A-A Game Preview: Boys Forwards

Today, we size up the forwards who were selected to participate in this weeks’ Boys High School All-America Game, which will be held Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn. The match will be live-streamed on PrepSoccer.net. <strong>EAST</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="14339" first="Noah" last="Behrmann"], Carmel Christian (N.C.), Clemson</strong> <strong>Coach:</strong> Jeff Dresser <strong>Career Goals:</strong> 17; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 24 <strong>Honors:</strong> Team MVP, All-Region and All-State while leading Carmel Christian to a state title in 2020. … Team MVP, first-team all-conference and All-State in 2019. … Team MVP and second-team all-conference in 2018. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="15066" first="Anthony" last="DiFalco"], Franklin (Pa.)</strong> <strong>Coach:</strong> Thomas Louisy <strong>Career Goals:</strong> 111; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 73 <strong>Honors:</strong> Local and state postseason honors for fall 2021 have yet to be announced. … In 2020, named Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Tribune-Review Westmoreland County, WPIAL Class AAA Section 4 and WPIAL Class AAA Player of the Year. … Also earned WPIAL all-section, all-WPIAL and All-State honors, along with United Soccer Coaches All-Region and All-America. … Nominated for the Gatorade Player of the Year award. … In 2019, named WPIAL Class AA Section 4 and WPIAL Class AAA Player of the Year. … Also earned WPIAL Class AAA all-section, al-WPIAL and All-State honors, along with United Soccer Coaches All-Region and All-America. … In 2018, named WPIAL Class AAA all-section and all-WPIAL. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="32326" first="Liam" last="Doyle"], Northwood School (N.Y.), Stanford</strong> <strong>Coach:</strong> Jon Moodey <strong>Career Goals:</strong> 15;<strong> Career Assists:</strong> 7 <strong>Honors:</strong> Team captain for Northwood School in 2021. … Scored four goals and had one assist at the time of selection for this contest. … Northwood plays an independent schedule. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="11963" first="Colin" last="Hughes"], Worcester Academy (Mass.), Colgate</strong> <strong>Coach:</strong> James Proctor <strong>Career Goals:</strong> 23; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 17 <strong>Honors:</strong> ECNL Regional Player of the Year for the 2020-2021 club season. … Former New England Revolution Academy player. … Part of the 2019 NEPSAC Class A championship team. … Local and state postseason honors for fall 2021 have yet to be announced. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="9427" first="Oliver" last="Martin"], Loomis Chaffee (Conn.), Michigan</strong> <strong>Coach:</strong> David Malloy <strong>Career Goals:</strong> 21; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 17 <strong>Honors:</strong> New England Soccer Journal Best XI Underclassmen for the 2019 season. … New England Soccer Journal Best XI Watch List and PrepSoccer.net All-America Watch List. … Scored six goals and had five assists at the time of selection for this contest. … Local and state postseason honors for fall 2021 have yet to be announced. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="29182" first="Jacob" last="Murrell"], McDonogh School (Md.), Georgetown</strong> <strong>Coach:</strong> Brandon Quaranta <strong>Career Goals:</strong> 45;<strong> Career Assists:</strong> 15 <strong>Honors:</strong> Scored 41 goals as a senior, leading all MIAA A Conference players. … Team captain of McDonogh and Pipeline SC. … Four-year varsity starter. … Part of three-time MIAA A Conference championship team. … 2021 ECNL All-Regional Team. … 2021 ECNL All-American. … Baltimore Sun All-Metro Player of the Year and All-Metro first team in 2021. … MIAA first team in 2021. … Maryland Association of Coaches of Soccer All-State first team. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="29208" first="Antonino" last="Pagano"], Fayetteville-Manlius (N.Y.), Syracuse</strong> <strong>Coach:</strong> Jeff Hammond <strong>Career Goals:</strong> 55; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 21 <strong>Honors:</strong> During the 2020-2021 school year, named United Soccer Coaches All-Region, All-Central New York first team and New York Large School All-State. … Scored 17 goals and had eight assists in an 11-game season in the 2020-2021 school year. … First-Team SCAC in 2019 and the 2020-2021 seasons. … Local and state postseason honors for fall 2021 have yet to be announced. <strong>WEST</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="11359" first="Palmer" last="Ault"], Noblesville (Ind.), Butler</strong> <strong>Coach:</strong> Ken Dollaske <strong>Career Goals:</strong> 62;<strong> Career Assists:</strong> 33 <strong>Honors:</strong> United Soccer Coaches Association All-America selection in 2020. … First-team all-state selection in 2019 and 2020. … Hamilton County Player of the Year in 2019 and 2020. … First-team all-conference sophomore and junior years and second-team all-conference freshman year. … Three-time all-district first-team selection and two-time team Offensive Player of the Year. … Local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="11249" first="Sebastian" last="Carranza"], St. Charles East (Ill.)</strong> <strong>Coach:</strong> Vince DiNuzzo <strong>Career Goals:</strong> 76; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 40 <strong>Honors:</strong> Kane County Player of the Year as a junior. … Illinois Coaches All-State as a junior. … All-Section selection as a freshman and sophomore. … All-Conference as a freshman, sophomore and junior. … Local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="18490" first="Mitchell" last="Dryden"], Whitefish Bay (Wis.)</strong> <strong>Coach:</strong> Robby Dubinski <strong>Career Goals:</strong> 67;<strong> Career Assists:</strong> 29 <strong>Honors:</strong> Had 20 goals and 12 assists as a senior at the time of selection for this game. … Named first-team all-conference, conference player of the year, All-State Best XI, United Soccer Coaches All-Region and All-American in 2020. … Had 27 goals and nine assists as a junior. … In 2019, leading scorer for the team with 13 goals and three assists. … In 2018, leading scorer for the team with seven goals and five assists. … Local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="12389" first="Tanner" last="Hodgson"], Anchor Bay (Mich.)</strong> <strong>Coach:</strong> Nate Williams <strong>Career Goals:</strong> 49; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 38 <strong>Honors:</strong> All-State first team in 2020 and 2021. … Michigan Dream Team in 2021. … State runner-up in 2021. … 2020 USA-Michigan Sports Award Player of the Year nominee. … Two-time all-district and all-region selection. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="14534" first="Brock" last="Kiper"], Archbishop Moeller (Ohio), Belmont</strong> <strong>Coach:</strong> Mike Welker <strong>Career Goals:</strong> 21;<strong> Career Assists:</strong> 8 <strong>Honors:</strong> First-team all GCL, all-city and All-Southwest Ohio in 2020. … Local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="14630" first="Josip" last="Rimac"], St. Ignatius (Ohio)</strong> <strong>Coach:</strong> Michael McLaughlin <strong>Career Goals:</strong> 24; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 15 <strong>Honors:</strong> Three-time state champion (2019, 2020, 2021) and FAB 50 national champion (2019, 2020, 2021). … Local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="34248" first="Stephen" last="Saladin"], SLUH (Mo.)</strong> <strong>Coach:</strong> Bob O’Connell <strong>Career Goals:</strong> 30; <strong>Career Assists:</strong> 17 <strong>Honors:</strong> All-Metro first team. … Was leading Missouri Class 4 in points at the time of selection for this game. … Local and state postseason honors for the 2021 fall season have yet to be announced. <strong>THE EDGE: East</strong> The East gets the edge, and this is pretty much every year. It almost always plays out this way: on paper, the East clearly has stronger attacking players, but the West tends to play better as a team and get results. Let's see if that happens again in 2021. But simply put, the East is loaded at forward. Georgetown signee Jacob Murrell is coming off a 40-goal season while playing in the strongest high school conference in the nation. Clemson-bound Noah Bermann, Michigan-bound Oliver Martin, Stanford-bound Liam Doyle, and Syracuse-bound Antonino Pagano all will suit up for the East. And if that's not enough, the East attacking crew also includes Colgate-bound Colin Hughes, who was the ECNL Regional Player of the Year for 2020-2021, and Anthony DiFalco, who scored more than 100 high school goals. By contrast, the West lineup features only two forwards who have committed: Palmer Ault to Bradley and Brock Kiper to Belmont. What the West team does have, though, are players who are used to winning and find a way to get it done. Josip Rimac and Palmer Ault were instrumental in their respective high school teams winning state titles while Mitchell Dryden and Tanner Hodgson were part of state runner-up teams. Interestingly, every West forward played on a team that spent time in the FAB 50 this season. [table id=108 /] [table id=109 /]