Boys SE Virginia Regional Previews: 5A & 5B

Region 5A: Eight teams qualified for the region tournament and the two teams that meet in the final will advance to the class 5 VHSL state tournament. There are four clear cut favorites who are all ranked in the top 10 in the 757 to make the semifinals which I expect to be epic matches with elimination on the line. Any of the top four seeds in 5A are more than capable of securing a trip to the region final and punching their ticket to states. Hickory is the defending region champion while Cox was a finalist in 2022.

5A #1 seed: The Hickory Hawks (12-0-3) are one of only three teams without a loss in the 757 and have been ranked in the top ten the entire season and check in at no. 3 in the regular season final poll. They did finish the year with two draws versus no. 2 Great Bridge (2-2) and no. 16 Grassfield (0-0) so they will looking to get back on track in the regional tournament. Their other draw was to no. 5 Princess Anne and they can claim wins over ranked sides no. 6 First Colonial, no. 19 Nansemond River, and no. 20 Western Branch. Sophomore keeper Andrew Hudak posted nine clean sheets with the help of stellar defensive play from senior center back Kade Childers and senior center defensive midfielder Alex Kapa. In the attacking end, senior midfielder Jace Williams delivers dimes on set pieces and Michael Orlando controls the action in the final third. Leading scorer, senior forward Evan Rinkus has a knack for finding the net including five goals off of headers this season. Freshman forward Aiden Glod and sophomore Joe Vasquez are both capable finishers. Pictured: Alex Kapa and Michael Orlando.

5A #2 seed: Princess Anne was below the radar during the first month of the season after an early season loss to no. 2 Great Bridge but then burst onto the seen with a nil-nil draw versus no.3 Hickory and then beating no. 8 Cox 2-1. The Cavaliers took no. 1 and undefeated Kellam to extra time before falling 3-2 in what was the best match I have attended all season. Princess Anne also has wins over no. 20 Western Branch, no. 14 Landstown, and no. 6 First Colonial. Senior keeper Niko Santos posted seven clean sheets in front of his defenders, senior Jamar Williams, junior Hernan Nisperos, senior Josh Williamson, and sophomore Maciej Majcherczyk. Senior Wyatt Wetzler, sophomore Kishin Togashi Kishin Togashi F Princess Anne | 2025 VA and junior Will Jennings lead the attack along with senior Austin Zou, senior midfielders Michael Korba and Michael Yang.

5A #3 seed: First Colonial ended the season ranked no. 6 in the 757 with 11-3-2 record. Their losses were all in the first half of the season to no. 3 Hickory, no. 1 Kellam, and no. 5 Princess Anne. The draws were versus no. 2 Great Bridge and no. 8 Cox. More impressively is that the Patriots ended the season on an 8-0-1 roll. Wins over no. 16 Grassfield, no. 7 Jamestown, Deep Run, no. 10 Ocean Lakes, and no. 14 Landstown show what the Patriots are capable of. Senior Diego Armas and junior Ryan Buckon Ryan Buckon F First Colonial | 2024 VA man the forward positions and are a dangerous duo with contrasting styles of play. The Patriots have a trio of keepers in senior Ian Lanz, junior Noah Hawkins, and freshman Luke Jones Luke Jones F Northampton | 2026 VA who all shared playing time. The midfield and defenders include freshman Conner Wolaver, senior Joshua Johnson, senior Noah Kephart, junior Jonathan Kidd Jonathan Kidd D First Colonial | 2024 VA , and junior Jair Farmer.

5A #4 seed: Cox is looking to defend their 2022 VHSL class 5 state championship and has high aspirations heading into the regional tournament. The Falcons spent three weeks ranked no. 1 in the 757 before a midseason 2-1 setback to no. 5 Princess Anne and they check in at no. 7 in the final regular season poll at 10-3-2. Cox’s three losses are to no. 5 Princess Anne, no. 10 Ocean Lakes, and no. 1 Kellam. Ranked wins include no. 16 Grassfield, no. 10 Ocean Lakes, no. 20 Western Branch, and no. 14 Landstown. The Falcons start play out of the back with junior keeper Sam Braidwood who is supported by his defense of senior Ryan Bessey, senior David Hartwell, sophomore Carter Whalen, and senior Owen Comeyne. In the attacking end, senior Jace Arcona, junior Dax Booth, senior Robbie Reynolds, and Josh Haggerty are all dangerous and more than capable of putting the ball in the back of the net. Other contributors include sophomore Grayson Brazukas, junior Ryder Cho, senior Everett Bugg, and junior Gabe Zarate.

5A #5 seed: Indian River (7-8-0) makes a return to the 5A tournament after losing in the quarterfinals in 2022. The Braves were shut out in their last six games (all losses) and have a tall task ahead in their match against #4 seed Cox.

5A #6 seed: Kempsville (7-8-1) is a solid side who did not lose a match to an unranked team. Even in their losses, the Chiefs were competitive and are capable of pulling off an upset in the tournament. Kempsville will face #3 seed First Colonial in the quarterfinals who beat them 4-0 in the last game of the season.

5A #7 seed: Bayside (6-9-1) started the year 5-2-1 but struggled in Beach district play they second half of the season. In the quarterfinals, the Marlins will square off versus #2 seed Princess Anne in a rematch of their last game of the regular season where the Cavaliers posted a 3-0 clean sheet win. Bayside is led by senior forward Braden Barclay and sophomore Ibrahim Diabagate.

5A #8 seed: Despite their 4-9-2 record, Tallwood has qualified for post season play for the first time in over seven years. The Lions will face #1 seed and unbeaten Hickory in the quarterfinals

Region 5B: Only six teams qualified for region play which makes the regular season much more important than other regions. The top two seeds receive a bye straight to the semifinals and the two teams that win their semifinal matches advance to the class 5 VHSL state tournament. Menchville is the defending region champion and Kecoughtan was the finalist in 2022.

5B #1 seed: Granby finished the regular season undefeated at 14-0-2 and will look to win a post-season match for the first time in over seven years. The Comets have a talented roster led by sophomore forward Diddier Martinez who knocked in 23 goals and junior midfielder Brock Johnson who added 11 goals and nine assists. Senior outside mid Davis Mann also contributed nine goals while senior center mid Miles Miskill added nine goals. Junior keeper Eili Kesser posted seven clean sheets with help of senior defenders Conrad Mendoza, Cameron Williams, and sophomore Caleb Jordan. Rounding out the starters are senior forward Nolan Russell and junior midfielder Auro Bhasin. The Comets best results are a win over #5 seed Nansemond River and a draw versus #6 seed Maury. Granby will face the winner of the Gloucester versus Nansemond River game.

5B #2 seed: Kecoughtan turned in an impressive resume at 13-1-2 and will look to make back-to-back trips to the state tournament where they beat Hickory in the quarterfinals before falling to Riverside in the semifinals in 2022. The Warriors won games against no. 18 Tabb, no. 17 Gloucester, no. 9 Menchville. They also drew against no. 11 Grafton and no. 8 Cox. The Warriors have a plethora of talent in the attacking end led by junior Tre Barret who I consider one of the best forwards in the 757. Speedy senior strikers Ubong Ekop is handful for defenders and senior Ryan Cho fills out the front line. The back line is manned by senior Rama Clements, senior Bobby Stepens, junior Nickoas Houser, and sophomore Gabe Rumburg who supported senior keeper Brett Starling who posted nine clean sheets. Filling out the midfield are sophomore Jackson Bickleman, freshman CJ Banks, and senior Colin Skwirut who mans the CDM role. The Warriors will face the winner of the Menchville versus Maury match.

5B #3 seed: Menchville (11-2-1) will need to stay focused on their first round match against #6 seed Maury if they want a rematch with #2 seed Kecoughtan who beat them in extra time earlier in the season. The Monarchs are looking to get back to the state tournament for the third time in five seasons (2022 & 2018) and have the resume to pull it off. They have wins over no. 11 Grafton, no. 17 Gloucester, no. 15 Warwick, and a draw with no. 18 Tabb. Seniors Damien and Davian Jackson are the versatile leaders for Menchville along with Alex Dierkens, and Christian Robertson who is one of the best young forwards in the 757. Pictured: Damien Jackson, Davian Jackson, and Alex Dierkens.

5B #4 seed: The Dukes from Gloucester had a late season statement win over no. 15 Warwick and look to keep that momentum heading into the post season. Gloucester (9-3-2) finished the season ranked no. 17 and will square off against #5 seed Nansemond River in the first round.

5B #5 seed: Nansemond River had a solid season posting 10 wins, their most since 2019. The Warriors season got off to a rough start at 1-3-0 but turned it around to qualify for the regional tournament after winning their last five matches including a 3-0 win over no. 20 Western Branch in a must win situation on the last game of the year. Junior midfielder Nick Conboy lead the way with 13 goals while senior midfielder Olu Olugbemi chipped in nine goals and seven assists. Also in the midfield are juniors Zach Weaver (11G/8A) and Devin Baummer (6G/10A). Other key contributors are senior Carter Routten and senior Bene Tarekgen.

5B #6 seed: Maury got off to a rocky start at 1-3-1 but managed to find a way to the #6 seed by ending the season in good form going 8-2-0 in their final 10 games. Maury is captained by senior keeper Trevor Maloney (VCU commit) who is the best keeper in the 757 if not all of Virginia. Maloney is more that capable of keeping the Commodores in any match. Key contributors include midfielders Soleil Davis and Cam Sadr, and forward Tucker Poole.