Anne Arundel County 2008 boys soccer preview

by Brian Burden and Aaron Gray
bburden1721@hotmail.com
agray@digitalsports.com

(See photo gallery and video interviews below)

There will be plenty of new faces on the field and a couple more on the sideline as the Anne Arundel County public boys soccer league should be wide open this season. The bulk of the all-county talent from a year ago has since graduated so keep an eye out for emerging players in the county.

SEVERNA PARK: Defending county and Class 4A East Region champ Severna Park must replace stars Mike Rose (Notre Dame) and Sean Bunoski. The Falcons' biggest change comes at the top where Roy Dunshee, a letter winner at the University of South Carolina, takes over for Bob Thomas. Dunshee, who also works for Coerver Coaching, understands the pressure that comes with leading the defending county and region champs.

"There is certainly pressure to win at this school, but that is a challenge that any coach is happy to accept," Dunshee said.

Seniors Collin Lay, Matty Rogers and JD Kershaw should assume much of the scoring load. Juniors Joe Henke and Joe Kerrigan and sophomore Elliot Belchatovski lead the defensive corps in front of returning senior goalkeeper Peter Koffler, who is being pushed by junior Gavin Snyder. The Falcons went 15-4 last season.

BROADNECK: The county’s most consistent team the past few seasons was hit hard by graduation, losing seven starters from last year’s 14-2-1 region semifinalist. Four-year varsity player Alex Workman is the team’s leader while junior Guy Skord, who has grown tremendously in two varsity seasons, may break out this year for the Bruins.

A cast of sophomores, led by Cameron and Colin Rowe, Josh Schwartz and Corey Johnson, should see both their playing times and roles increase. Johnson and incumbent senior goalkeeper TJ Sackett will both see action in goal while juniors Tyler Fernandez and Matt Davis lead a talented cast of newcomers.

"I am very confident that they will continue to work hard and we should see some positive results," Broadneck coach Sean Tettemer said. "Not much has changed about our style of play and that is a good thing with a lot of new players as it will be easier for them to focus on specific tasks."

ANNAPOLIS: High-scoring senior Taylor Brummitt leads an up-and-coming Panthers squad, which has won 20 games the past two seasons. Brummitt will receive help up front from seniors Phil Howser and Uribe Sanchez and senior midfielders Mario Rojas and Mike Davidson. Seniors Matt Disher and Andrew Hosner solidify the defense in front of new starting goalkeeper Alex Strobel. Will Hammond leads a talented cast of sophomores.

"We are still figuring out the midfield a bit, and some guys need to step up their roles," Annapolis coach Tom Rankin said. "We will try to accomplish some things with time."

CHESAPEAKE: Fifth-year coach Chris Collins and the Cougars have perennially been on the verge of getting back to the county’s elite. Senior Adam Jankiewicz leads an experienced squad that includes seven seniors and 11 juniors. Junior Joey Milligan heads the defensive unit, and is joined by seniors Alex Everett and Josh Klaiss and fellow junior Jared Fohs.

"Last year, we came out with a brand-new defense so we're more experienced now," said Collins, whose team went 7-7-1. "We also had six sophomores get significant playing time last season and the overall experience is going to help."

An immeadiate void to be filled will be the one left by graduated striker Chris Saul (Longwood).

OLD MILL: Injuries and an inexperienced defense cast minor doubts in an otherwise talented Patriots squad. Senior Sean Perdomo, the team’s leading returning scorer with nine goals, may miss up to four weeks, but Senior Kei Wei Mui and junior Perry Clark are more than capable of picking up the scoring responsibilities. Junior Damien Ramos and sophomore Ryan Milligan have looked good in the midfield. Sophomore Randy Depfer and junior Jimmy Dutcher are battling in goal.

"We are still looking for a couple of guys to step up and take charge defensively," Old Mill coach Jeff Martin said.

ARUNDEL: County elder statesman Nick Jauschnegg has 11 underclassmen that could see significant time for the Wildcats as last year's 4A East semifinalist will be young, but dangerous. Sophomores Mike Kovac and Corbin McCarron have been thrust into leadership roles, although seniors Mark Miller, Steve Ravotta, Ron Mascetti, Andreas Zuluaga and Mike Dalpini will all contribute. Jauschnegg expects sophomore Billy Fowler and freshmen Logan McCarron, Aaron Callahan and Joon Lee to grow up quick.

"We are trying to be fast with ball movement and our movement off the ball," Jauschnegg said. "We’re young, but we have some talent."

NORTH COUNTY: Former Severna Park and Salisbury goalkeeper Scott McGuire takes over the Knights program and will attempt to change North County's recent losing ways. Senior team captains Andrew Parrish, Kevin Raska and David Shives will lead the way. Junior goalkeeper Denton Shively returns as well under the guidance of assistant coach Erin Moyer, a North County and AACC soccer product.

"My coaching staff and I are trying to instill a positive attitude, one of winning, in the players," McGuire said. "They have to play disciplined and very fast. I think they have conditioned a lot so far but we still have work to do."

McGuire will also look to two juniors in Wesley Taylor and John Summers. Taylor has great speed and Summers is a central defender who transferred from Cardinal Gibbons. Mount St. Joe transfer Jack Deckman has been a solid addition in the midfield.

SOUTHERN: First-year Bulldogs coach Paul Daley was an assistant coach for the Severna Park girls soccer program last year and also headed up the junior-varsity boys team at AACS for two years. He lives in the Harwood area and is familiar with his new players.

"We've got some key players back especially amongst the seniors," said Daley, who is also a free-state club coach. "Each of them will be instrumental to our success."

Seniors Jimmy Gibbons and Chris Giles each started in the midfield last season and look to pick up from where they left off. They will feed attacking midfielder Leif Frey, who Daley praised for his finishing ability.

Senior Alex Loudermilk adds depth and returning senior Pat Todaro will start at goalkeeper after overcoming some nagging back injuries. Casey Coleman will anchor the defense.

GLEN BURNIE: Third-year coach Shawn Behegan has the Gophers pointed in the right direction. Seniors Chris Calianno and Tony Hernandez are legitimate scoring threats while seniors Bryan Jackson, Nick Smith, juniors Josh Knapp and Charles Dailey and sophomore Angel Cruz are all expected to contribute.

NORTHEAST: Paul Meyers has 10 returning seniors to his Eagles squad, including shutdown defender Kyle Simmons, but it could be a first-year player that determines the Eagles’ fate.

"I am hoping that our fitness level will help us compete," Meyers said. "We have a lot of seniors returning and Kyle (Simmons) has been an all-county performer his entire varsity career."

Junior Greg Jordan, the team’s leading scorer on the junior varsity, and fellow junior Alex Gonzalez, will look to heighten Northeast’s offensive threat. Meyers plans to move Simmons around to take advantage of his skills and senior Josh Merrill will generate action from the midfield. Senior Glenn Groh returns in goal, but is getting pushed by sophomore Josh Meekins.

MEADE: Juniors Carlos Zelaya, Willy Van Meer, Jean Toussaint, Dan Cameron and sophomore Tyler Eppenstein will pace Mike Dey’s Meade Mustangs. Juniors Luke Groom and Brandon Woodard head the defense ahead of sophomore goalkeeper Tyler Hall.

SOUTH RIVER: Second-year coach Jeff Vincent is hoping younger players who got some valuable experience last season will rise to occasion this year for the Seahawks.

"We had several sophomores on varsity last year so we're still a little young in that respect," said Vincent, whose team finished 4-9 last year. "A lot of it comes with the attitude they bring to the field as far as togetherness, that will be a key for us."

Junior Mike Kane, one of the team's most skilled players, will make the switch from striker to sweeper and will pace the Seahawks' back line. One of the team's four seniors is Will Reaver, who will be in charge of distribution in the midfield.

To see updated standings, schedules, statistical leaders and game results this season, visit the Anne Arundel County boys soccer Sports Central page. All stories, pictures and videos will also be featured.

For more information on navigation or how to submit scores, please email Aaron Gray at agray@digitalsports.com.