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Fri. Sep 13th, 2024
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Indiana high school boys soccer rankings: Indy-area preseason Fab 15

By Matthew. Jr
Indiana high school boys soccer rankings: Indy-area preseason Fab 15

PLAYA

The arrival of a new soccer academy program resulted in some fairly significant changes to the boys soccer landscape across Central Indiana with a number of the area’s top players being poached from their high school teams.

With the season set to begin, let’s rank the area’s 15 best teams entering the fall. I’ll be back early next week with some under-the-radar teams to watch for.

IndyStar boys soccer Super Team: Meet Central Indiana’s best players

IHSAA soccer preview: Everything you need to know for the 2024 season

1. Cathedral (17-5-2, 3A runner-up)

Pairing one of the state’s top strikers (Cal Kurzawa) with one of the state’s top keepers (Jett Wallmeier) is a really good starting point. The Irish supplement that pairs with a senior to anchor their backline (Gavin Bateman) and an assortment of really talented midfielders: juniors Quinn Bateman and Jordan Wedges and rising sophomore Michael Bonaccorsi. Cathedral lost 38 goals with the graduations of Fynn Lahrsen and Ian Jackson, but will be bringing up sophomore forward Karol Molina-Gomez to play alongside Kurzawa up top. Molina-Gomez had three goals and five assists on JV.

Of note, Kurzawa has his sights set on the school’s single-season scoring record set by Cathedral girls coach Marc Behringer over 40 years ago.

∎ Must-see matchup: Aug. 24 at Zionsville. The Irish and Eagles renew their series. Should be a fun one with Kurzawa vs. Arron Habecker.

2. Fishers (11-3-4, 3A)

The Tigers overcame some injury issues en route to last year’s sectional runner-up finish. That experience should pay off over the coming weeks. Fishers lost a couple of players to academy teams (and leading scorer Kyle Clayton to graduation), but returned a very experienced and talented defensive corps with Nick Kline in net and Brady Grace, Jack Butts and Cole Anderson along the backline. Senior Reid Spittler (nine goals, eight assists) will lead the attack alongside junior Andres Artigas, with senior Denny Johnson providing some additional scoring punch out of the midfield. Depth could be an issue for this group early on, but coach Phil Schmidt has a number of young players coming in who are eager to fill in the gaps.

∎ Must-see matchup: Sept. 3 at Noblesville. How about this seven-day stretch to start September? Noblesville, Carmel and Hamilton Southeastern, with upstart Pendleton Heights lurking a couple days later.

3. Zionsville (12-5-1, 3A)

The Eagles may need a few games to sort out their lineup, but once those pieces fall into place, watch out. Midfielder Arron Habecker is coming off a really good sophomore season (nine goals, five assists), while seniors Jackson Theobald and Jack Parr matched each other with four goals and four assists. Cecil Cole is another name to know in the middle; the defense will be led by junior Gavin Masterson and senior Nick Byrd, who missed last season due to injury. Zionsville will be replacing its starting keeper. Freshman Ethan Eitel is among those competing for that spot.

∎ Must-see match: August 24 vs. Cathedral (Zionsville Eagle Classic). This early-season event also includes Herron and Bishop Luers, but this is the marquee matchup with two of the state’s best going at it. Good chance to see where the Eagles stand early on.

4. Noblesville (18-0-5, 3A state champions)

Noblesville is looking to become the first team in IHSAA history to win four straight state championships. Buy the Millers graduated four key contributors: Keeper Cole Thompson and all three starting midfielders, and lost a couple starting defenders to academy teams. That leaves question marks in the middle — keep an eye on junior wing Jose Rodriguez, who moved in from South America last December — and work to do along the backline. With respect to the latter, coach Ken Dollaske and his coaching staff have done well developing their defense over the past few years and will have a couple experienced pieces to build upon with senior Jake Hall and junior Quinn Johnston. This team’s biggest strength is on the attack with three experienced returners: Senior Caden Rice, junior Brady Frayer and Ben Hewitt, who stood out last season as a freshman.

∎ Must-see match: Aug. 23 vs. St. Xavier (Kentucky). A couple of defending state champions doing battle on a Friday night.

5. Westfield (9-6-2, 3A)

First-year coach Eric Cupp (formerly of Lafayette Jeff) takes over a senior-driven squad with experience at basically every position, most notably in net with senior Austin Butler, who allowed only seven goals and made 42 saves over 13 games (0.875 GAA ). There’s an assortment of familiar faces in front of him, including backs Grand Myers and Alec Schurman, wings Avery Farris and Ace Louriero and midfielder Oliver Church, the team’s top returning scorer (six goals). Newcomer Jacob Sundo, a senior midfielder, is expected to step into a prominent role, as is sophomore midfielder Sam Foulk.

∎ Must-see match: Sept. 14 at Pendleton Heights. Butler in net vs. PHHS’ Grayson Hovermale should be entertaining. For Westfield, this game is preceded by Noblesville and followed by Hamilton Southeastern and Carmel.

6. Center Grove (14-3-2, 3A sectional champion)

Eli Detty (Kentucky) graduated, but the Trojans remain a force out of the south with four returning starters — defenders Keaton Barnhizer and Evan Hewitt, Matheus Gubert and Charlie Habig — and the addition of senior Austin Lowden, who played academy last season. In terms of replacing Detty, Gubert tallied 14 goals and 11 assists, while Habig registered six assists. Sophomore goalkeeper Carter Dorrell played in nine games (405 minutes), allowing a goal and making nine saves.

∎ Must-see matchup: Aug. 22 at Bloomington South. A top-10 battle and potential state tournament preview.

7. Pike (20-3, 3A sectional champion)

Star striker Anelson Hazard (45 goals) has graduated, leaving a rather massive scoring gap in the Red Devils’ lineup. However, senior Ivan Acuna (18 goals, 14 assists) and junior Angel Morales (five goals, 11 assists) are both coming off very strong seasons and figure to be at the forefront of this young squad. Coach Theron Smith also added defender Arian Reyes, who played in the academy last season.

∎ Must-see matchup: Sept. 23-28 at Marion County tournament. Pike looks to defend its county championship for a fourth consecutive season.

8. Brownsburg (9-4-4, 3A)

The Bulldogs lack varsity experience with only eight returning varsity players (a theme for many Central Indiana teams), but those stepping in have been practicing against and learning from a really talented 2024 class over the past couple years. Micah Eldridge is the top returning scorer with eight goals and nine assists, while two-year starter Adam Boccone will lead the defense. He started all 17 games last season for a unit that surrendered only 25 goals. Juniors Kaden Johnson (defender), Rudy David Martinez (midfielder) and Teka Webb (forward) all bring varsity experience, as well. Brownsburg will have a new goalkeeper, although juniors Talon Collier and Will Orlando both bring at least some varsity experience.

∎ Must-see matchup: Aug. 27 vs. Hamilton Southeastern. Last season’s clash was wild with five second-half goals resulting in a 4-4 draw.

9. Martinsville (11-6-2, 3A)

Charlie Rawlins (13 goals, three assists) leads an experienced and quite dangerous Martinsville attack. He’ll be supported by junior forward Will Payton (seven goals, four assists), while the defense will be focused on replacing all-district center back Luke Gamble. Senior midfielder Landon Heath will again be a key defensive piece for the Artesians, who out-scored opponents 50-18 in 2023.

∎ Must-see matchup: Sept. 19 vs. Franklin. A good late-season test for the Aretsians’ retooled defense.

10. Pendleton Heights (12-4-1, 3A)

The Arabians have 10 returning starters including two of the area’s top talents in Grayson Hovermale (12 goals) and Dylan John (eight goals), and their starting goalkeeper Lucas Mayer-Adams, who’s hungry to improve upon last season, in which he surrendered 13 goals and made 61 saves across 17 games. The Arabians have steadily improved the past couple of seasons, and now only (tongue-in-cheek) have to worry about Fishers and HSE in the sectional.

∎ Must-see matchup: Aug. 29 at Hamilton Southeastern. The Arabians are 0-13 vs. the Royals since 2011, but the previous two meetings (2021, 2022) were both decided by one goal.

11. Heritage Christian (12-6, 2A)

The Eagles lost a big piece with Max Lock opting to go the academy route, but they still have an experienced and talented returning core. They’ll be particularly potent on the attack with senior Jameson Neill (13 goals, 12 assists) and junior Wesley Todd (eight goals, five assists) at striker, plus juniors Ty Ruhl (six goals, three assists) and Keegan Brunkow (three goals, four assists) at midfielder. Heritage Christian may need to out-score some teams early on as it reconstructs its defense, but it will be a title contender within its new sectional.

∎ Must-see matchup: Aug. 31 vs. Park Tudor. A potential sectional preview to close out the month of August.

12. Park Tudor (12-7, Class A regional champion)

The Panthers expect to start only two seniors and aren’t nearly as deep as years past, but they’ve still got the pieces for another deep tournament run. Elliot Scotten registered 16 goals and was part of the team’s 2022 state title run, as were Carson Shattuck and Lorenzo Nofrini. Connor Kacena-Merrel brings varsity experience to the midfield position, while junior keeper Gabe Sanich registered seven shutouts last season.

∎ Must-see matchup: Sept. 12 vs. Greenwood Christian. GCA upset the Panthers last year, 1-0, and returned the majority of their lineup.

13. Greenwood Christian (15-5, Class A regional champion)

The Cougars were a PK decision away from their second consecutive semistate championship and aside from their starting goalkeeper and a couple of midfielders, they’re projected to return the majority of their lineup. Junior Boden Campbell is among their most notable returners after registering 22 goals last season. Also expected to return is senior Caden Camden, who accounted for eight goals and nine assists over 20 games. Caleb Amador and Andrew Ramlian combined for nine goals and 10 assists.

∎ Must-see matchup: Aug. 20 at Covenant Christian. The Warriors have some pieces to replace, but should provide a formidable challenge for GCA in the season opener.

14. Franklin (13-3-1, 3A)

The Grizzly Cubs have a new coach (Mike Spongberg) and some new faces (graduated nine seniors, eight starters). But they should have a solid backline led by Mason Hurbert and Joseph Judson, and a talented midfield with Matthew Payne (led the Mid-State Conference in scoring) and junior Ayb Moore. What remains to be seen is who will take charge of the attack following the graduation of leading scorer Cole Hufford. Senior Cohen Betts and junior Colin Anderson will likely handle goalkeeping responsibilities.

∎ Must-see matchup: Sept. 28 at Plainfield. A critical conference matchup and late-season tune-up for the Grizzly Cubs.

15. Speedway (16-4, 2A regional runner-up)

The Sparkplugs return seven starters and have a couple others with extensive varsity experience. That group includes senior midfielders Alexander Yohanis (11 goals, five assists) and Sammy Harmon (a strong defensive presence), and juniors Joey Heaviland (21 assists) and Drew Matelic (11 goals, four assists). That’s a good starting point with a trio of upperclassmen — Israel Reynoso, Jacob Contreras and Randy Morales (Ben Davis transfer) — moving into more prominent roles. But there are question marks to be addressed on the attack (replacing Kervens Saint Paul) and in net (Lathan Ridge joined an academy team). Given time, Speedway should be ready to contend in its retooled sectional, which now includes Bishop Chatard.

∎ Must-see matchup: Oct. 3 vs. Roncalli. We’ll see how much both teams want to show with sectionals around the corner, but it should be a fun matchup.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

By Matthew. Jr

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