High school boys soccer team season previews

The high school boys soccer season began Aug. 11.

Here are season previews for each school in The Holmes Bargain Hunter’s coverage area:

Hiland

The Hawks failed to advance to regionals last year for the first time since 2017, falling in the district finals.

They return a bunch of key players from last year’s team, though, so getting back to regionals and possibly beyond could be in their future this season.

“We have a very experienced team returning this year,” said 24th-year coach Scott Bodiker, whose team went 13-7 last season. “I don’t know that we will be all that different (from last season). We have a lot of key players returning, and I think they are physically and mentally tougher and more mature than they were a year ago.”

Hiland returns 12 letterwinners from last year’s team including seniors Charlie Kellogg (forward/midfielder), Zach Gingerich (forward), Corban Miller (midfielder), Tom Leinbach (defender), Logan Hershberger (forward), Sam Anderson (defender), Jonas Risner (defender) and Alex Jones (defender) and juniors Jackson Mullet (midfielder), Caedon Hershberger (forward), Ohlen Troyer (midfielder) and Zeke Bodiker (midfielder). Promising newcomers include junior Kayden Miller (defender) and sophomores Rowen Miller (forward), Perrin Miller (defender) and Chase Coblentz (goalkeeper).

“We have a well-balanced team,” coach Bodiker said. “We return experience in all lines — defense, midfield and forward. I think we have good scoring threats, and I expect our defense will continue to develop and be a strong unit as well.”

Hiland’s defense will be a bit of a work in progress to start the season.

“Our defense needs to step up and be a little more consistent,” coach Bodiker said. “I’m confident that they can and will. We will need to continue to work at building depth throughout the season, but I’m confident that we have a lot of capable players.”

West Holmes

The Knights were one of the youngest teams in the area — and probably the state — last season.

Featuring several players with limited or no previous soccer experience, West Holmes finished the year 0-18 overall and 0-7 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference.

Although the Knights are going to take plenty of lumps this season, veteran coach Joshua Wengerd is optimistic about the program’s direction.

“This year we are a more serious bunch,” said Wengerd, who is entering his second year as head coach but has been involved with either the West Holmes boys or girls soccer team for 15 years overall, serving as girls head coach from 2008-15. “The boys were more committed in the offseason than last year. We have a core group that came to most of the preseason activities that we had available — conditioning, training, summer league games (and) open fields. I feel that we started the season having done a lot of work in the offseason and with more confidence and knowing each other’s abilities, strengths and weaknesses. That is important for a team.

“Being my second year in this role has helped the boys know what I expect. They know the style I want to play. They understand those roles better than they did last year. Just having another year under their belts is good. The freshmen that joined the squad this year have past soccer experience, so they will contribute from day one.

“When you don’t have enough players to field a junior varsity team, it’s tough to compete sometimes. The players miss that opportunity to grow and develop into a varsity player. We just throw them out there against other varsity players, and it can be a big learning curve for a young player even with a lot of experience. It’s hard for a 14-year-old boy to play physically against an 18-year-old man.”

West Holmes returns eight letterwinners including seniors Braylon Porter (goalkeeper) and Alex Zaugg (defender); juniors Travis Jamison (midfielder), Sami Latouf (midfielder) and Alex Pringle (midfielder); and sophomores Jackson Gilley (forward), Miles Mallasch (midfielder) and Patrick Weaver (midfielder). Promising newcomers include senior Tristin Middaugh (defender); juniors Garrett Miller (defender) and Carsen Barnhart (defender); and freshmen Garrett Obrst (midfielder/forward), David Bower (forward), Dante Crayton (midfielder), Kyden Porter (defender) and Hudsun Troyer (defender/midfielder).

“Our team strength this year is that it actually feels like a team,” Wengerd said. “Last year it was kind of cliquey. We had players that were still missing the old coach, players that were eager to play for the new coach, players that were young (and) players that were older. It didn’t always feel like a team. This year it feels like a team. I think our chemistry will be our biggest strength. It is going to be rough at times, and I am counting on that team attitude to get us through those tough times. We are also going to have some positive times, and that will only add to the bond these boys are building.”

A lack of players in the program will likely hinder the Knights again this season.

“Our weakness is low numbers, not having that developmental JV level, youth and inexperience,” Wengerd said. “This group of boys will keep playing and learning and getting better. They have made tremendous gains since last season. They will gain experience through playing. It’s difficult for the older players to put so much into a sport and not have the success in terms of wins that you’d like, but they are setting a good example for the younger guys, and we will have some success this year. The phrase I’ve been using is that we ‘are trending in the right direction.’

“We also have a middle school team (school/OHSAA affiliated), and I think that will be a big step in getting and keeping our numbers up as well. West Holmes started soccer in 1991, and in 2023 it feels like we actually have a feeder program in place. I mean no disrespect to any of the other organizations that sponsored soccer for that age group in the past. The middle school boys have 16 or 17 players in their first year, many of whom have played together since first grade, so that is what is coming in the future to my program. The numbers will come. The JV team will return. We are rebuilding slowly but sustainably.”

Wengerd expects his team to struggle in OCC play again this season but hopes to see the margins of defeat decrease from what they have been in recent years.

“The Ohio Cardinal Conference is brutal,” he said. “We will finish at the bottom again this year. Our goal is to start closing the gaps on some of the lopsided losses we’ve had the past couple of years.”

Loudonville

The Redbirds bring back more experience this season than nearly every team 12th-year coach Steve Seaman has had during his time at Loudonville.

“With six returning seniors and 11 returning lettermen, this year’s team will be more experienced than all but one of the Loudonville boys soccer teams in the past 12 years,” said Seaman, whose team finished last year with an 8-9-2 overall mark and a 1-3 record in Mid-Buckeye Conference play.

Returning letterwinners include seniors Keltin Baker (forward), Easton Edwards (defender/forward), Zeke Hershberger (defender), Brendon Hess (midfielder), Aidan Neibert (midfielder/forward) and Sam Sly (defender); juniors Christian Gutierrez (midfielder), Caleb Hammitt (defender) and Brayden McQuillen (goalkeeper/defender); and sophomores Hudson Endslow (forward/defender) and Dylan Hammitt (forward/midfielder). They’ll be joined by promising freshmen newcomers Wes Fogle (forward/defender), Kaden Luyster (defender/goalkeeper), Collin McQuillen (forward) and Brayson Youngen (forward/defender).

“We hope that our work ethic and togetherness will be the obvious strength of this team,” Seaman said. “We have been blessed with some technical players, but if fans walk away most impressed with how hard we play and how unified we are, we will consider that a success.”

Seaman knows his team will face stiff competition — per usual — in the MBC this season.

“We are working to compete with the best teams in our tradition-rich and talent-laden league,” he said. “There are no weak teams on our league schedule.”

Triway

Jarrod Snell might be entering his first season as the boys soccer coach at Triway, but he has plenty of returning experience on the pitch that he can lean on.

The Titans, who lost just two lettermen from a year ago, have a solid group of eight seniors back to build on — defenders Braidyn Flinner, Zane Kota, Hunter Snell and Wyatt Wood; midfielder Mason Mathis; forwards Jagger Hyatt and Gabe Ison; and goalkeeper Aeron Meshew.

“This year’s team is very senior-heavy, and the senior leadership is a major part of this team,” Snell said. “All of the seniors have welcomed the newcomers with open arms, helping each of them throughout the offseason and into the start of the season.”

Giving the Titans an even dozen lettermen returning are juniors Zach George, Landon Hochstetler, Conner Carr and Ethan Wade.

Mathis and Ison will lead the Triway offensive attack while Kota is a strong, physical defender and Snell a versatile player who can play all over the field.

There’s no substitute for experience, either, as well as the chemistry developed from the players being familiar with each other.

“I expect the team’s strengths to be communication and leadership,” Snell said. “Camaraderie is another strength that I am looking forward to for the season. Most of the guys have played together for lots of years.”

Snell said the players will need to adjust to a new coach and “a new vision” for the program.

For now, though, that vision includes vying for contention in the Principals Athletic Conference.

“I believe the PAC-7 will be pretty competitive this season,” Snell said. “I see this team in the top third of the league.”