Defending Bay Rivers District champion Jamestown is in for a tough road this season, as the likes of Grafton, Lafayette and York are all fielding better teams than last year.
Jamestown and Lafayette take the field with rosters largely the same as they were last year, while Grafton returns three starters from last year’s teams. York joins the experienced rosters of Jamestown and Lafayette as early season favorites to win 10 or more games this season.
The district won’t be lacking in individual talents on offense with Jamestown’s Jeff Wolons, Warhill’s Brennen Whaley, Lafayette’s Reeves Trott and York’s Bailey McClure — all of whom can score the ball effectively and quickly.
Those elite scoring players and others will have their work cut out for them as Bruton, Grafton, Tabb and Warhill sport senior goalkeepers Travis Matthews, Jay Fox, Grant Kelchner and Eric Ahrendt, respectively.
While not matching the firepower of the top-tier teams, Bruton and Warhill have the necessary pieces to stay competitive in district play. Bruton’s four first-team All-Conference players from last year are back, while the Lions return 12 players from last season.
Tabb, which lost in the semifinals of last year’s Conference 19 Tournament, faces an uphill climb as many key players from last year’s team have graduated to leave a roster largely composed of underclassmen.
Below are previews for each of the Historic Triangle soccer teams in the Bay Rivers District ahead of district play, which kicks off next week.
Bruton
Head Coach: Luke Taylor
2015 Classification: 2A Conference 33
2014 Record: 3-7-1
Players to Watch: Miguel Martinez (senior, F); Hunter Embry (senior, F); Michael Wilson (junior, M); Travis Matthews (senior, GK)
Season Outlook: Bruton returns almost every key player from last year’s team that lost 2-1 to top-seeded Nandua in the Conference 33 semifinal. The Panthers return four first-team All-Conference selections, starting with Martinez who led Bruton with nine goals. Embry, another All-Conference first-teamer, scored eight goals and assisted on a team-high seven goals last season. Matthews, a senior goalkeeper, will look to keep the Panthers in more games this season after being named the best Conference 33 goalie last season. Bruton will also benefit from the return of senior center midfielder Andrew Maeso, who played in two games last season before suffering a season-ending injury. While the Panthers may struggle to win games against the best teams in the Bay Rivers District, Coach Luke Taylor said his team is improved from last season and should be able to keep games competitive.
Grafton
Head Coach: Johnny Yu
2015 Classification: 4A Conference 19
2014 Record: 11-5-2
Players to Watch: Juan Garcia (senior, M); Jay Fox (senior, GK); Nishan Moomjian (senior, D); Colton Nichols (senior, M); Dylan Lorio-MacNamara (junior, M)
Season Outlook: Grafton is under new leadership as Johnny Yu, who served as the Grafton girls soccer coach for the past two seasons, takes over a program coming off an appearance in the state semifinals. Yu said the coaching transition should be smooth due to his familiarity with his players after coaching some of them through Virginia Legacy Soccer Club. Grafton features many new faces this season, returning three starters from last year’s team. While Grafton has to cope with the loss of two All-State first team selections from last season — Dom DiGangi and Nick Dey — the Clippers should have enough talent to be one of the best teams in the Bay Rivers District. Grafton will have one of the best midfield trios in the district with Garcia, Nichols and Lorio-MacNamara, a second-team All-Conference selection last season. Fox, a senior goalkeeper, should be a solid replacement for second-team All-Region goalkeeper Michael Bly. Junior forward Reed King is effective at finding scoring opportunities and should give Grafton a legitimate scoring threat.
Jamestown
Head Coach: Bobby O’Brien
2015 Classification: 4A Conference 19
2014 Record: 11-3-2
Players to Watch: Jeff Wolons (senior, M); Kevin Tripp (sophomore, M); Ryan Satira (senior, D); Wilson Coughenour (senior, D)
Season Outlook: The defending Bay Rivers District champion Eagles return a strong core of players coming off a regional tournament appearance. After losing 5-0 to Midlothian in the first round of the Region 4A Tournament, the Eagles are hoping to make a deeper run this season. All-State senior Wolons, who is committed to play soccer at Virginia Tech, will lead Jamestown on offense. The defending Conference 19 Player of the Year led the Eagles in goals (14) and assists (12) last season. The Eagles return four other All-Conference players — sophomore Tripp, senior Coughenour, junior Brandon Jordan and junior Ben Carper. Coach Bobby O’Brien said his defense will be strong this season with the experience of Coughenour and Satira, but will need to show patience and stay compact to not allow counterattacks. On paper, the Eagles are one of the best teams in the Bay Rivers District.
Lafayette
Head Coach: Brian Sorrell
2015 Classification: 3A Conference 25
2014 Record: 14-3-1
Players to Watch: Reeves Trott (junior, M); Jason Eckenrode (junior, F); Denzel Speed (senior, D); Matt Beatty (junior, M)
Season Outlook: Coming off a Conference 25 championship and an appearance in the 3A East semifinal, the Lafayette Rams are looking to challenge for a 3A East title. The Rams return about 80 percent of its offense from last season, including Conference 25 Player of the Year and first-team All-State junior midfielder Trott, who scored 33 goals and added 15 assists. All-Conference 25 first-team selection Eckenrode is another major part of the Lafayette offense. Trott and Eckenrode combined for 56 of Lafayette’s 91 goals last season. Coach Brian Sorrell said his team’s ability to make a deep postseason run will depend on the leadership of his captains Trott and Denzel Speed, a senior defender. The biggest unknown for the Rams is junior goalkeeper David Domalski, who faced 15 shots on goal during 11 games last season as a backup. If Domalski can come in and shut down scoring chances, Lafayette will have a good chance to be a top team in the Bay Rivers District.
Tabb
Head Coach: Scott Kuhnle
2015 Classification: 4A Conference 19
2014 Record: 10-5
Players to Watch: Matt Montgomery (junior, D); Hunter Winslow (senior, F); Grant Kelchner (senior, GK); Aaron Adams (senior, F)
Season Outlook: Tabb underwent heavy roster turnover in the offseason, returning two starters from last year’s team that lost to Grafton in the first round of the Conference 19 tournament. The two returning starters, Montgomery and Winslow, will need to demonstrate leadership to some of Tabb’s younger players. Adams, who scored five goals last year, is the highest returning goal scorer, so offensive output could be a question mark for the Tigers. With 11 underclassmen on the roster, Tabb will either have to lean on the experience of older players to win games or embrace the new crop of younger players and try to get them in-game experience. Coach Scott Kuhnle said developing his “eager” underclassmen is a priority this year. With so much uncertainty around the roster, it would not be a surprise to see Tabb take a step backward this season.
Warhill
Head Coach: Jimmy Newell
2015 Classification: 3A Conference 25
2014 Record: 6-6-1
Players to Watch: Eric Ahrendt (senior, GK); Brennen Whaley (senior, F); Paddy O’Dell (senior, D); Danny Cretney (junior, M)
Season Outlook: After a Conference 25 quarterfinal loss against York last season, Warhill is looking to take a step forward and compete deeper in the postseason. Coach Jimmy Newell said his team performed as expected last season with some key players playing out of position. He expects to have all of his players in their natural positions this season. Experience will be one of the strong spots for Warhill, as the Lions return 12 players from last year. The Lions will be led by Whaley, a senior forward and captain, who displays great field awareness and is a capable scorer. Newell stresses fundamentals and does not put much stock into traditional statistics such as goals, assists or saves for his players. Warhill’s players are technically strong and are quick to apply pressure on opposing ball handlers. The Lions aggressive defense is backed up by senior goalkeeper Ahrendt, who is one of the best in the Bay Rivers District. If the Lions can stay healthy throughout the regular season, they should have a good chance to advance further in the postseason than last season.
York
Head Coach: Ryan Hagerty
2015 Classification: 3A Conference 25
2014 Record: 10-5-4
Players to Watch: Bailey McClure (junior, F); Max Poelker (junior, M); Jacob Reimers (sophomore, GK); Karsten Faciszewski (senior, F)
Season Outlook: First team All-State and All-Region selection Bailey McClure will look to help York improve on a fifth-place finish in the Bay Rivers District last season. Despite their finish in the district, York made it to the 3A East semifinals where the Falcons suffered a 2-0 loss to Culpeper. McClure, who scored 20 goals and assisted on 12 goals last season, will team up with senior Faciszewski, who added nine goals and five assists last season, to form a lethal offensive duo. Reimers, a sophomore goalkeeper, earned second-team All-Conference honors last season as a freshman, allowing 19 goals and carrying a 1.0 goal against average. Coach Ryan Hagerty said consistency will be his team’s biggest obstacle this season, noting his team tended to play to the level of their opponents last year — better against good teams and worse against lesser teams. The Falcons have the talent to be a top-four team in the Bay Rivers District.
