East Suburban Catholic Conference

Joliet Catholic

Coach: Tom Cranmer (15th season)

Last season’s record: 5-17-1

Top returners: Diego Rios, jr., MF; Aidan Medina, sr., GK; Liam Connolly, sr., D; Leonardo Marquez, sr., F; Marco Heald, jr., MF; Charlie Czerkies, jr., MF

Key newcomers: Liam Condron, so., D; Jackson Kodiak, so., MF; Louis Czerkies, so., MF; Lukas Klein, jr., F

Worth noting: The Hilltoppers finished last in the conference and will be looking to improve on that mark. However, they still managed to advance to the regional final where they lost, so that’s something to build on in Cranmer’s 15th season. They’ll be hoping for better health after a litany of injuries in 2023. But with those injuries came a lot of experience for various players. Cranmer estimates he has about 10 starters back in addition to others who got significant minutes. Rios made the All-Conference team after scoring 11 goals while chipping in five assists. Medina was All-Sectional honorable mention and had 182 saves on the year. “We are hoping to build off of last year to be competitive in an extremely difficult conference, compete for another BodyARMOR title and win a regional that has been within grasp that last two years,” Cranmer said.

Southwest Prairie Conference

Joliet Central

Coach: Ulises Ornelas (second season)

Last season’s record: 6-14-3

Top returners: Ricardo Camacho, jr., F; Gael Rojas, sr., MF; Braulio Gutierrez, sr., MF; Juan Camilo Burgos, sr., F

Key newcomers: Alexis Guzman, jr., MF; Juan Mendoza, jr., MF; Chris Torres, so., GK; Miguel Guzman, fr., MF

Worth noting: Out of context, 6-14-3 may not look like a particularly impressive record. Within context, Ornelas gave one of the best coaching performances of the season. In his first season at the helm, taking over a long struggling program that was coming off an 0-22 season, he guided the Steelmen to six victories and three draws with virtually an entirely new team. This year, the goal is to continue little improvements, particularly in the Southwest Prairie Conference, where Joliet Central won just one game with two draws and eight losses. Still, that was a move up from last place to 10th place in the standings. They’ll lean on Camacho and Burgos, who combined to score 14 goals last season, as well as seniors in Rojas and Gutierrez.

Joliet West

Coach: Alan Stewart (first season)

Last season’s record: 7-13-3

Top returners: Jake Polacek, sr.; Tommy Polacek, sr., Alex Mendoza, jr.; Ivan Moreno, jr.

Worth noting: It was a down year for the program in 2023. After winning the program’s third regional title in 2022 and advancing to a sectional final with 17 wins, the Tigers fell to just seven wins in Neil Lucchetti’s lone season at the helm. Stewart, who has seen tremendous success with the girls team, now takes over for the boys. They’ll have a pair of seniors to lead them in the Polaceks, in addition to experienced players in Mendoza and Moreno. Stewart said there’s a large junior class and three sophomores ready to step up. Stewart will be hoping to get the Tigers back to their 2022 form sooner rather than later.

Minooka

Coach: Nate Spriggs (eighth season)

Last season’s record: 11-7-5

Top returners: Noah Allen, sr., F; Andrew Calderon, jr., MF; Ethan Koranda, jr., MF

Key newcomers: Aldo Escobedo, fr.; F; Armani Davenport, fr.; MF; Seth Koranda, fr., D; Cayle Bomstad, so.; MF; Landon Currie, so., D

Worth noting: It was a strong year for the Indians as they went 5-4-2 in conference play and advanced to a regional championship where they lost to Moline 3-1. Now, they’re back and ready to keep going. Allen leads the way in his third year on varsity after scoring six goals last season. Calderon also is in his third year on varsity and put up six goals with four assists last year. Koranda added seven goals and six assists to lead the team and also is a three-year varsity lettermen. Springs said, “We return key starters, will add in talented newcomers and hope to stay competitive against a challenging schedule. A solid backline should solidify our defense, and we will work to put pressure on our opponents on the offensive end by utilizing our team speed. Offensively, the key to our success will be our center-mids controlling the middle of the field. Team chemistry, senior leadership and our player’s work ethic will hopefully lead to a successful season.”

Plainfield Central

Coach: Kevin Fitzgerald (23rd season)

Last season’s record: 15-5-2 4-13-5

Top returners: Marshall DeGraff, jr., GK; Sebastian Chavez, sr., F; Abraham Contreras, sr., D

Worth noting: It was a big turn around season for Central after it went from 4-13-5 to 15-5-2 last season. The team will look to keep that momentum going in the 23rd year of the Fitzgerald era. Contreras, Chavez and DeGraff bring leadership to the Wildcats.

Plainfield East

Coach: Jacob Lysik (second season)

Last season’s record: 13-5

Top returners: J.P. Escobar, sr., MF; Justin Fuernstahl, jr., MF

Key newcomers: Tristian Rosas, jr., D; Carmelo Sah, jr., D; Carlos Nuno, so., D; Brayden Mooney, so., MF/F

Worth noting: It’s the second year of the Lysik era after last season’s tremendous success for the Bengals. Lysik, a former Lincoln-Way Central star, led Plainfield East to a second-place conference finish and a spot in the regional final. Naperville North brought Plainfield East’s season to an end, but it was a run to be proud of for the Bengals. After graduating 19 seniors, Plainfield East may need time to get its younger players seasoned, but having Escobar will help after he made the All-Sectional team last year and was named a team captain this season. Lysik said, “Our area is loaded with talent, which always makes it hard. This year I believe we will have some growing pains, but then come on late towards the end of the year.”

Plainfield North

Coach: Lukasz Majewski (fifth season)

Last season’s record: 10-7-4

Top returners: Ben Feldman, sr., GK; Sam Zito, sr., D; Joel Martinez, so., MF; Luis Sanchez, jr., MF; Franco Messer, sr., MF; Johnny Martinez, sr., MF

Key newcomers: Eli Bell, so., D; Adam Tinsley, so., D; Moise Olivier, sr., F

Worth noting: The Tigers dropped from 18 wins in 2022 to 10 in 2023, but given how much they lost from that 2022 group, that’s rather impressive. 17 seniors graduated in 2022 with only four players returning. To make it out 10-7-4 showed strong resiliency. Plainfield North will have far more experience this year with four seniors returning and a pair of underclassmen in Sanchez and Joel Martinez who gained valuable experience as a freshman. Nine of 11 starters are back for the Tigers. Majewski expressed excitement for Bell, Tinsley and Olivier as newcomers. It’s always a tough conference, but Majewski expressed confidence in this year’s team and potential.

Romeoville

Coach: Nick Cirrincione (15th season)

Last season’s record: 17-6-3

Top returners: Kameron McShaw, sr., F; Diego Garcia, jr., MF; Leo Soto, sr., D; Angel Bracho, sr., MF; Fabian Rodriguez, sr., D; Peter Escareno, sr., D

Key newcomers: Saul Garcia, so., GK; Joshua Cervantes, fr., F; Juan Camacho, fr., D

Worth noting: Two years removed from their state runner-up finish, the Spartans are coming off a 7-2-2 record in conference play and advanced to the sectional semifinals. On one hand, Romeoville lost a lot of senior leadership and statistical production from last year’s team. On the other, it has some solid veteran leadership returning, and this is a squad that’s been on a historic run. In year No. 15 Cirrincione knows how to put a team together. Cirrincione said, “We lost a lot of seniors from last year and looking to be competitive in every game this year.”

SouthWest Suburban Conference

Bolingbrook

Coach: Nick Trotter (figth season)

Last season’s record: 11-6-4

Top returners: Connor Capp, sr., D; Ignacio Escamilla, sr., F; Chase Beals, sr., F; Aiden Montes, sr., F

Key newcomers: Julian Villalobos, so., MF

Worth noting: For the second consecutive season, the Raiders will return the overwhelming majority of their production. Nine starters and 15 players overall return from a solid squad. They’ll be led by Escamilla, who is committed to play soccer for the University of Memphis, a Division I program. With so many seniors on the team, look for this group to potentially be the best yet.

Lincoln-Way Central

Coach: Dave Brown (fifth season)

Last season’s record: 14-4-1

Top returners: Connor Pate, jr., MF/F; Jamison Stockrahm, sr., MF, Matty Bettenhausen, sr., D; Reilly Follett, sr., MF/F

Worth noting: The Knights continued their success last year despite losing much of their production from the year before. Brown said there won’t be many newcomers to the program, but those returning should take on even bigger roles with the experience they gained last season. Brown said, “Our expectations each year are to be an organized, blue collar, gritty defensive team that can then transition into a dynamic and creative attacking threat. We hope to be a highly competitive group that achieves success through our team approach. We have some experienced players that have been around the varsity team for a while that find themselves in new roles, and it will be exciting to see them grow into impact players throughout the season.”

Lincoln-Way East

Coach: Matthew Ribbens (fifth season)

Last season’s record: 9-10-1

Top returners: Noah Brown, sr., GK; Finnegan Warner, sr., D; Liam Treacy, sr., D/MF; Josh Mensching, sr., F; Brian McCracken, sr., MF; Kam Williams, sr., MF

Key newcomers: Sam Hernandez, sr.; D; Owen Bohren, so., MF/F; Dennis Apraku, sr., MF/F, Mateo Espinosa, so., MF

Worth noting: The Griffins are a team to watch. After a 3-8 start, Lincoln-Way East closed the season at 6-2-1 in its final nine games. McCracken made the All-Conference list while Williams was All-Conference and All-Sectional with four goals and five assists. Williams has had communication with a pair of D-I programs in Rhode Island and St. Louis. Apraku is a newcomer in name only as he had three assists and three goals last year. Brown is a four-year varsity player while Treacy has the ability to play multiple positions. With 19 seniors, experience and leadership shouldn’t be a problem. Ribbens said, “I have been waiting for this team for the past four years. Great character group who loves the game of soccer. They are a dream group to coach. I have very high expectations for this group. There is not a game on our schedule that I don’t think we can win.”

Lincoln-Way West

Coach: Matt Laude (eighth season)

Last season’s record: 7-12-2

Top returners: Adrian Ontiveros, jr., D; Cohen Cox, jr., F; Danny Maeder, sr., F; Reece Eggener, sr. MF; Karter Kelderhouse, jr., F; James Benefield, sr., D; Sam Irigoyen, sr., D

Key newcomers: Phil Obiala, so., F; Marcel Lepionka, jr., MF; Jackson Hirschboeck, jr., MF

Worth noting: The Warriors finished fourth in their conference and advanced to the regional finals where they lost to Andrew, so don’t let the win-loss record fool you. Many of last year’s standouts were sophomores who are back for more. On top of that, Lincoln-Way West only graduated two everyday starters from last year’s group, so they are quite an experienced team. Laude said, “I am excited to see what this year’s team is going to bring to the table after another year of development with their clubs. We are looking to turn some heads and surprise everyone with our explosive offense and solidified defense.”

Lockport

Coach: Chris Beal (15th season)

Last season’s record: 14-5-1

Top returners: Ismael Gomez, sr., MF; Alex Miczek, sr., MF; Troy Seibert, sr., F; Jacob Hareza, jr., F; Andrew Farina, sr., D

Key newcomers: Aleko Kolliniatis, fr., MF, Sebastian Gryglak, jr., MF; Kacper Sikon, jr., MF

Worth noting: It was another outstanding season for the Porters as they finished first in their conference. Four returning seniors should provide excellent depth and leadership, while Hareza is an experienced talent as well. Keep an eye on Kolliniatis as any freshman expected to take on a big role must have talent. It’s year No. 15 for Beal, so you can always expect him to field a solid team. Beal said, “I believe that we can have a successful season. I think we have a good blend of attacking talent, athleticism and defensive players that will form a good balanced team. I also feel that we have good leadership, character and drive as an overall group.”

Chicago Catholic League

Providence

Coach: Mike Taylor

Last season’s record: 10-8-2

Top returners: Luke McAlister, sr., GK; Dean Lavvas, sr.; D; Lucas Garcia, D, sr.; Jimmy Piko, sr., MF; Jovanny Gonzales, so., MF; Billy Savarino, so., MF; Cameron Klene, so., MF

Key newcomers: Jake Armstrong, sr., F; Max Armstrong, jr., D; Gavin Parks, jr., MF; Aldo Dominguez, jr., F; Xavier Hernandez, fr., MF; Luca Bullion, fr., D; Christian Hofferica, fr., MF/D

Worth noting: Talk about a turn around. After going winless in 2022 with just two wins in 2021, new coach Mike Taylor turned this group into a winning team. The Celtics finished fourth in the conference and lost in regionals. They have four senior captains in McAlister, Lavvas, Garcia and Piko, and that leadership should help. Taylor said, “Providence is looking to take that next step with the influx of new players and a good group of freshmen we are starting to build from the bottom up. Our key will be how the new players jell with the returning starters and staying injury free.”

South Suburban Conference

Lemont

Coach: Rick Prangen (33rd season)

Last season’s record: 8-9-4

Top returners: Tyler Chrisman, sr., MF; Vincenzo Mancini, sr., MF; Ali Nabulsi, sr., D

Key newcomers: Andre Guzy, so., F; Faraz Ayub, sr., MF/D; Billy Eliadis, sr., MF/F

Worth noting: A year after Lemont won a regional championship and advanced to a Class 2A sectional final, they came back down to earth a bit in the regular season. It still managed a nice postseason run, advancing to the regional finals before falling to Chicago Washington. There are some building blocks in place to pick up where Lemont left off. Chrisman was an All-State performer last season after scoring six goals and compiling 11 assists while Mancini was an All-Conference performer after scoring three goals. Eight of 11 starters are back and Prangen said much of the roster is made up of seniors. Lemont should undoubtedly improve last year’s win-loss record, and Prangen believes they could compete for a conference and sectional title.

Illinois Central Eight Conference

Coal City

Coach: Steven McCleary (ninth season)

Last season’s record: 5-13-1

Top returners: Sam Sterba, sr., D; Dane Noffsinger, jr., MF; Julian Micetich, jr., MF; Carter Nicholson, so., GK

Key newcomers: Aidan Kenney, jr., D; Carter Hollis, fr., MF

Worth noting: The Coalers had a young squad last season, but this year will see a ton of veterans returning. The team should continue growing with only the one seasoned senior in Sterba. Nicholson earned valuable experience in the net as a freshman, and Hollis shows a lot of talent as a freshman earning varsity time. McCleary said, “The boys have worked hard this summer and have really taken a big step that we feel really good heading into this year. There is a lot of excitement which is giving us a lot of confidence heading into the season. Coming from 5-13 last year, we are hoping to have a major turn in our record this year and compete up at the top of our conference.”

Reed-Custer

Coach: Andy Gleixner (19th season)

Last season’s record: 5-14-1

Top returners: Wyatt Crater, sr., D; Josh Conger, sr., GK; Brady Shultz, sr., F; Jayden Bustos, jr., F

Key newcomers: Matthew Kuban, fr., MF

Worth noting: There are a handful of experienced veterans back for Reed-Custer. Conger was named to the All-Sectional team while Crater was All-Conference, All-Sectional and a team captain this year. Schultz is the leading returning scorer with eight goals last season. Senior Jack Krall and sophomore Damian Andrade return as well with Gleixner expressing excitement for their growth. Gleixner also expressed high expectations in general for this year’s team, saying, “This team is very unselfish and I feel like we can get 6-10 guys in the double-digit goal category. We are very excited for this season. Our goal is to have the most successful boys team in the last 20 years.”

Peotone

Coach: Ryan Murray

Last season’s record: 12-9

Top returners: Nate Wehrmann, jr., MF; Santino Petrizzi, so., MF/F

Key newcomers: Ben Beidon, fr., MF; Sebastian Budz, fr., MF; Tristan Drabik, so., GK

Worth noting: It’s going to be a young team this year with a junior and sophomore leading the returning group. Coming off a strong season, Peotone will look to continue to build the program. Murray said, “Our goal this year is to compete for a regional title and continue to build the program for long term success. Peotone Hosts the Rivals Cup tournament and invites strong teams from around the area to compete. We captured third place last year and look to match or exceed that this year.”

Interstate 8 Conference

Morris

Coach: David Valdivia

Last season’s record: 11-10-0

Top returners: Jason Ajlan, sr., MF; Connor Ahearn, sr., D; Aric Huettaman, sr., D; Angel Valderrama, sr., MF; Ty Justice, sr., GK; Chris Ochoa, sr., F; Dylan Cleek, jr., MF

Key newcomers: Xander Braun, so., D, Noah Trejo, so., D; Grant Sparrow, so., MF; August Valdivia, so., F; Sébastien Serna, fr., MF

Worth noting: The bad news: Kalen Carver, who had five hat tricks last year, is gone along with four other senior starters. The good news: Nearly everyone back in the starting lineup is a senior with plenty of experience. Ajilan, Ahearn and Huettaman are team captains, which should help the newer players come along quickly. The newer players are young with four sophomores and a freshman looking to fill the empty lineup spots. While that could bode well for the future, it’s not the best news right now. Valdivia said, “We are very young, but we are very technical. This team went to SIUE for summer camp and has been working very hard over the summer. We also have a deep bench of players who can come in, fill in and make a huge difference. We will surprise a lot teams this year as we have changed the style of play.”