Kansas City 2021 Preseason All-Metro Boys

Kansas City straddles two states, and right now both sides of the city -- Missouri and Kansas -- are strong in soccer. Teams such as Rockhurst and a combination of the Lee’s Summit schools fare well in the top levels of Missouri soccer. Meanwhile, the Overland Park-area schools are perennially among the best in all of Kansas. Look for more of the same this year. Here’s our preseason Kansas City All-Metro squad: <strong>FORWARDS:</strong> Blue Valley Southwest senior [player_tooltip player_id="11411" first="Sam" last="Michael"] was one of three Kansas City-area players to earn Class 5A first-team all-state honors in 2020. Michael averaged nearly a goal per match last season. ... Blue Valley West senior [player_tooltip player_id="11389" first="Blake" last="Barrick"] will be the go-to man for offense this season in traditionally strong BV West. Barrick was a Class 6A second-team all-state pick in 2020. ... St. Thomas Aquinas junior Ethan Young is poised for a breakout year after starting last season as a sophomore. <strong>MIDFIELDERS:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="11399" first="Jake" last="Prather"] of Olathe East was the lone underclassman on the Kansas 6A all-state team last year. Prather sparked Olathe East’s surprise run to the 6A state final last year. This year, he’s part of a new-look team as the long-time head coach has retired and Kansas City coaching legend Chris Lawson inherits the program. Lawson guided Rockhurst Jesuit to 21 state semifinal appearances during his 25-year career at the school. ... Blue Valley North senior [player_tooltip player_id="11403" first="Luke" last="Mohess"] was a second-team all-state pick last year and was one of the standouts at a recent summer camp for returning Kansas City-area players. ... Olathe Northwest junior [player_tooltip player_id="11407" first="Noah" last="Conover"] is one of two underclassmen on this list. He was a Class 6A second-team all-state pick last year. ... Blue Valley West senior and Olathe West senior [player_tooltip player_id="11393" first="Elyes" last="Ellouz"] both were Class 6A second-team all-state honorees in 2020. <strong>DEFENDERS:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="11410" first="Ryder" last="Barrett"] anchors what is projected to be a very strong Rockhurst defense this fall. Last year, 14 defenders earned Class 4A all-state mention and Barrett was one of two underclassmen in the group. ... St. Thomas Aquinas has long been known for its stellar defense, and it will be up to [player_tooltip player_id="11398" first="Jacob" last="Muckerman"] to lead that effort in 2021. Muckerman was a first-team all-state pick last year as Aquinas won the 5A state title. <strong>GOALKEEPER: </strong>The Sporting Blue Valley Academy keeper, [player_tooltip player_id="12671" first="Ryan" last="Thompson"] also is a high school standout. He earned first-team all-state honors after helping Rockhurst to an 18-3-1 season. Thompson gets the nod as the top goalkeeper, St. Thomas Aquinas senior Carter Diggs also is worth mentioning. Diggs was a first-team all-state pick last year in Kansas’ Class 5A. [table id=81 /]