Virginia Boys Spring Preview: Southeastern and Eastern Districts
4A Great Bridge Wildcats Cameron Todd Photo: Rich Images Photography 2022 Recap: Started the year 9-0-1 and were ranked number one in the 757. The Wildcats advanced through a gauntlet in the regional tournament with wins over Warwick, Jamestown, and…
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Continue Reading4A Great Bridge Wildcats
2022 Recap: Started the year 9-0-1 and were ranked number one in the 757. The Wildcats advanced through a gauntlet in the regional tournament with wins over Warwick, Jamestown, and Smithfield to claim the region 4A championship. In the state tournament, they won a thrilling PK shootout over Powhatan before falling to Jefferson Forest in the semifinals. Finished 15-4-1.
Region 4A Coach of the Year Scott Wright enters 2023 as the defending region 4A champions and “Our goal is set on another run at regionals and states,” he said. He has some holes to fill with the departures of Arnold Rutkauskas, Ethan Klinsman, Keegin Jessee, and Kyle Griesi but has plenty of returning talent to reach their goals. Versatile senior midfielder Anthony Panayiotou (1st team all-state and all-region) who can play the attacking or defending role will dictate the midfield, while senior captain forward Cameron Todd (2nd team all-region), junior captain forward Carson Danner (scored the game winning PK in the state quarterfinal), and sophomore midfielder Nico Panayiotou will all be a part of potent Wildcat attack. Senior keeper Thomas Seymour will look to senior captain center back Holden Kinsman, junior Aidan Taylor and senior Nick Adams to keep a clean box and start the attack out of the back. Coach Wright is expecting major contributions from freshman Jack Ottley, freshman Cole Shuler, and sophomore Tim Adams.
Key non-district matches: Princess Anne, First Colonial, and Smithfield
5A Hickory Hawks
2022 Recap: The Hawks had an outstanding 2022 season where they were crowned region 5A champions before falling to Kecoughtan 5-4 in the state quarterfinals in what was arguably the game of the year in the 757. Ended up 13-2-3, their most wins since 2018 and 2019 when they had 14 wins and also advanced to the state tournament.
Region 5A Coach of the Year Mike Gyori had the Hawks back in familiar territory in 2022 as they qualified for their third appearance in four years in the state tournament. The goals for 2023 are “Defending our regional championship and making a longer run at the state tournament,” he said. Gyori has key returning players in senior forward Evan Rinkus (13G 2nd team all-region), senior midfielder Michael Orlando (1st team all-region), senior defender/midfielder Alex Kapa, senior defender Kade Childers, and senior midfielder Jace Williams. Newcomers forward Finn Justiss, keeper Andrew Hudak, and midfielder Caiden McHale will all took to find their roles on an always quality Hawk side.
Key non-district matches: First Colonial, Princess Anne, and Maury
6A Grassfield Grizzlies
2022 Recap: The Grizzlies were ranked in the top 10 the entire season while compiling a 9-3-2 record. Their year ended with a heartbreaking loss in the region quarterfinals to Kellam in overtime.
Coach Bradley Killenbeck had 14 seniors on last year’s squad including top goal scorers Ryan Taing and Jack Kaupas along with captains Sterling Smith and Aiden Roberts. “We had a very exciting 2022 season, we learned a lot about ourselves, and we want to continue to move the program forward. Our goal is to continue to build and improve every training session, learn every match, perform, and compete well in district play to successfully qualify and perform well for regional playoffs,” he said.
The back line will be a definite strength and anchor the team with senior captains Jacob Greene, Jaxson Mills, and Wyatt Fontaine (2nd team all-region) who all have three years starting experience. Fellow senior captain midfielder Luke Shearer returns with support from returning starting midfielders senior Eduard Hollis-Fares, senior Juan Gutierrez, senior Jesse Vargas and forward Jacob Simmons.
Key non-district matches: Cox, Landstown, Kellam, First Colonial, and Smithfield
4A Deep Creek Hornets
2022 Recap: Qualified for the regional tournament where they won a first-round game before being eliminated by Smithfield in the quarterfinals. The Hornets finished at 7-10-0.
Deep Creek is a young but experienced team with nine players seeing significant minutes last season. Coach Eric Dellinger is as positive as any coach in the area and always has his squad ready to play. As for 2023, “A signature win would be nice. We tend to win the games we are supposed to win and come close to pulling one off a couple times each year. I’d like to see the second round of regionals this year,” he said. Three-year captain senior defender Moana “Big Mo” Gibson (2nd team all-region) and senior defender Matthew Wright will be looked at for leadership in the back while junior midfielders Bowen Dellinger and Elijah Jay will look for even bigger roles in the midfield. Sophomore midfielder Dylan Burrill and sophomore forward Dylan Ausley both started as freshman and are back for their second year of varsity play. Coach Dellinger also mentioned “We will bring the Deep Creek energy into each match and let you know we were there, even when the scoreboard might say otherwise.”
Key non-district matches: Norview, Bayside, and Kempsville
5B Nansemond River Warriors
2022 Recap: Despite finishing 9-5-2 did not qualify for the regional tournament.
Coach Dustin Tordoff graduated 11 seniors in 2022 but will look to return to post season play in 2023. Senior captain defender Carter Routten will be the leader on the back line while senior Omololu Olugbemi (Mars Hill University commit) will oversee the midfield for the Warriors. Junior defender Jaden Middleton and junior forward Rafael Martie are players to watch and look to take on large roles this season.
Key non-district matches: Woodside, Salem, and Granby
6A Oscar Smith Tigers
2022 Recap: The Tigers were the surprise team in the 757 in 2022 finishing with an 11-3-3 record. Their 11 wins were more than the previous two seasons combined but were knocked out in the quarterfinals in their first trip to the regional tournament in years by Landstown in an overtime thriller.
Coach Brandon Spontak will look to keep the momentum from 2022 going even with the loss of five seniors, three of whom were all-region selections. Junior keeper Janiel Velez Perez, senior midfielder Antowne Ewers (1st team all-region), senior Jacob Lewis, and sophomore defender Mario Ewers return and will look for a repeat of last season.
Key non-district matches: Landstown, Nandua, and Ocean Lakes
5A Indian River Braves
2022 Recap: Qualified for the region tournament for the first time since 2018 but lost to Hickory in the quarterfinals.
Head Coach Jay Albritton has high expectations for the Braves this season, “A new crop of young talent is bursting on the scene and will help us be more competitive not just for this year, but for the foreseeable future. Barring injuries, the River boys should be making a bit of a splash this year in the 757,” he said. Key returning players are Alessandro Pena, Alan Powell, and Aidan Meister.
Key non-district matches: Bayside, Nandua, and Granby
5B Granby Comets
2022 Recap: Granby posted the best record in the Eastern district at 12-5-1 and avenged a regular season loss to rival Maury by defeating them in the regional quarterfinals. Their season ended with a semifinal loss to Kecoughtan.
Coach Mark Denny has Granby in a good position after posting their best season in years and “We are returning nine starters from last season and are looking to improve in every area,” he said. Senior forward Nolan Russell (6G/6A 1st team all-region) will make the move from center back to forward to take the place of Josiah Johnson and along with sophomore midfielder Diddier Martinez (10G/12A 1st team all-region) whom Denny calls “Our most creative player” will make the Comets dangerous in the attacking third. The rest of the midfield has plenty of experienced players in junior Brock Johnson (8G/10A 2nd team all-region), senior Conrad Mendoza (2nd team all-region), and senior Miles Miskill (2nd team all-Region). Sophomore center back Caleb Jordan (7G/4A 1st team all-district) moves from the midfield to defense this season and Denny said, “Caleb brings great passion and love for the game and is a natural leader, he will continue to grow in his new role as the season goes on.” Junior defender Auro Bhasin returns from injury and will look to make an impact on the back line alongside Jordan. Junior keeper Eli Kesser (2nd team all-district) returns as the starter in goal for the third straight season.
Key non-district matches: Poquoson, Nansemond River, and Woodside
4A Manor Mustangs
2022 Recap: The Mustangs have not qualified for post-season play since 2019.
Coach James Clark is back for his fifth season and is optimistic about the season, “This year’s cohort will look to improve upon their win total and make waves beyond just the Eastern District in 2023,” he said. Clark also stated “With a core group of juniors and seniors backed up by a whole host of sophomores who earned their stripes in several Varsity matches last season as freshmen, Manor has depth all over the field that they have lacked the past few years that makes them a tough out if they are not given their due.”
Key non-district matches: Tallwood, Salem, and Oscar Smith
5B Maury Commodores
2022 Recap: The Commodores played a difficult non-district schedule but still managed to post a 9-6-1 record. Lost to rival Granby in the region quarterfinals.
Coach Dana Shaffer sees 2023 as a rebuilding year but has “A lot of guys willing to work, we just need to put pieces in the right place,” he said. The Commodores strength starts in the back with the best keeper in the entire 757, senior captain Trevor Maloney (Virginia Commonwealth University commit) who is the unquestioned leader of the team. Senior midfielder Soliel Davis who will attend Northumbria University in England will be looked upon to control the midfield. Junior midfielder Cam Sadr, junior defender Ian Shaw, junior defender Diego Avila, senior Tucker Poole, and sophomore midfielder Alex Hallberg round out the returning starters.
Key non-district matches: Kempsville, Princess Anne, and Landstown