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Aurora Central Catholic
Coach: Jean-Marie Nazareth
2023 record: 10-12-1, 4-5 Chicago Catholic
Top athletes: Neil Mayer, jr., MF; Matthew Vandeman, jr., F/MF; Nathan Diedrich, sr., D; Connor Dineen, jr., D; Christopher Incandela, so., MF; Elias Perez, jr., MF/GK; Alan Acosta, so., F/MF; Leroy Arias, so., MF/F
Worth noting: The Chargers reached the 10-win mark for the first time in five seasons last year. After losing only five seniors to graduation, along with a new head coach in Nazareth, ACC has the potential to climb a bit higher this season.
“[We have] a very young team with a lot of experience from the previous season that looks to improve from their 10-12-1 season record,” Nazareth said. “As this young team looks to continue to learn and grow together while improving from the previous season’s shortcomings, at ACC we thrive whether we succeed or fail.”
Batavia
Coach: Mark Gianfrancesco
2023 record: 4-15-2, 1-6 DuKane Conference
Top athletes: Xavier Justice, sr., MF; Evan Hashem, sr., F; Matt Vrba, sr., MF; Hudson Legut, so., D; Connor Verde, so., MF; Nate Barsch, jr., D; Gabe Diaz, jr., F; Greg Bell, jr., F
Worth noting: The Bulldogs, who will be looking for a rebound season, lost a good bit of their starters from a season ago, especially in the back line. Batavia will lean on the experienced midfield duo of Justice and Vrba, as well as Hashem up front, to help lead the young squad.
“We are looking to build relationships on the pitch throughout the season,” Gianfrancesco said. “We have some nice talent that we will work to bring out as the season progresses.”
Burlington Central
Coach: Dean Ames
2023 record: 11-7-3, 3-6 Fox Valley
Top athletes: Charles Wyzukovicz, sr., GK; Maximus Salas, jr., F; Noah Rosborough, jr., MF; Samuel Knych, jr., MF
Worth noting: One year after Adam Schmitt became the first coach in three seasons to stay for more than one year, the Rockets made their fourth coaching change in five seasons and put the team in the hands of Ames. Burlington Central had nine seniors graduate, including three three-year starters in Kaleb Boer, Daniel Nava and Charlie Ames. While the team is young, Dean Ames said the Rockets are talented. He said his vision is for the players to play to the best of their abilities and shake up the Fox Valley Conference for the next few years.
“We graduated nine players but our core is young and talented. With all our youth, the external expectations seem muted. I think we have an opportunity to really surprise some teams this year,” Ames said. “Our goal is to play into November and we’ll need to stay mentally strong, consistent and resolute to reach this level.”
Geneva
Coach: Jason Bhatta
2023 record: 13-6-2, 5-1-1 DuKane Conference
Top athletes: Reece Leonard, sr., MF; Peyton Friedman, sr., MF; Alexis Ramirez, sr., D/MF; Tommy Rowoldt, sr., GK; Jack Hatton, sr., MF/F; Jackson Raby, sr., D; Caleb Kelly, jr., F
Worth noting: After two straight seasons of not getting over the 10-win mark, the Vikings put up 13 wins in 2023. And they’re looking to go even higher in 2024. Geneva will have some holes to fill on the roster after the graduation of Trent Giansanti and Liam O’Donughue, who combined for 27 of the team’s 51 goals last season. The Vikings, however, still have some firepower this season. Leonard returns after leading the Vikings in assists last year with eight. Rowoldt is back in net after allowing only 1.105 goals a game last year. Bhatta is enthusiastic about the junior class, especially defender Xavier Ebert, midfielder Alec Graham and forward Chase Marquardt.
“The junior group has largely been together for the past two years and had great success at each lower level and are now ready to compete at the varsity level,” Bhatta said. “This combined with a senior group who many have been on the team since their sophomore year will be exciting to watch as we push for conference and postseason honors.”
Kaneland
Coach: Scott Parillo
2023 record: 11-10-2; 8-2 Interstate 8
Top athletes: Jovani Ruiz, sr., F/MF; Cam Guernon, sr., MF; Matthew Mitchinson, sr., MF; Noah McKittrick, jr., MF/D, Riley Adams, sr., D, Cooper Van Wagoner, sr., GK
Worth noting: After losing 10 players to graduation, including Interstate 8 Player of the Year Sam Keen, the Knights will look to have some of the newer players step up. Guernon and Mitchinson are the top returners for the Knights in terms of scoring. Guernon recorded six goals and five assists in 2023. Mitchinson was second on the team with 11 assists to go with one goal. Parillo said Ruiz, who played club soccer for the past three years, could have a positive impact on the team. Of the 22 players listed on last season’s roster, only two players appeared in more than half of Kaneland’s 23 games with Quinn Schulz appearing in all 23 and Keen appearing in 19.
“This Kaneland team should be competitive as long as we can stay healthy,” Parillo said. “We have a lot of new players on the varsity roster, but they have stepped up and are making contributions during training. I am pleasantly surprised by how we are progressing every day in training and excited about the upcoming season.”
Marmion
Coach: Gerardo Alvarez
2023 record: 12-4-3, 5-1-1 Chicago Catholic League
Top athletes: Giovanni Magana, sr., F; Diego Tellez, sr., D; Adam Ozvath, sr., GK; Jordan Peinado, jr., D/F; Austin Conlin, sr., D; Emilio Morones, jr., MF
Worth noting: After recording their fourth straight winning season under Alvarez, the Cadets will head into the 2024 season with 14 returners, including a majority of their starters who will look to claim another CCL title. Leading the returners is Magana, who earned all-state honors after recording 15 goals, which led the Cadets, and nine assists. With some of the top goal producers lost to graduation such as Macztil Lopez and Alvaro Alanis, expect Magana to create more scoring opportunities for returning players such as Peinado and Morones and even newcomers such as Nate Voelkner. Of all the positions on the field, Marmion will have the most holes to fill in the midfield. But with Peinado, Morones and Roberto Rubio to fill those spots, the Cadets should be a dangerous team.
“We lost some key pieces down the middle but have guys that will step up to fill the void,” Alvarez said. “Due to success multiplier, we will once again be competing in 3A, which is a welcomed challenge for our group. Looking forward to competing for another trophy this season.”
St. Charles East
Coach: Vince DiNuzzo
2023 record: 19-8, 6-1 DuKane Conference
Top athletes: Garrett Melton, sr., MF; Connor Sychowski, jr., MF; Ivan Campobasso, sr., GK; Aidan Richbell, so., MF; Huxley Kapoor, so., F; Will Wade, so., D
Worth noting: The Saints are coming off an appearance in the supersectional, where they lost to New Trier, which went on to win the state championship. It marked the second time in three years that St. Charles East made it to or past the sectional finals. The Saints have their work cut out for them this season if they want to make it back. East lost 14 seniors to graduation, including eight of their starters. On top of that, they lost sophomore defender Michael Grezenko, who started as a freshman, after he moved to Missouri to join Sporting Kansas City’s pro youth system. What’s left behind is a relatively young squad with Melton and Sychowski being the only players who have experience at the varsity level. DiNuzzo knows the season may be tough on his young athletes, but he has faith the team has what it takes to secure its 12th winning season in 13 years.
“We will lean on our returning players to guide our new players to try to continue the Saints tradition,” DiNuzzo said.
St. Charles North
Coach: Eric Willson
2023 record: 11-7-1, 5-2 DuKane Conference
Top athletes: Casey Kriz, sr., D; Diego Torres, sr., MF; Ashton Goettel, jr., D; Oliver Longosz, so., F; Dino Valenti, so., F
Worth noting: Despite losing two key players from last season in forward Walter Delapaz and goalkeeper Alex Curtis, the North Stars return a majority of their young stars from a season ago for another attempt at a DuKane Conference title. Longosz and Valenti return as North’s top scorers, with Longosz scoring six goals and Valenti having three shots find the back of the net. The North Stars will have the most experience in their backline. Kriz returns after seeing the field more than anybody last season, Goettel returns after missing some time because of injury. Seniors Cole Weddle and Ryan Knenlein round out the line after seeing plenty of playing time last season.
“We are a team that will always work hard. We have a good combination of veteran leadership and new, young talent,” Willson said. “In a very difficult conference, we will do our best to try and compete with the field.”
St. Francis
Coach: Jim Winslow
2023 record: 7-7-1, 5-0-1 Chicago Catholic
Top athletes: Luke Argamasilla, sr., D; John Coco, jr., MF; Junior Diaz, jr., MF; Nicholas Tisjlar, jr., F; Peter Williams, sr., MF; John Yarusso, sr., MF
Worth noting: The Spartans’ only nonconference win last year came in a 9-0 win in their opener but their nonconference schedule often has helped prepare them for conference success.
“(We’re) optimistic, but we need to find some goal scoring from a variety of places since we lost a bunch from last year,” Winslow said. “I like the group a lot, but we have some very big shoes to fill.”
- Bob Narang