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DeKalb Barbs
Head coach: PJ Hamilton (sixth season)
Last season: 7-12-2; 0-5, DuPage Valley Conference; lost to Elgin in Class 3A regional semifinal.
Top returners: Dominique Garcia, GK, sr.; Diego Rayos, GK, sr.; Erick Talamantes, F, sr.; Mauricio Jasso, F, jr.; Ian Wickens-Walther, D, sr.; Henry Garcia-Alvarez, D, sr.
Top newcomer: Matais Gutierrez, MF, sr.
Worth noting: Hamilton is upbeat about his team’s potential this year for winning its first regional title since 2019.
“We have a tremendous outlook. I think with our group coming in, we’ll have somewhat of a learning curve, but we’re excited with the additions of the new pieces on what we can accomplish this season,” the Barbs’ coach said. “We’re coming off of one of the more successful summers we’ve had over the past three years. We want to play the best teams in our area to get us ready for playoffs and make a positive run in the playoffs There are a lot of people who are excited about what the potential of this group could be.”
Hamilton hopes Jasso will continue to be a reliable scorer. The junior led the Barbs last year with six goals. The DeKalb coach also will look to Talamantes and Wickens-Walther, both seniors, to provide guidance to the newer players on the pitch. “Their play last year showed they could provide needed leadership,” Hamilton said.
Sycamore Spartans
Head coach: Kevin Bickley (third season)
Last season: 12-11-1; 8-2, Interstate 8 Conference; lost to Kaneland in Class 2A regional semifinal.
Top returners: Jameson Carl, F, sr.; Gavin Crouch, MF, jr.; Noah Daykin, D, jr.; Chandler Gatbunton, D, sr.; Ronaldo Ocelotl, MF, sr.; Aiden Sears, MF, jr.
Top newcomers: Felix Arends, F, jr., Ryan Guzinski, GK, jr.; Tyler Hiland, MF, jr.; Javier Lopez, D, sr.
Worth noting: Sycamore hopes that a talented group of returnees and lineup tweaks will improve the Spartans’ offense.
“At times we struggled to score goals last year. That’s why we’re going to put Jameson [Carl] up top as one of our strikers or forwards,” Bickley said. “I think with Aiden Sears in the middle and getting a lot of returning players from last year – we only lost two starters – will definitely help us in in scoring goals.”
An experienced back line should consistently keep opponents off the scoreboard.
“Defensively, we should be pretty solid. We get a lot of our defenders back, and that will definitely help us with consistency,” Bickley said.
Two team goals are to be exclusive winners of the conference crown and capture a regional championship. Winning both will settle a score with archrival Kaneland, which foiled both of those objectives last season.
“We ended up tying Kaneland last year [for the conference title], so we want to win it outright, obviously,” Bickley said. “Also for the first time in, I think four years, we didn’t win a regional championship, so that stung a little bit last year losing that game [to Kaneland].”
Kaneland Knights
Head coach: Scott Parillo (23rd season)
Last season: 11-10-2; 8-2, Interstate 8 Conference; lost to Boylan Catholic in Class 2A regional final.
Top returners: Riley Adams, D, sr.; Cameron Guernon, MF, sr.; Noah McKittrick, D/MF, jr.; Matthew Mitchinson, MF, sr.
Top newcomer: Jovany Ruiz, F/MF, sr.
Worth noting: Although Kaneland has a mix of returnees and newcomers, staying injury free is the key to being a factor in the Interstate 8 Conference race, Parillo said.
“We got some experienced players, and we got some youngsters that have stepped up their game and made varsity this year. We got four sophomores this year,” the Kaneland coach said. “It’s promising. I think if we can stay healthy, we may be able to surprise a few people and certainly make a run for conference.”
Parillo believes McKittrick and Mitchinson are poised to have standout years.
“Most of the returnees will play better than they did last year, but I could see those two having phenomenal seasons.”
Senior newcomer Ruiz, who played club soccer for the past three years, also could have a positive impact on the team.
Genoa-Kingston Cogs
Head coach: Thomas Moore (second season)
Last season: 12-7-3; 6-1, Big Northern Conference; lost to Westminster Christian in Class 1A regional final
Top returners: Fernando Flores, MF, sr.; Chris Rangel, M, sr.; Brandon Wolcott. D, sr.
Top newcomers: Adrian Leon, GK/MF, fr.; Adrian Jimenez, D/MF, fr.
Worth noting: After graduating his top three scorers, Genoa-Kingston’s Moore is looking to three veteran players to provide the offense.
“Our goal for this year is find the person who can step up to score. I think Fernando [Flores] will be somebody that I’ll be looking at to score more, as well as Angel Villagran and Adrian Delgado,” the coach said. “These three will be the ones I’m hoping are able to score some of the goals that we’ll need.”
Moore also anticipates that, like last year, the Cogs will battle Stillman Valley for the Big Northern Conference crown. And just like last season, the title could be decided when the two teams meet.
“We got second [last year] because we played Stillman when we were both 6-0 and they beat us 2-0. This year again, we’re playing them near the end of the year, with one game to go in conference,” Moore said. “We play them at home this year, and if we’re able to reverse that result, I think that will be the biggest decider on whether or not we’re able to win conference.”
Hinckley-Big Rock Royals
Head coach: Scott Bastian (second season)
Last season: 12-10-1; 5-2, Little Ten Conference; lost to Genoa-Kingston in Class 1A regional semifinal.
Top returners: Luke Badal, D, jr.; Alex Casanas, GK, jr.; Austin Roop, D, jr.; Jacob Orin, D, jr.; Sawyer Smith, MF, jr.
Top newcomers: Austin Kennedy, MF, jr.; Liam Bird, D, so.; Judah Miceli, F, jr.; Colten Sargent, MF, fr.
Worth noting: The Royals will look to Sawyer Smith to direct their offense this season.
“He’s a very good ball distributor and a very good leader on the pitch,” Bastian said.
The coach hopes his team’s strong chemistry and enthusiasm provide positive results on the pitch.
“They all played through junior high, so they have a connection. We’re kind of relying on that,” Bastian said. “Also, it’s very encouraging when you set a practice for 3 p.m. and 90% of the boys are there at 2:30 working. Plus all those weeks when we had 7 a.m. practices and they’re there at 6:30, 6:45 with shoes on, out kicking and warming up. It makes me feel good as a coach to see that, and it makes my job a little bit easier, too.”
Indian Creek Timberwolves
Head coach: Nic Gaston (fourth season)
Last season: 9-10-2; 4-4, Little Ten Conference; lost to Aurora Central Catholic in Class 1A regional semifinal.
Top returners: Tyler Bogle, F, sr.; Jacob Coulter, GK, sr.
Worth noting: The Timberwolves hope to build on last year’s turnaround season. After notching only two wins in 2021 and 2022, Indian Creek won nine matches last season with four conference victories. This year the team plans to go above .500 and be a force in the Little Ten Conference. Featuring a robust roster, the Timberwolves are led by Bogle, the team’s 2023 MVP. The senior scored 21 goals. Coulter, an all-conference goalkeeper, also returns.