Howard County 2022 high school boys soccer season preview: Strong competition expected in balanced league with no clear favorite
Sep. 2—Several Howard County boys soccer teams lost impact players with just three of the 14 first team All-County performers from last season returning. According to the coaches, there doesn't appear to be a clear frontrunner for the top team in the county, but Centennial, Glenelg, Mt. Hebron and River Hill are expected to be near the top.
All 12 Howard County teams are split amongst Class 2A West and Class 3A East. Glenelg, Hammond and Oakland Mills are all part of 2A West Region II, while Centennial, Howard, Marriotts Ridge and Mt. Hebron make up 3A East Region I. Atholton, Long Reach, Reservoir, River Hill and Wilde Lake are in 3A East Region II.
The regular season concludes on Oct. 22 with regional playoffs beginning Oct. 26 and concluding with the regional final on Nov. 1. State quarterfinals will be played on Nov. 4-5 followed by the semifinals on Nov. 11-12. The state championships are Nov. 17-19 played at Loyola University's Ridley Athletic Complex.
Here's a look at the Howard County teams: (note: not all teams responded to requests for information)
Atholton
Coach: Derek Phillips, third season
Last season: 6-6
Top returners: Seniors Jacob Fato (F), Luke Kudwa (CDM), Rayjan Khadka (F); junior Daniel Barrett
Newcomer to watch: Junior Paul Kim
On the field: Fato headlines the Raiders' returners, finishing with seven goals and five assists as a junior. Khadka will provide added depth at forward, posting six goals in 2021. Barrett helps to guide Atholton's offense from the midfield, finishing with 12 assists in his sophomore season.
Coach's outlook: I think there is some great competition ahead of us. It will be a tough season and we are up for the challenge.
Centennial
Coach: Justin Thomas, sixth season
Last season: 10-3-1
Top returners: Seniors Kartik Sullivan (GK), Adam Fowble (F), Riley Sinisi (F), Omar Hassan (M), Tim Hanrahan (M); sophomore Noah Kantsiper (D)
Newcomers to watch: Senior Kodee Karcher (M); junior Caleb Addalia (D/GK); sophomores Calvin Kraisser (D), Ben Fang (D)
On the field: The Eagles lost a trio of first team All-County performers in forward Eddie Aguilar, midfielder Cameron Grable and defender Sammy Molz. However, a plethora of returners on both ends of the field gives Centennial a lot of experience and depth.
Coach's outlook: We have a big senior class which has its benefits but could also be a pitfall. The quicker we instill a team-first mentality with strong player leadership, the better our chances to succeed this year.
Chapelgate Christian
Coach: Trip Beans, second season
Last season: 3-13
Top returners: Seniors Mateo Idler, Daniel Grimes; juniors Ali Alvandi, James Stevens, Matias Perez; sophomores JL Lewis, Andrew Weisgerber
Newcomers to watch: Junior Trey McNair; freshman Kai D'Angelo
On the field: The Yellow Jackets have a strong mix of new and returning players as they look to capture the program's first IAAM C Conference crown since 2006.
Coach's outlook: With the influx of new players and the returning core, the team is looking to make a big stride forward in the league. The growth of the roster was a big step in the overall growth of the team. The boys are looking to challenge the upper schools in our division.
Glenelg
Coach: Joey Osborne, eighth season
Last season: 10-3-3, Class 2A semifinalist
Top returners: Seniors Siji Jolayemi (F), DJ Anderson (D), Nevin Shatzer (D), Russell Minni (M); juniors Vaughn Sines (M), Dylan Ma (D)
Newcomer to watch: Senior Joey Samsock (GK)
On the field: Jolayemi was a first team All-County selection last season as the Gladiators leading scorer with 14 goals. However, the Gladiators lost first team All-County goalie Katen Gulati to graduation, as Samsock steps into the starting role this year.
Coach's outlook: We are hoping to continue with the success that we had last year. We return six starters and have many others who gained valuable experience during the playoff run last year. We hope to be competitive in the county again this year and make another playoff run.
Hammond
Coach: Elliot Quinteros, second season
Last season: 1-14
Top returners: Seniors: Diego Carino (M), Jack Taylor (D); junior Eliot O'Neil (M)
Newcomer to watch: Junior Luis Carino (M)
On the field: Diego Carino was a second team All-County selection last season and figures to be a focal point of the Golden Bears offense this season.
Coach's outlook: After a rough first season, the team improved throughout the season. We graduated 13 players so the team will be very young and eager to improve. Solid leadership from returning players should make the team much stronger.
Howard
Coach: Nils Schroeder, 14th season
Last season: 6-6
Top returners: Seniors Will Tom (F), Luke Ryerson (GK); junior Logan Ehart (D)
On the field: Both Tom and Ryerson were honorable mention All-County last season and are expected to be some of the team's leaders. Ehart was the only sophomore to be named first team All-County in 2021 and helped the Lions build a strong defensive unit.
Coach's outlook: We are young and looking forward to the year. We have five underclassmen on the team who will look to contribute as well as many transitioning to varsity after very successful JV careers.
Long Reach
Coach: Sylvanus Alves, eighth season
Last season: 2-11
Top returners: Seniors Hassan Sharieff (ST), Sebastian Moscoso (M), Kevin Rubi (M), Diego Chufan (M), Alexander Mohamed (M), Marco Arteaga (D), Daniel Cortes (D)
Newcomers to watch: Cristian Argueta, Steven Casasola, Ryan Ebong, Alan Baltazar, Bryan Martinez
On the field: The Lightning return a wealth of experience with nine seniors and will look to use that to improve on last season.
Coach's outlook: The focus this year is experience and growth. Current players possess the chemistry missing in years past. With the return of nine seniors, this promises to be a good season. I think our players learned from that experience of losing several close games at the last minute.
Marriotts Ridge
Coach: Quinn Khouri, sixth season
Last season: 6-6
Top returners: Seniors Evan Lyons (M), Ryan Zhong (F), Mahmoud Babkir (M)
Newcomers to watch: Juniors Ryan Jackson (M), Aidan Houck (GK)
On the field: The Mustangs lost some great talent from last season, but have the trio of seniors to lean on for veteran leadership.
Coach's outlook: Considerable turnover in the roster but very excited about the returning players and some of the younger guys who came up and were an important part of the program by the end of last season.
Mt. Hebron
Coach: Mike Linsenmeyer, 23rd season
Last season: 12-2-1, Class 3A state quarterfinalist
Top returners: Seniors Mark Adja (F), Cooper Strohman (GK), Ahmad Alamad (M), Dishan Reddy (D); junior Joaquin Donnelly (D); sophomore Shalom Adja (F)
Newcomer to watch: Sophomore Jonathan Sanchez (M)
On the field: Mark Adja was a first team All-County selection in 2021 with six goals and three assists and figures to play a more prominent role offensively this year with the loss of Jimmy Linsenmeyer to graduation. The Vikings also lost a pair of first team All-County midfielders they'll look to replace in Liam McCaffrey and Lewis Hollander.
Coach's outlook: The team has plenty of skill, works hard and is committed to working hard in practice. Qualities that usually lead to a successful season. Hopefully, we can reach our full potential.
Oakland Mills
Coach: Trevor Shea, first season
Last season: 5-7-2
Top returners: Seniors Sam Santos (F), Marcos Palacios (F), Julien Vereen (D); juniors Bryan Gomez-Solis (D), Devon Stoutenborough (M)
Newcomer to watch: Senior Muizz Salman (M)
On the field: Shea, a former Oakland Mills standout player, takes over the program. He was head coach at Wilde Lake for six seasons. Oakland Mills has great depth at the forward position, with several capable goal scorers.
Coach's outlook: We are looking to build around our Seniors and get better as the season progresses. We want to be competitive and learn from each game. Santos provides us with a scoring threat that can score on any given play. Salman is a dynamic wing player that can play defense and contribute when joining the attack.
Reservoir
Coach: Nick Valenti, second season
Last season: 7-5
Top returning players: Seniors Noah Gantt (ST), Mang Tuang (M); juniors Graham Leary (M), Clark Anglin (D)
Newcomer to watch: Sophomore Adam Hunt
On the field: Gantt figures to be a key part of the Gators offense this season after scoring four goals in three games last season, missing significant time with injury. The Gators will look to make up for the loss of two-year captain Chris Gunning in the midfield.
Coach's outlook: We're a young team but we have experience within that youth and a few exciting new additions. We need a few of those players to step up and replace a few very good, graduated players.
River Hill
Coach: Matt Shagouge, 17th season
Last season: 11-4
Top returners: Senior Jason Jia (M); junior Dylan Martinez (CB); sophomore Zach Glass (GK)
Newcomers to watch: Allan Ying, Sam Van Ert, Tomi Mumuney, Max Guzman, Logan Aranda, Mohammad Emira, Xavier Cazeau
On the field: Martinez and Glass will be integral parts of the Hawks defensive unit, as Martinez is a two-year starter. Jia will look to make a more substantial impact this season after missing much of last year with a concussion.
Coach's outlook: This is one of the youngest teams I've had in 17 years. There are two freshmen and six sophomores on the varsity roster. Although there are several young players, our senior leadership will provide balance and direction for the team throughout the season. This is a group of very hard-working young men who are eager to learn. Expect to see growth throughout the year as the players gain experience.
