Southeastern PA High School Boys to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The high school season is officially underway in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Here's a look at some of the players on the boys side I'm looking forward to seeing this season. As with any list like this I am missing out some real gems here. If you have recommendations, send them my way at matthew.r.ralph@gmail.com. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='49229' first='Sam' last='Nyenka'], Sr., Forward, Lower Merion High School</strong><br>Nyenka didn't feature in the Aces 4-1 win over Faith Christian Academy over the weekend which is probably a good sign for the attack. Nyenka is a dynamic forward with pace and technical ability to beat defenders multiple ways. Like with his club team Lower Merion Invictus, teams will have to game plan around limiting Sam in the attack. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='15309' first='Shane' last='Velez'], Sr., Defender, Pennridge</strong><br>Velez is another standout from the club season where he led PA Dominion to an appearance in the state finals. A two-way center back for his club team who has a knack for picking his times to go forward into the attack and still has the recovery speed to get back, Velez is a captain through and through. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"left","id":56781,"width":433,"height":278,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/08/sethmichalak-1024x658.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-56781" width="433" height="278"/><figcaption><em>[player_tooltip player_id='15307' first='Seth' last='Michalak']</em></figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='15307' first='Seth' last='Michalak'], Sr., Forward, La Salle College High School</strong><br>Michalek went off in La Salle's PIAA-4A quarterfinal win over Abington last year but was limited by a tough Conestoga defense in their exit. If he can find space and time, he has a canon for a shot and strength to push around tough defenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='15301' first='Sean' last='Boyle'], Sr., Defender/Midfielder, Haverford High School</strong><br>I had a chance to see Boyle earlier this year playing for Penn Fusion Academy and he completely owned the box on set pieces, registering a brace in the match. A danger in the air and a strong 1v1 defender, Boyle will be looking to build on a junior season that earned himself and his team plenty of accolades. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Joe Pariano, Sr., Midfielder, Haverford School</strong><br>Pariano is a hard-nosed player who does a lot of the dirty work for Haverford that sets the tone for his teammates. Pariano's ability on set pieces and work rate create additional problems for opponents. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tyler Weiss, Sr., Midfielder, Germantown Academy</strong><br>Weiss had a big game in the PAISAA final despite the loss to Kiski. He's silky smooth on the ball and makes really smart runs to put himself into good spots. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='44518' first='Ian' last='Alicea'], Sr., Defender, Lower Moreland</strong><br>Alicea is a kind of a Swiss Army Knife type player who can play multiple positions and contribute all over the field both in defense, offense and on set pieces. He was a standout this summer on a very talented Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals team that went to nationals and is on the watch list (along with Velez and Michalak) for the High School All-American game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='44499' first='Connor' last='Cresswell'], Jr., Goalkeeper, Haverford School</strong><br>Cresswell will undoubtedly make a handful of "how did he do that" saves this season but his game goes well beyond the highlight reel. His quickness is one of his greatest asset since he's able to command the goal mouth and the box with it, but he's also a smart player who does really well organizing his back line. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":56782,"width":-39,"height":-24,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/08/6N4A6800-1024x659.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-56782" width="-39" height="-24"/><figcaption><em>Briyan Aban</em></figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cruz Vega, Sr., Forward, West Chester East</strong><br>Vega is a tough, fleet-footed forward who can absolutely wear down a defense with his relentless pursuit of the ball. His connection with classmate and technically gifted playmaker <strong>Brendan Miller</strong> will create a lot of chances for the Vikings attack this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='31753' first='Thomas' last='Kaplan'], Jr., Defender, Haverford School</strong><br>A silver medalist with the USA U18 team at the Maccabi Games in Israel over the summer, Kaplan is poised for a big junior season as one of the anchors of the Haverford defense. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Briyan Aban, Sr., Midfielder, Marple Newtown High School</strong><br>Aban is a central midfielder who does a little bit of everything in the attack and on defense. A well deserved captain this season, Aban will also have to deal with being the focal point of opponents. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kole Wintersteen, Jr., Forward, Conestoga High School</strong><br>With so many big departures after their unbeaten, state title run, it's a little hard to predict from here who will be the breakout stars when they reload this season but Wintersteen showed a lot of promise as a sophomore and did well for an FC Europa team that went to nationals in Orlando. If he can be clinical in front of goal he'll have plenty of chances to rack up goals in the Conestoga system this season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Tyler Flowers and Bryce Flowers, Jr., Midfielder/Forward, George School</strong><br>I sometimes have a hard time telling these twins apart since they are both similar players on the field in their ability to break open defenses and boss the midfield. Though they are from Delaware and are among the top recruits in their class from Sporting Delaware they play high school in Pennsylvania and will be turning more than a few heads again this fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->