Prep Notes: Phelps, Kiski surge; Top 20 uncommitted prep seniors

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Prep Premier League kicked off with a wild one as Kiski School (Pa.) rallied for a 4-4 draw with Phelps School (Pa.) in the inaugural PPL contest that pitted last year's Pennsylvania independent schools finalists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Now, two weeks into the season, it appears the tie was a harbinger of things to follow.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>So far, five of the six teams that have played league games have at least one tie. The lone outlier is Woodstock Academy (Conn.), which defeated Western Reserve Academy (Ohio), it its lone match. Two programs have yet to start league play.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Phelps School has risen to the top of the eight-team standings with a 1-0-2 record. The first-place position was fodder for some fun ribbing of Phelps coach Evan Prybutok. "It's only because we've played three games," he said with a laugh. He's only half-right. It's also because last year's Pennsylvania independent runners-up has avoided defeat. Phelps sits on 5 points, just ahead of Kiski School (Pa.) at 4 and Woodstock at 3. There are no league matches until Oct. 7, when Northwood School (N.Y.) hosts a weekend mixer with six league members each playing twice over that weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Phelps' solid start might come as a bit of a surprise given the graduation of Gatorade State Player of the Year Collins Oduro, who is now at Indiana University. Last year's squad rode Oduro's 40-plus goals to a national ranking. This year's team spreads the wealth offensively but does have one issue -- defense. Although Phelps is undefeated, it has allowed six goals in three league matches. "Right now, we're going to score a lot, but we might give up a lot, too," Prybutok said.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lucca Saad, from Brazil, has emerged as an impact player. The central midfielder delivered the pass that led to the goal that gave Phelps a lead and eventual win over Western Reserve. Georgios Kazantzioglou, from Greece, is a left-footed winger who has five goals already this season, including the game-clincher in the 3-1 win over Western Reserve. Sophomore Raymond Junior Diouf, another attacking player, recently arrived from Senegal and is poised to be an immediate goal-scoring threat. Ian Palma, another forward, is a Brazilian who is a threat to score.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall, Prybutok has 32 players, and Prybutok has the luxury of going deep into the roster with quality players.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Kiski School defeated Immaculate Heart Central (N.Y.) and tied Phelps to start its PPL schedule. The team is led offensively by Mamadou Tall, a standout sophomore from Senegal who was at Woodstock Academy last year. Tall already has nine goals in the five matches he has played. Another attacking player to watch is senior Adrian Alvarez from Guatemala. Alvarez was injured last fall, and his recovery took away his winter, spring and summer seasons. He just returned to action and is playing on the wing at Kiski.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Santiago Giraldo Valencia, a junior from Colombia, is the team's top midfielder. At 5-foot-5, he's small but he's hard-working and is a creative presence on the field.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the back, Kiski has third-year player Antonio Correa, a senior from Gautemala, and Juchan Yung, a junior and newcomer from South Korea. Correa was a reserve as a sophomore and worked his way into the starting lineup last year. He scored a goal in the state final win over Phelps School. He's about to commit to a significant NCAA Division III school, according to coach Jonty Loukes. Yung, meanwhile, has been a complete surprise. He unexpectedly came into Kiski this season and now is a key member of the team's defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>PREP TOP 10</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>To kick off the prep school season, I'm revealing the Prep Top 10 in more narrative form rather than a chart.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Through two weekends of player, there's no question about it -- <strong>Woodstock Academy (Conn.)</strong> is the No. 1 team. The squad coached by Owen Finberg basically is the remaining pieces from last year's strong Woodstock team plus all of the South Kent School transfers that Finberg brought with him to Woodstock. The team plays with tempo and precision and will be tough to beat this fall. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 2 goes to <strong>Combine Academy (N.C.)</strong>. Combine earned its place with a win over Northwood School, but questions remain if Combine will stay in the rankings. Unlike the Northeast residential academies and the NEPSAC schools, which play in a league, Combine Academy needs a mix of games against club, college and UPSL teams to fill out its fall schedule. But for the time being, Combine's 2-0 showing at the NXT LVL Soccer Invitational is good enough for No. 2. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Northwood School (N.Y.) </strong>checks in at No. 3. Powered by a Syracuse and a Georgetown commit in the attack, Northwood shows signs of challenging Woodstock for the PPL title. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>No. 4 goes to <strong>Northfield Mount Hermon</strong>, the new NEPSAC No. 1-ranked team. NMH edged fellow NEPSAC power Worcester Academy at the NXT LVL event to earn the higher ranking. NMH then played and lost to Northwood on Sunday, but the match had more of a friendly feel. NMH stat many starters but still trailed before the teams heavily went to the bench. <strong>Worcester Academy</strong> settles in at No. 5 for the time being. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Milton Academy (Mass.)</strong> gets the nod at No. 6, just ahead of <strong>Berkshire School (Mass.)</strong> at No. 7 after the teams tied over the weekend at the NXT LVL event. <strong>Kiski School (Pa.)</strong> is No. 8. Don't be misled by the 5-2-2 record. One loss and one tie where with reserve players on the field as those opponents (one that was defeated by Kiski 12-0 last year) did not want to face the school's first-team lineup. <strong>Phelps School (Pa.)</strong>, which tied Kiski, is No. 9, and <strong>Avon Old Farms (Conn.)</strong> rounds out the Top 10.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Other teams on the radar include Hoosac School (N.Y.), Phillips Andover (Mass.), Loomis Chaffee (Conn.), High Mowing School (N.H.), Western Reserve Academy (Ohio), Immaculate Heart Central (N.Y.), Rivers School (Mass.), Brooks School (Mass.) and Noble and Greenough School (Mass.).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:tablepress/table {"id":"289"} --> [table id=289 /] <!-- /wp:tablepress/table --> <!-- wp:tablepress/table {"id":"288"} --> [table id=288 /] <!-- /wp:tablepress/table --> <!-- wp:tablepress/table {"id":"287"} --> [table id=287 /] <!-- /wp:tablepress/table --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->