Wilmington won a tight battle for the SBAAC American Division top spot last season with a 7-1-2 record. Batavia was runnerup at 7-2-1.
Georgetown went 6-0-2 and won the National Division.
Neither Blanchester nor East Clinton have a boys soccer program at this time.
CLINTON-MASSIE
Clinton-Massie finished 10-6-3 last season. Head coach Trevor Kackley enters his fourth season as head coach. He’ll be assisted by Adam Brausch this season.
Weston Carpenter led Massie with 12 goals and 30 points but he graduated in the spring, as did Carter Amstutz, AJ Brewer, Javen Carpenter, Carson Myers and Jake Ryan.
Weston Carpenter, Wyatt Coblentz and Gleb Luce were first team all-league in 2023.
In all, there are 13 returning letterwinners for the Falcon, seven of them starters in 2023.
Coblentz, Luce, Kennedy Morgan and Jack Thamann are the top returning players. Koltyn Hughes, Jace Horner and Yarik Luce are the top newcomers to the Massie program.
Kackley said Coblentz has shown quality leadership to help the team chemistry. Danny Mefford has taken the “underclassmen under his wing and making the transition into (high school) soccer better.” Noah Hawk has helped the team attitude and speed of play, along with helping the underclassmen develop, the coach said.
While the team must improve its communication on the field and individual confidence, Kackley said, the squad has a positive attitude and energy, along with a drive to be the best every time they touch the pitch.
WILMINGTON
Imad El-Macharrafie, the reigning SBAAC American Division coach of the year, guided the Hurricane to an American Division championship in 2023, the team’s first since 2020.
WHS improved from 5-9-4 in 2022 to 10-4-3 in 2023.
El-Macharrafie will be assisted this season by Bobby Oetzel and Robert Collins.
Jose Morales was an offensive force last season, garnering SBAAC American Division player of the year honors. He had 30 goals and 67 total points to lead the league.
Ben Angelica led the loop with 13 assists and 12 goals in his inaugural season at WHS in 2023. Bryce Vilvens had 10 assists, third in the league.
But Morales and Levi Cochran (141 saves and six shutouts in goal for WHS) have graduated, along with Steven Collins, Minh Le, Dylan Littrel and Cristian Perez.
Morales, Angelica, Cochran, Collins, Aven Patel and Vilvens were first-team all-league last season.
There are 11 returning letterwiners and seven returning starters, so the cupboard is far from bare for the Hurricane. Zander Johnson joins Angelica, Patel and Vilvens as the top returning players.
“This is a dynamic battle-tested team that is hungry,” said El-Macharrfie, who added the team will contend again in the SBAAC if it remains healthy.
“Our goal is realistic and what it always is … to win the league, have fun and produce positive and productive young men,” the coach added. “This is a good group of people doing what they love and it shows.”
