All-America Watch List: Boys Midfielders

Throughout the season, PrepSoccer.net will focus on the top candidates for the PrepSoccer All-America honors. Today, we check out the leading boys midfield candidates for fall-playing states. There will be additional players added to the Watch List in the upcoming weeks. Also, it's important to note, some players toggle between midfield and forward and might be listed under the forwards in this go-around. From match observation and coach recommendations, here are some names to know: <p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1">TOP ALL-AMERICA CANDIDATES</span></strong></p> <p class="p1"><strong><span class="s1">(in alphabetical order)</span></strong></p> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="29151" first="Kelvin" last="Baffour"], Taft School (Conn.), Sr., Notre Dame</strong> This dynamic player scored a goal or provided an assist in every match as Taft has built a 9-0 record to start the season. While he’s a dangerous finisher, he also takes the team’s corners and has several assists in that role. <span class="s1"><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="11106" first="Alex" last="Barger"], Naperville North (Ill.), Jr., Indiana</strong></span> Barger has great field vision and awareness. He's clearly the best player on the field in every match he plays. He was one of the Great River Classic top performers, scoring two goals and assisting on two others. He factors in the scoring in every match, often through assists. He has nine goals and 12 assists this season while playing defensive center mid. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="14519" first="Ashton" last="Bilow"], New Albany (Ohio), Sr., Ohio State</strong> The Ohio State commit plays a defensive mid role for New Albany has is a major reason why the team is entering postseason with a 16-0 record and ranked among the nation’s top teams. Bilow has four goals and 16 assists. <strong>Augustine Boadi, Northfield Mount Hermon (Mass.), Sr., Boston College</strong> Boadi, a native of Accra, Ghana, is the top player for a Northfield Mount Hermon team that is off to a 6-2 start against other prep school programs. He was one of the standout performers at the 39-team NXT LVL Invitational last month. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="15040" first="Jaden" last="Dubon"], Hood River Valley (Ore.), Sr.</strong> Dubon has been part of a Hood River Valley 8-1-2 start, but it’s possible his high school season is finished. He was recently called up for the Belize Under-20 National Team as it starts CONCACAF U20 Qualification in early November. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="13645" first="Juan" last="Gomez"], Brentwood (N.Y.), Sr.</strong> Touted in the preseason as the best player in coach Ron Eden’s 40+ years in the program, Gomez is adding to his legacy. He has 14 goals and 16 assists as Brentwood is off to a 15-1 start this season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="32325" first="Sebastian" last="Green"], Northwood School (N.Y.), Sr.</strong> Green has an exceptional work rate that was on full display at the NXT LVL Invitational where he played back-to-back 90-minute matches. He is a major college prospect who is soon expected to commit. He can play in the midfield or on defense. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="11981" first="Dylan" last="Henao"], Buckingham Browne &amp; Nichols (Mass.), Sr., Boston College</strong> Calm under pressure, Henao converted a penalty kick in a clash with Hotchkiss School (Conn.), in a match with Prep School national ranking implications. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="18530" first="Molik" last="Jesse Khan"], St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.), Jr. </strong> Khan is a linking midfielder. He won’t put up big numbers, and he’s often the pass before the pass that leads to the goal, but he is an exceptional player for 10-0 St. Benedict’s. He joined the program this school year after playing in the professional league in his native Trinidad for W Connection. At age 16, Khan was the youngest player selected for Trinidad’s National Team camp. At age 17, he was added to the National Team for the 2021 Gold Cup. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="14534" first="Brock" last="Kiper"], Archbishop Moeller (Ohio), Sr., Belmont</strong> Kiper scored goals in all three of Archbishop Moeller’s matches at the NXT LVL invitational. He is the leading scorer on one of the top teams in Cincinnati and a Top 15 team in Ohio. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="14633" first="Kameron" last="Kist"], New Albany (Ohio), Sr.</strong> Kist is coming off an all-state season in 2020 and has played a major role in New Albany’s 16-0 showing this year. He has eight goals and eight assists, but more important than his stats are the opportunities he is creating for his teammates. Kist and Bilow, teammates in high school, also are club teammates for Ohio Premier. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="32328" first="TJ" last="Liquori"], Worcester Academy (Mass.), Jr.</strong> A member of the New England Revolution academy team, Liquori has proven to be a standout at Worcester Academy. He attended Worcester before transferring back to his hometown school during the pandemic only to return to Worcester this fall. Worcester started the season 7-0-3, led by Liquori. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="11533" first="Sam" last="Murphy"], North Oldham (Ky.), Sr., Louisville</strong> Murphy has been the key performer in North Oldham’s 16-0-2 start. The Louisville-bound senior has 12 goals and nine assists. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="12029" first="Jack" last="Panayotou"], Buckingham Browne &amp; Nichols (Mass.), Sr., Georgetown</strong> Panayotou puts defenses under a lot of pressure. He has played a key role in a BB&amp;N team that was undefeated until last week. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="14645" first="Luciano" last="Pechota"], St. Ignatius (Colo.), Sr., Ohio State</strong> Last year’s Ohio Mr. Soccer is having another all-state season, scoring 12 goals and adding five assists as St. Ignatius has rolled to a 16-0 start. The team has won 50 straight matches. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="29178" first="Brian" last="St. Martin"], Mount St. Joseph (Md.), Sr., Maryland</strong> St. Martin missed the early part of the season due to injury and Mount St. Joseph, which went undefeated last year, was winless. In his first match back in the lineup, he assisted the first goal and scored the winner as the Gaels defeated John Carroll 2-1. Despite missing six matches and nearly a month of play, St. Martin is the team’s leading scorer. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="14666" first="Nolan" last="Spicer"], St. Ignatius (Ohio), Jr.</strong> Spicer is one of the nation’s top junior prospects, and he’s showing it as part of a loaded St. Ignatius lineup. He has 18 goals and eight assists, which both rank third on the team this season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="15077" first="Beckett" last="Wenger"], Boyertown (Pa.), Sr., Lehigh</strong> One of the most dominating players to come out of this part of the state in years, Wenger is a candidate for state player of the year. Earlier this week, he scored all three goals to lead Boyertown to a 3-1 win over Perkiomen Valley and into this week’s Pioneer Athletic Conference title game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="12911" first="Daniel" last="Yanez"], Pingry School (N.J.), Sr., Tufts</strong> Yanez has committed to an NCAA Division III powerhouse. This high school season, he has been instrumental in Pingry’s 15-0 start. He has seven goals and three assists, and his biggest performance of the year was a two-goal, three-assist showing in Pingry’s come-from-behind win over Archbishop Moeller (Ohio). <strong>Also</strong> Tiago Assis, Woodstock Academy (Conn.), Sr. [player_tooltip player_id="29190" first="Christian" last="Bejar"], Brooks School (Mass.), Sr., Boston College Colin Blackport, Traverse City West (Mich.), Sr. [player_tooltip player_id="12143" first="Nicholas" last="Braganca"], Beverly (Mass.), Sr. [player_tooltip player_id="29154" first="Will" last="Cleary"], Loomis Chaffee (Conn.), Sr., Stanford Carmine Dipietrantnio, Bridgton Academy (Maine), Sr. Pape Diop, Proctor Academy (N.H.), Sr. Wil Essner, Jackson (Mo.), Sr. [player_tooltip player_id="12655" first="Nate" last="Grewe"], St. Dominic (Mo.), Sr. Carson Hodgson, Anchor Bay (Mich.), Sr. [player_tooltip player_id="12389" first="Tanner" last="Hodgson"], Anchor Bay (Mich.), Sr. [player_tooltip player_id="11963" first="Colin" last="Hughes"], Worcester Academy (Mass.), Sr., Colgate [player_tooltip player_id="29254" first="Lucas" last="Nesthus"], Pewaukee (Wis.), Sr., Marquette [player_tooltip player_id="18532" first="Drew" last="Pierson"], Detroit Catholic Central (Mich), Jr. [player_tooltip player_id="11675" first="Enrique" last="Schissler"], Archbishop Curley (Md.), Sr. [player_tooltip player_id="11169" first="Eli" last="Schoffstall"], Fremd (Ill.), Sr. Sean Stackhouse, Springside Chestnut Hill (Pa.), Sr. [player_tooltip player_id="15304" first="Sebastian" last="Tis"], Conestoga (Pa.), Sr. [player_tooltip player_id="11520" first="Nate" last="Traughber"], Kentucky Country Day (Ky.), Sr. [player_tooltip player_id="11864" first="Tyler" last="Tucker"], McDonogh (Md.), Jr. [player_tooltip player_id="12230" first="Wyatt" last="Walley"], Milton Academy (Mass.), Sr.