justin Lewis (midfielder), Ryne Fisher (midfielder), Alex Barron (fullbck), Luke Verta (wing) and Dax Weller (wing). These Blue Raider upperclassmen look to build on a 10-9 overall mark (6-6 Schuylkill League Division I) from a season ago.

STEPPING UP … Juniors Brady Sherry (wing) and Mateo Gomez (fullback), as well as sophomore Jon Ulicny (goalie), have made an immediate presence known this preseason and will look to continue that progress straight into the regular season.

TRADITION CONTINUES … Fisher may be in his first season as head coach of the Blue Raiders, but he still has a in-depth knowledge on the tradition in Tamaqua soccer. “We are a senior dominated team,” Fisher said. “The core has been together since the U9 level so there is a lot of senior leadership. Our goal is to take one game at a time and improve in each game.”

WEATHERLY

A LOOK BACK ... Weatherly put together a solid season in 2019, finishing with a 12-7 overall record, an improvement of four games from the previous year. The Wreckers also had a 7-5 mark in the league and qualified for the district playoffs.

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN ... Some of the players that helped the team post a winning mark have graduated. Elijah Derr led the team in goals (12) and assists (16) and was a first team league selection, as well as an All-State nominee. Forward Josh Andreuzzi (second team forward), defender Nick Pleban (first team defender), and goalkeeper Dalton Tompkins will also be missed.

WELCOME BACK ... Two players who earned league honors will be returning to the Weatherly lineup. Second team midfielder Antonio Colecio (10 goals, three assists) and second team defender Luke Derr will be leaned on heavily in hopes of posting another winning record. Defender Trevor Lowman is another key returnee for head coach Kevin Kennedy.

MAKING THEIR MARK ... Junior Frankie Willis will get the nod to replace Tompkins in goal, while senior forward Tyler Veasie hopes to make his name known with a solid season.

SENIOR MOMENT ... This year’s Weatherly team will have nine seniors on the roster, providing plenty of leadership for the younger players.

FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT ... Coach Kennedy, who will have 10 underclassmen on the team, says the sport is on the rise. “(There) is a rising interest in the sport locally (in our zip code, at least). The youth system and various area leagues saw a 10-fold increase in participation. This includes a significant contribution from college-age players and older alumni/neighbors to teams that also included high-school players.”

WHAT TO EXPECT ... Kennedy expects Schuylkill Haven and Tri-Valley to be the frontrunners in the division, while Minersville will also challenge. The fourth-year mentor, who said his team needs consistency and a goal scorer, expects his club to have a similar season to last year. “We actually got in a near-full Summer League season that featured many players, though we lost a few rising freshmen to COVID concerns. Our goals for the season are three-fold: attain a better or same record as last season, win a district playoff game, and challenge for a division playoff berth.”