Boys soccer: 2022 season preview capsules

Aug. 20—Class 5A/4A

Front Range League

Teams and trends: Boulder, Brighton, Broomfield, Erie, Fairview, Fort Collins, Fossil Ridge, Horizon, Legacy, Loveland, Monarch, Mountain Range, Northglenn, Poudre, Prairie View and Rocky Mountain. Brighton, Erie, Loveland, Northglenn and Prairie View are new to the league this season. All are 5A except Erie. They join a league where seven of the last 10 state champions in Class 5A have come out of. Broomfield has won four of them, Boulder two, and Fairview claimed its first title in program history in the May of 2021. The last seven seasons of FRL winners have gone Boulder/Fort Collins (fall of 2021), Fairview (spring of 2021), Legacy/Boulder (2019), Fairview (2018), Fort Collins/Boulder (2017), Boulder (2016), Fairview (2015).

Fall 2021 league leaders: Points and goals — Poudre's Thane Latzig (60, 28)—. Assists — Fort Collins' Camden Le (12). Saves — Fort Collins' Brody Smith (176)—.

Numbers game: Over/under 23. It's the number of goals Legacy's Cooper Stephens, who was also the BoCoPreps.com player of the year, scored for the Lightning last fall. Three of those goals were game winners in the postseason. How many will one of the state's best forwards notch in 2022?

---- Eligible to return in 2022

Boulder Panthers

Coach: Hardy Kalisher

The Scorecard: The Panthers bring back a star-studded lineup that features one of the top MFs in the state in senior Cameron Gerber, who is committed to Maryland, all-FRL senior D Logan Sims and Hardy's son, senior GK Owen Kalisher. Others returning include senior MF Milo Toutenhoofd and all-league sophomore F Xander Sevian, who had a Boulder freshman record of five goals and four assists. Others to watch from a team that was No. 1 in 5A before bowing out in the second round of the postseason are junior F Hamish McGrath, junior D Victor Torres and sophomore MF Joaxin Castruita.

Broomfield Eagles

Coach: Zach Hindman

The Scorecard: There's a new face in charge of soccer at Broomfield after nearly quarter of a century. With Jim Davidson stepping away from the boys' team after winning a state-best eight state titles, Hindman said his goal this year "is to continue to build on the foundation of success" that his mentor created. Among those returning for Broomfield are mids in senior Cooper Johnson and junior Elijah Smith, as well as junior F Marcus Von and senior D Dylan Duggan. Others to watch include sophomore F Joziah Garron and sophomore D Cole Martin. "As leadership turns over to long-time assistants, we hope to honor everything (Davidson) built and continue to work hard at maintaining the program's mission and values," Hindman said.

Erie Tigers

Coach: Jeff Vigil

The Scorecard: The Tigers, now a part of the Front Range League, are young on paper after losing 20 players to graduation over the past two years. Key returnees from a 2021 postseason team are defenders in senior Quinn Barjesteh and junior Joey Knoll, mids in senior Landon Bogg and junior Tyler Hoffman, and junior F Keegan Wolver. New to the program are sophomore F Jacoby LaTessa out of Utah and senior D Jack DuBois from Pennsylvania. "There is a lot of 'new' but that doesn't mean we won't continue to take steps forward," the sixth-year coach said.

Fairview Knights

Coach: Eric Shuler

The Scorecard: The Knights have three seniors that will head the charge this fall in GK Shane Williams, F Kai Bodmer and MF Joseph Lee. All part of Fairview's state title run in the spring of 2021, Williams has long established himself as one of the best keepers in the state, while Bodmer and Lee each have proven high ceilings coming into their final year of high school. "I always know that I will be able to count on our mentality, preparation and culture," Shuler said. "This group of boys is going to take the field ready to compete and I am really excited to begin this journey."

Legacy Lightning

Coach: Tony Romano

The Scorecard: The Lightning return star F Cooper Stephens, who was named BoCoPreps.com player of the year in 2021 after scoring 23 goals in 19 games. Also back from a team that reached the 5A semifinals for the first time in program history are defenders in seniors Tate Hansen and Parker Katz, mids in junior Lucas Montera and senior Zach Nickell, and senior F Tristan Maurek. Others to watch include mids in seniors Gavin Gartner, Mateo Becerra Garcia and junior Ace Bolom, as well as senior GK Wes Hempelmann and fellow-class defenders Ashton Bader and Bennett Ralston.

Monarch Coyotes

Coach: Ryan Brady

The Scorecard: The Coyotes are looking for their first winning season since 2017 when Balen Arenas was still coach. Returning from a team that went 5-9-1 and missed the postseason are defenders in junior Leif Anderson and senior Patrick Bell, senior mids Noah Weller and senior F Sean Kendall. Another up-and-coming talent to keep an eye out for is sophomore F George Behringer. The third-year coach said he's excited to see "this team represent a community that has been through so much devastation", referring to the Marshall Fire that engulfed more than 1,000 homes around town.

Northern Colorado Athletic Conference

Teams and trends: Centaurus, Greeley Central, Greeley West, Holy Family, Longmont, Mead, Silver Creek, Windsor. Erie and Loveland went to the FRL. Skyline went to the Longs Peak League. Silver Creek won the league title last fall, following Erie's win from the spring of 2021.

Fall 2021 stat leaders: Points, goals and assists — Holy Family's Jackson Ward (57, 20, 17). Saves — Loveland's Nathan Bowman (115)—.

Numbers game: Over/under 9.5 wins. The previous two winners of the league — Erie (spring of 2021) and Silver Creek (fall of 2021) — both went a perfect 10-0 in NCAC play. While no team from the league was put on the preseason top-10 in 4A (meaning a 2022 league favorite is hard to decipher), Windsor, Centaurus, Holy Family, Mead, Silver Creek and Longmont all received votes in the CHSAA rankings.

---- Eligible to return in 2022

Centaurus Warriors

Coach: David Wood

The Scorecard: Wood was the team's interim coach last season, leading the Warriors to the postseason. Now in his first official season, the Warriors return standout senior mids Calen Michel and Conrad Haraf, as well as a three-year varsity starter in junior D Kasey Minor. Others to watch are both juniors, D Demitri Wiegand and F Max Spear. Wood said the team has a "very strong senior class" and is "looking to come together and have a fun, successful season."

Holy Family Tigers

Coach: David Martinez

The Scorecard: The Tigers finished second in the league and advanced to the second round of the 4A postseason before bowing out to eventual champ Northfield. Returning from that team are mids in senior Zach Taylor and junior Abel Robles, defenders in senior Conor Byrne and sophomore Matt Napierkowski, and senior GK Jack Krueger, who Martinez labels as the best in the league. Others to watch are sophomores Munachi Tetenta, a defender, and Stefano Curto, a mid. As for forwards: "We lost our leading scorers from last year and we are excited to see someone else step up and take care of putting the ball in the net for us," the fifth-year coach said.

Longmont Trojans

Coach: Andy Callaway

The Scorecard: The Trojans are eager to turn things around after going 0-14-1 last season. "The kids have been working hard all summer and creating good chemistry with each other," the sixth-year coach said. "We have a solid young core returning and have added a few new kids who should have a positive impact." Among returners are senior Chris Barron, juniors Christian Vaca Perez, Luke Hernandez, James Tillery and sophomore Max McKinney. Others to watch are seniors Ben Lock, Dominic Flattery, Ethan Wheaton, junior Rowan Keller and sophomore Zander Salva.

Mead Mavericks

Coach: Shane Adler

The Scorecard: Mead went 11-4-2 last fall, reaching the second round of the postseason before bowing out to Mullen. Looking to build upon that success are returning defenders in seniors Brody Foote and Camryn Rusk, junior GK Jordan Lohr, center MF Logan Knight and F Dalton Berg. Others to watch are senior forwards Ian Faussett, an honorable mention all-region transfer from Peak to Peak, Tavon Underwood and Mateo Gonzaga.

Silver Creek Raptors

Coach: Rob Johnson

The Scorecard: The Raptors were perfect in league last season and had a spotless 16-0 record before falling to eventual state champion Grandview in the second round of the 5A postseason. Now back in 4A, returning for the Raptors is all-region center back Grant Gaddis, who headlined a defense which allowed just 16 goals in 17 games. Senior MFs Neruda King and Brody Frankowski are back, too, as is junior D Ryder Nicolaus, senior GK Alex Larner and junior F Kael Pacaro, who had nine goals and five assists last fall. "Hopefully we do well and can build on our success from last season," Johnson said.

Class 4A/3A

Longs Peak League

Teams and trends: Frederick, Fort Morgan, Mountain View, Niwot, Northridge, Riverdale Ridge, Thompson Valley, Roosevelt, Severance, Skyline. Fort Morgan and Northridge tied for the league title last season following Niwot's league dominance in the spring of 2021.

Fall 2021 stat leaders: Points and goals — Frederick's Zane Doehring (61, 27). Assists — Frederick's Chris Serrano (10). Saves — Riverdale Ridge's Sebastian Delgadillo (126)—.

Numbers game: Over/under two. That's the number of BoCoPreps.com all-region players the league had a year ago. From that group, Niwot's Azael Marrufo and Frederick's Zane Doehring graduated. How many standouts will the conference get in 2022?

Niwot Cougars

Coach: Stephen Dimit

The Scorecard: The Cougars reached the second round of the postseason last fall before falling to The Classical Academy in double overtime. Returning for Dimit are mids in junior Bo Gardner and senior Orlando Lopez, goalkeepers in Javier Amaya and Jett Feiner, and junior D Usiel Franco Cruz. Others to watch are defenders in sophomores Jay Scharfe, Kenji McCracken and junior Josh Ary, as well as junior F Miles Verbeck. "We were a young team that grew a lot last year and we are going to build on our identity as a fast, aggressive, attack-minded team," the seventh-year coach said.

Frederick Golden Eagles

Coach: Josh Woita

The Scorecard: The Golden Eagles have a new coach in Woita, who takes over a team that went 5-10 a year ago. He inherits returning varsity players in junior center back Alex Jauregui, senior forwards Brandon Hernandez, Kalob Van Der Hoeven and junior Michia Paice. He has two solid goalies vying for the top spot in senior Kael Rundquist and sophomore Blake Lowery. Gavin Coburn, meanwhile, is a freshman with a high ceiling. "I'm excited to see how the team comes together under new leadership," Woita said. "I have coached varsity high school and collegiate soccer in other states, so I am excited to see the differences Colorado high school soccer presents."

Skyline Falcons

Coach: Luis Chavez

The Scorecard: Skyline went 7-7-1 and 5-5-0 in league play last fall, narrowly missing the postseason. From that team are seniors MF/F Joshua Kalisher, D/MF Cesar Garcia, D/MF Collin Wright, juniors D/MF/F Emanuel Bustos, GK Jackob Rodriguez, MF/F Brian Heredia, D/MF Dominic Nazzaro, D/MF/F Luis Ramirez, MF/F Carlos Lara, D/MF Carson Manes, D/MF/F Alex Duarte (Jr. D/M/F), MF/F Diego Arteaga and sophomore MF/F Angel Pereyra. Chavez said: "Our program looks forward to getting this awesome group of dedicated and enthusiastic talented young men to the highest level of performance and success on and off the field."

Class 3A

Metro League

Teams and trends: Colorado Academy, Eagle Ridge Academy, Faith Christian, Jefferson Academy, Kent Denver, Peak to Peak, Prospect Ridge Academy, Stargate School, The Academy. The league looks different. It lost Bishop Machebeuf, Lutheran, Manual and SkyView Academy. It gained Eagle Ridge Academy and The Academy. Jefferson Academy won the league last fall for the first time since 2017, going 10-0.

Fall 2021 stat leaders: Points — Jefferson Academy's Chyler Ward (56). Goals — Ward and Faith Christian's Jack Goodwin (23). Assists — JA's Jonah Elstad (21)—. Saves — Stargate School's Aidan Hartman (232).

Numbers game: 74. The Jaguars outscored opponents by that margin last fall, scoring 83 goals while giving up just nine. They lost to Roaring Fork in the finals.

Jefferson Academy Jaguars

Coach: Matt Cassel

The Scorecard: The Jags won league and were the 3A runner-up last season, reaching the finals unblemished before falling to Roaring Fork in the state finals. Returning from it, senior Jonah Elstad was an all-BoCoPreps and all-league player who had six goals and 21 assists. Seniors Chrisly Kelly had nine goals, Logan Johnson eight, and Jeremiah Davis was a first-team all-region forward. Others to watch for a team hoping to make another deep run with half its 2021 roster back are seniors Evan Tran, Jayden Van Dam and junior Adam Livingston.

Peak to Peak Pumas

Coach: James Wagenschutz

The Scorecard: The Pumas hosted a playoff game for the first time in four years last fall, then reached the second round before bowing out to Atlas Preparatory School. With standout GK Logan Hughes back in goal, the Pumas hope to make a strong run in both league and in the 3A postseason. Others back include junior midfielders Kyle Thengvall, Jorden Gyaltsen, Luke Taylor, junior D Eddie Castilleja and junior F Ethan Wang, who led the team with 12 goals in 2021. Another name to watch is junior mid Matthew Wolsko.

Prospect Ridge Academy Miners

Coach: Todd Schoeder

The Scorecard: The Miners made the state postseason for the first time in program history last fall, reaching the round of 16 thanks to an upset win over Coal Ridge before falling to eventual champ Roaring Fork. From that group, junior D Josh Carrasco is going to be a varsity player for a third year and will have help from a backline that includes senior Ethan Coone. GK Cole McLemore is 6-foot-5 with stout hands, junior MF Evan Kline is a catalyst, and forward Jonathan Munoz is a striker with creative finishing abilities. Schoeder said his team is in rebuild mode after the Miners graduated eight seniors and lost four juniors to transfer.

Class 2A

Mile High League West

Teams and trends: Campion Academy, Dawson, Front Range Baptist, Heritage Christian, Loveland Classical, Nederland, Twin Peaks Charter, Union Colony Prep, Windsor Charter. While the Mile High West League is made up of the league teams from last year, there is also the Mile High East League which features nine more teams. Loveland Classical has won the MHL the past two seasons.

Fall 2021 stat leaders: Points — Loveland Classical's Jaithan Peterson (38)— and Heritage Christian's Jayden Taylor (38)—. Goals — Peterson (17). Assists — Taylor (22). Saves — Union Colony Prep's Richard Mata (116)—.

Numbers game: 21. Dawson scored 41 goals last season, 21 of them coming from outgoing seniors. The Mustangs will need others to step up and fill the void in 2022.

Dawson Mustangs

Coach: John Welsch

The Scorecard: The Mustangs went 6-10 in Welsch's first season last fall but are eager to improve in the coach's second year. Back for the Mustangs are senior GK Badri Damerla, junior defenders Mike Knobel and Nathan Duckett, senior MF Mateo Oosthuizen and sophomore F Sawyer Zeldner. Others to watch are senior D Eddie Cordero-Munoz and sophomore F Charlie Martin. "We will have a very young team and we're hoping to improve as the season progresses and hit our peak late October, early November," Welsch said.

Nederland Panthers

Coach: Luis Gonzalez

The Scorecard: After two straight winless seasons, the Panthers won two games last fall, beating Addenbrooke Classical Academy and Union Colony Prep. Nederland, looking to take another step forward, hasn't won more than three games since the 2011 season.

Twin Peaks Timberwolves

Coach: Zachary Klein

The Scorecard: The Timberwolves were a JV program last season under the CHSAA umbrella. Expected to move to varsity in 2022, the Timberwolves return junior Yannis Diby and sophomore Pratik Shrestha and have another strong talent in junior Chance Mueller. The team lost nine seniors from last year and two other starters to other schools, per the program.

POINT ME TO THE POSTSEASON

The regular season for all classifications will be completed Oct. 22. Postseasons begin the Week of Oct. 26. State championship games will be held Nov. 12 with each classification playing at Weidner Field in Colorado Springs.