Two-plus months of regular season soccer turns into a make-or-break scenario for teams across the state, as district tournaments get underway next week.
Before we dive into previews for our local district teams, let’s piece together a final power rankings for the 2016 regular season.
Note: Records through Oct. 9.
- Glendale (12-7, C3, PR: 2) – The Falcons took three losses to great competition at the Gateway Classic Sept. 29 – Oct. 1, but overall they’ve played well since a mid-September loss to Kickapoo, highlighted by recent wins over Rolla and Class 4 No. 9-ranked Vianney.
- Carthage (15-4, C3, PR: 3) – The Tigers have been off since winning 5-4 at Republic on Oct. 4. Carl Junction (Oct. 12), Joplin (Oct. 13) and Kickapoo (Oct. 18) remain on the regular season schedule.
- Kickapoo (15-5, C4, PR: 1) – The Chiefs have had a brutal stretch of games lately, including a pair of losses to Class 4’s No. 1 and No. 2 ranked teams, Rockhurst and CBC, respectively. An Oct. 13 trip to Rolla will have an outright Ozark Conference championship at stake for Kickapoo.
- Rolla (11-4-3, C3, PR: 4) – Undefeated in their last nine matches, including a recent OT win over Central, the Bulldogs are peaking at the right time. They could go a long way in earning a share of the Ozark Conference title by beating Kickapoo at home on Oct. 13, but also have OC games against Camdenton (Oct. 11) and Joplin (Oct. 18) to deal with. Non-conference games against College Heights Christian (Oct. 14) and Parkway Central (Oct. 15) also fill the remaining regular season schedule.
- Monett (13-6-1, C2, PR: 6) – The Cubs let one get away at home against Ozark on Sept. 29, but bounced back with convincing wins over Cassville, Willard, Bolivar and Webb City. They finish the regular season against Neosho (Oct. 13).
- Catholic (12-6, C2, PR: 7) – The Irish bounced back from consecutive losses (Nixa, Seckman) with a 2-0 road win at Northwest (Cedar Hill) on Saturday. Games this week against Ozark (Oct. 10), Waynesville (Oct. 11) and Willard (Oct. 13) cap the regular season slate. Update: Catholic’s 13-7 overall after losing to Ozark and beating Waynesville.
- Greenwood (12-5, C1, PR: 8) – The Blue Jays look to be playing well at the right time. After beating Rogersville on Tuesday night, they can take a five-game winning streak into districts if they can beat Thomas Jefferson in their regular season finale.
- Nixa (13-4, C4, PR: 4) – Recent losses to Blue Valley Northwest (Kan.) and Class 4 No. 3-ranked Marquette snapped Nixa’s seven-game winning streak, followed by a Monday night win at Neosho. The Eagles have remaining regular season games versus Branson (Oct. 13), West Plains (Oct. 18) and Glendale (Oct. 19).
- Republic (11-6, C3, PR: 9) So many close games for the Tigers this season, who are a bounce away from being around 14-2, or something like 7-9. Republic’s only played two games since Sept. 26, both one-goal losses to fellow Class 3 competition (Carl Junction, Carthage). Republic lost at Ozark last night and faces Bolivar (Oct. 13) and Webb City (Oct. 18) to close the regular season.
- Crocker (12-3, C1, PR: Unranked) – Keep an eye on the Lions, who entered this week with nine straight wins since a Sept. 12 overtime loss at Belle. Crocker pulled out a 3-2 home win against likely district finals opponent Stover on Monday, but lost 4-2 to Laquey the next night.
Knocking on the door: Laquey (11-7 C1), College Heights Christian (11-10, C1), Springfield Central (13-4, C4), Carl Junction (10-8-1, C3)
Keep in mind, these rankings are based on dominance by Class, not head-to-head.
DISTRICT TOURNAMENTS
The small-school tournaments (Class 1 and 2) begin next week, so let’s start with those.
CLASS 1 DISTRICT 5 @ STOVER HIGH SCHOOL
Say hello to the Class that has SWMO’s most likely Final Four representative! Are you ready for a world where we have a Crocker vs. Greenwood/Laquey/CHC state quarterfinals match? You should be.
The favorite: Crocker, winners of nine straight, is the No. 1 seed here and has a favorable path into the finals. They’ll face either Richland or Iberia in the semifinals, two teams that currently have four combined wins. Crocker is 2-0 against Iberia this season, outscoring the Rangers 13-2 in those two matches. Crocker beat Richland 3-0 in early September and faces the Bears again this Friday.
Ty Jones, with 25 goals and 10 assists, is one of the area’s top players in terms of offensive production. Supplementing him in the Crocker attack are forward Dillon Porter (15 goals, 11 assists) and center-mid Drayke Hair (7 goals, 11 assists). Crocker’s tallied 46 goals in its last eight matches. The strength of schedule isn’t great, but Crocker has the appearance of a strong offensive team.
What really makes the Lions click, coach Darren Boberg says, is the team’s depth. Crocker has 10 reserves that have tallied goals, four of which have multiple scores.
Defensively, senior Bryson Orison and junior Shelton Minor lead the Lions in the back. Crocker has limited the opposition to one or fewer goals in seven games heading into Monday night’s game against Stover. Goalkeeper Jonathon Gray has 142 saves and only 18 goals against for the Lions.
The spoiler: Stover fell 3-2 to Crocker on Monday. Stover will host this tournament and the Bulldogs are 6-2 on their home field this season, with the two losses coming to Green Ridge and Cole Camp in the Kaysinger Conference Tournament. One notable game to consider: Stover lost 8-3 at Fair Grove on Sept. 8. Crocker beat Fair Grove 2-1 at home in late September. I know “matchups, and all…” but that’s a significant goal differential. Stover’s other notable games include a 7-2 loss at Class 1 No. 1-ranked St. Paul Lutheran (7-2, Sept. 19). The Bulldogs have played well since then, winning four straight coming into this week.
The darkhorse: Don’t discount Dixon (13-8 overall), which played Stover to a 4-3 loss on the road in early September. The Bulldogs have maybe played the strongest overall schedule of anyone in this district. Dixon will close the regular season with games against Belle (Oct. 11), Richland (Oct. 13) and Sullivan (Oct. 14).
DISTRICT 6 @ GREENWOOD (LAKE COUNTRY SOCCER)
The notable thing for our local Class 1 teams is that Sacred Heart no longer lurks in the quarterfinals. The Gremlins, who eliminated Laquey in a pair of close quarterfinal matches in 2014 and 2015, were bumped to a different quarterfinal/district pod this year. The bad news is that whoever makes it to state out of this Crocker/Stover/Dixon/Greenwood/Laquey/New Covenant/College Heights Christian group would likely draw top-ranked St. Paul Lutheran in their first match in Fenton, but at that point you take your chances.
The favorite: Greenwood has been state-ranked most of the season and for a group that graduated its only two all-region players from last season’s team, you have to like what the Jays have done up to this point.
Don Hon and Julius Walker had combined for nearly 25 goals through September. Coach Chris Shull credited junior Jared Henry for providing “leadership and organization” to a Greenwood defense has posted three straight shutouts and eight clean sheets overall this season.
All five of Greenwood’s losses have come against Class 3 or 4 competition, and three of those games (Branson, Marshfield, Carthage) were decided by one goal. Greenwood beat likely semifinals opponent New Covenant 2-0 last week, a match that saw the Blue Jays hold an 18-4 edge in shots.
Greenwood hasn’t played Laquey this season, but the Blue Jays do have two wins over College Heights Christian: 5-1 on Sept. 17 in the Greenwood Classic. Two days earlier, Greenwood beat the Cougars 4-3 in overtime on the road.
Greenwood hasn’t won a district title since 2006, a stat that has a lot to do with some powerhouse Catholic teams formerly being in the Blue Jays’ district. If there was ever a year set up for the Jays to end that drought – and do more in the state playoffs – it’s 2016.
The spoiler(s): Laquey and College Heights Christian split a pair of regular season meetings, with the Hornets winning 4-1 way back on Aug. 19, then CHC getting payback in the Greenwood Classic with a 1-0 win on Sept. 17. On paper, Laquey vs. CHC could be one of the most competitive semifinals matches – of any district – that we have locally.
Laquey’s Tristan Gan has had a monster junior season – he leads the Hornets with 33 goals and is second in assists with seven. Senior Hunter Powers (6G, 15A) is a strong presence as a defensive center-mid. Coach Tyler Sevon describes Powers as the team’s top player “in the air” on offense and defense.
Additionally, Brandon MacDonald (8G, 4A), Seth Bushley and Kristian Elliott have performed well for a Laquey team that will be seeking its fourth straight district championship.
CHC is a bit of a wildcard. The Cougars are hard to gauge. They’ve been blown out by Laquey and Monett, but played the likes of Carl Junction, Springfield Catholic, Greenwood and Joplin to one-goal matches. Their best results include a 2-1 win over Carl Junction (in the first meeting) and a 1-0 win over Laquey. It’ll just depend which CHC team shows up.
Also, don’t look past New Covenant. The Warriors are only 6-12, but have several close losses on the resume. Greenwood-NCA has developed into a “rivalry” game and anything can happen in those.
CLASS 2 DISTRICT 11 @ FATIMA HS
This is a new-look district with Osage and Fatima taking the place of Rogersville and Clinton. The end result could be a familiar sight, though.
The favorite: Springfield Catholic will be chasing its eighth straight district championship.
The Irish are led by their defense. Michael Sallee is arguably the top goalkeeper in the Ozarks and Kaueh Huttenlocher is one of the best defensive center-mids. Catholic may not have that marquee offensive star that it’s had on past Final Four teams, but the Irish – with the help of some freshmen playing on varsity – have made it work as a team up to this point.
The question for Catholic will be whether it can scratch across more than one goal in these always-tight postseason matches. Catholic is 10-0 this season when it scores two or more goals, and 2-6 when it’s held to one or fewer goals through regulation and overtime (the Irish are 1-1 in PKs and 2-0 overtime). Keep in mind, though, the schedule-level that Catholic has faced.
Zak Straus has a team-high 12 goals for the Irish, followed by Huttenlocher – who does a lot – with 7 goals (plus 6 assists) and Keegan Randell (7G, 4A).
Playing a team on its home field (Fatima) for a district championship is never easy, but until Catholic finally doesn’t win a district title, it’s hard to pick against them.
The spoiler: Host Fatima’s most notable result is a 3-1 win over 2015 Class 2 Final Four participant Southern Boone. The Comets received three votes in the latest Class 2 state poll and Southern Boone was tied for 10th. Fatima also beat Father Tolton 2-1 and played Class 3 Helias Catholic to a 2-1 overtime loss in early September. The Comets, who had lost four of their last five matches heading into Monday night’s home game with Jefferson City, feature a trio of players who earned all-region honors in 2015: Cole Mengwasser (D), Luke Rehagen (MF) and Chad Angerer (MF).
My counting could be off, but it doesn’t appear Catholic and Fatima have had any common opponents in the regular season.
Fair Grove (12-5) has built upon a 2015 season that saw it play for a district championship, but getting matched up with a veteran host team like Fatima in the opening round is a tough draw. The sophomore twin tandem of Maicol and Sebastian Newkirk are a nice offensive duo for the Eagles going forward, but I’d like Fair Grove’s chances much more if it were playing in a Class 1 district.
DISTRICT 12 @ MONETT HS
This district looked rather mediocre before the season, but has gotten a little more interesting as Aurora, Cassville and Rogersville are poised to finish with records above, or close to, the .500 mark.
The favorite: Monett could be poised to surpass its historic 2015 season. The first order of business for the Cubs will be getting out of districts.
Monett has wins over Rogersville (3-0) and Cassville (6-2). When they lose, the Cubs have a knack for letting the floodgates open defensively: the opposition has scored at least five goals in four of Monett’s six losses, although those all came to Class 3 or higher competition. Those defensive issues primarily came early in the season and seemed to have been addressed by the Cubs.
Monett simply has firepower few Class 2 teams can match. Jason Puente is having another all-state level season. He’s got a team-high 30 goals to go with six assists in 2016, despite always being the opposing defense’s must-stop target.
Puente teams with senior co-captain Carlos Izaguirre to lead Monett’s attack. Izaguirre has 12 goals and six assists this season, including a 2-goal, 2-assist effort in Monett’s 4-0 win over Willard on Oct. 4.
Monett’s midfield is keyed by a trio of juniors: Adrian Moncivaiz (11G, 7A), Andres Cecenas (11G, 6A) and Freddy Ramirez (7G, 3A). All three have similar statistical production, and Cecenas and Ramirez are co-captains.
Senior defender Daniel Salas is a four-year varsity player who has shifted to a role in the back to help the Cubs. Coach Cristobal Villa praised Salas’ unselfishness and said he is one of the team’s best passers. After leading the team in assists in 2014 and 2015, Salas’ has become a key defender for the Cubs and provided a tremendous boost in the back.
Monett has also enjoyed the return of Cameron Cody at goalkeeper. He suffered a season-ending injury midway through last season. This year, he’s tallied over 150 saves and posted four shutouts. He came up with a pair of key stops in PKs to help Monett beat Catholic in mid-September.
The spoiler(s): Rogersville vs. Aurora in the semifinals pits two teams with winning records. Rogersville hasn’t had a winning season since 2012. It’s been at least eight seasons since Aurora reached such a feat. The two teams are scheduled to play this Friday, which would be the third game of the week for both sides.
For Rogersville, Oscar Marten (14G, 7A) leads the team in goals and assists. The Wildcats will drive the majority of their attacks up top to him at forward.
Freshman Austin Revels (5G) and Mason Twitty supplement the Wildcat offense. Coach Brett Wubbena praised the defensive play of JD Kennedy and called him the “backbone of our team.” Ryan Christopher (5A) and Jack Gold (5A) are pivotal players for Rogersville’s passing schemes, Wubbena said.
Aurora’s had relatively balanced scoring, although a trio of players have emerged at the top of the leaderboard. Junior Denny Mayne (14G, 7A), junior Miguel Gallardo (9G, 3A) and senior Kim-Long Ly (8G, 3A) lead the Houn’ Dawgs offense.
Defensively, senior Christian Daugherty and freshman Ryan Cline have emerged as solid players in the back.
Rogersville and especially Aurora have had many tough seasons this decade, but a spot in the district finals would be a great step forward for both programs.
The winners of District 11 and District 12 would meet in the sectional round on Oct. 25, with the winner of that moving on to the quarterfinals on Oct. 29 against likely Clinton, Boonville or Southern Boone.
Boonville, Monett, Catholic and Southern Boone are ranked Nos. 7-10, respectively, in the Class 2 state rankings. SOBOCO doesn’t appear quite at its 2015 level (when it beat Monett 4-0 in the quarterfinals), so the road’s very much favorable for Monett or Catholic to reach state.
CLASS 3 DISTRICT 9 @ ROLLA HS
If it’s not Class 1, then Class 3 has our highest odds for a Class 3 team making it to state. We could have an all-local sectional/quarterfinals pod if Rolla beats Helias Catholic for the district title.
The favorite: You gotta think Rolla earns the No. 1 seed here, considering the Bulldogs beat Helias Catholic 1-0 on the road on Sept. 21. District tournaments for the big schools (Class 3 and 4) don’t start for two weeks, so we’ll have to wait a little longer to see brackets, but by now we should have a good idea of what to expect.
The Bulldogs play keep-away and stingy defense, and that’s again been a winning formula for them under coach Mike Howard. The win over Helias Catholic was Rolla’s best victory this season; the Crusaders are just outside the Top 10 of the Class 3 state poll.
Rolla will have home field on its side for this tournament, a place where the Bulldogs are 6-0-2 overall this season.
Drew Blair has developed into one of the area’s top goalkeepers – he has 8 shutouts this season. Rolla’s defense has been superb of late. The Bulldogs have seven shutouts in their last eight matches and the lone goal they did allow was a PK against Waynesville.
Jarrett Gabriele (12G, 4A) has been Rolla’s top offensive weapon, but the Bulldogs also have more options with Nathan Gonzales (4G, 8A), Earl Medrano (4G, 4A), Nic Janke (4G) and Gabe Stanislawski (5G, 8A). This is a balanced team who will beat you with depth and defense rather than star power.
Since winning a district title and reaching the Class 2 state quarterfinals, Rolla has had three heartbreaking losses in districts the past three years. Two of those games came against Helias Catholic, but the Bulldogs will have a chance for payback later this month.
The spoiler: Helias Catholic has recent history and tradition on its side, but the Crusaders appear to be playing up or down to their competition this season. They have good wins over the likes of Fatima and Sacred Heart, but squeeked by Camdenton 2-1 early in the season and needed PKs to beat a Battle team Rolla walloped 5-0. The Crusaders returned a pair of their five all-region players from 2015’s team, including a pair of senior defenders in Sam Heckart and Jack Schrimpf.
Camdenton’s better than its 6-11-1 overall record would indicate; the Lakers have played Helias Catholic, Marshfield, Fatima, Glendale and Parkview to one-goal losses. Justin Gerdiman, one of the area’s top players, looks to have returned from a preseason knee injury, so that’s a nice lift for the Lakers. Marshfield (8-13 overall) has been up-and-down this year after winning its first ever district title in 2015. The Blue Jays own a win over Camdenton in their season opener and led Central 1-0 at halftime on Monday night.
CLASS 3 DISTRICT 10 @ Glendale HS
The favorite: It’s nice to be the Falcons. Glendale will have home field on its side in the All-Ozark Conference district, a group that sees the other three teams (Parkview, West Plains, Hillcrest) currently holding losing records.
Glendale’s recent 3-2 overtime win over Vianney was perhaps the best result by any local team against out-of-area competition this season. The question for Glendale going forward will be health. Injuries have again plagued Glendale this year, but beating Vianney makes me think Glendale is close to full strength. Glendale already beat West Plains 8-0 this season and faces upcoming games with Parkview (Sept. 13) and Hillcrest (Sept. 17)
The spoiler: It’s tough to see anyone but Glendale winning this district, but if there’s a team that could give the Falcons a run in the finals, it’d have to be likely No. 2 seed Parkview. The Vikings have a premier player in Brody Johnson, who has 22 goals and 7 assists.
Demetrius Guyer (6G, 7A) and Charlie Taylor (3G, 5A) are also names to watch for Parkview. Guyer provides a strong role as a center-back and Devon Rathbun has provided dependable play at goalkeeper.
Parkview’s played better of late – they’ve won five of their last six matches and are overtime losses to Ozark and Waynesville away from being 9-8 overall. With winnable games ahead against the likes of Neosho, Branson and New Covenant still on the schedule, I’d bank on Parkview holding a winning record going into districts.
CLASS 3 DISTRICT 11 @ REPUBLIC HS
Locally, this district is the “Group of Death,” right? Three teams have winning records and Bolivar is somewhat close to .500.
The favorite: Carthage has the strongest pedigree and roster of anyone in this group. The Blue and White Tigers are seeking their third Final Four trip in five years.
Carthage already has a 7-0 win over Willard, but slipped by Republic 5-4 on the road in a close match last week. Carthage figures to draw No. 4 seed Bolivar in the opening round.
Carthage features one of the best offensive tandems in the area between strikers Rudy Gonzalez and Elder Reyes. Gonzalez leads the team with 23 goals plus five assists, while Reyes has nearly matched him with 21 goals and a team-high 9 assists. Teams typically haven’t been able to devote extra attention to one guy, because the other one will step up with more space to work.
Carthage’s issues have come on defense. Against a really strong local and out-of-area schedule, the Tigers have conceded at least two goals in 11 matches. The Tigers do have six shutouts to their credit, however.
John Navarrete has been a pivotal player for Carthage as a defensive center-mid.
“He breaks up the opposition’s attack just as it’s starting out. He reads the game really well and intercepts a lot of passes,” coach Jacob Osborne said. “He also starts a lot of our attack and does a good job of leading our possession. He’s one of the smartest players in the area.”
Mauricio Gonzalez has been another dependable presence in the back. He’s played well in big games, which Carthage has already had plenty of this season.
The spoiler: Republic playing Nixa to an overtime loss in late August was a sign of things to come. The Tigers, who lost to Carthage 5-4 at home last week, have proven they’re a legit threat in this district.
Dylan Brown has been this year’s breakout player. He led the team in goals (32) and assists (14) entering this week. Update: he now has the school record for goals in a season. Julio Quezada (16G, 13A), the program’s all-time goals leader, is still pretty good, too.
Defensively, Manny Elivo (D/MF), Trenton Roetto (MF/D) and Jared Wininger (D) are co-captains, provide leadership, and contribute in ways that don’t show up on the normal stat sheets.
All five of Republic’s losses have come by one goal, including a pair of overtime losses (Carl Junction, Nixa) and one PK loss (Willard).
Carthage vs. Republic would be one of the most entertaining and competitive finals we get.
The darkhorse(s): Don’t overlook Willard, which improved to 11-7-2 overall after a Monday night home win over Rogersville. Willard will likely face Republic in the opening round. After losing 5-0 at Republic on Sept. 13, Willard won a rematch (1-0, PKs) in the Willard Fall Classic a week and a half later. Willard closes the regular season with games against Catholic and Kickapoo, so they’ll be well prepared for districts.
Bolivar is a respectable 7-10 overall, but offense has been hard to come by for the Liberators. They have only 20 goals through regulation and overtime play this season, six of those coming in a blowout win against Hillcrest.
Evan Haney (5G, 2A), Anthony Contreras (4G, 1A) and Nick Genovese (4G, 1A) have been Bolivar’s main playmakers. The Liberators’ regular season MVP has been goalkeeper Will vanHoornbeek. He has five shutouts and has helped the Liberators win three PK shootouts.
“In our last shootout, (Will) saved the fourth Marshfield shot and then kicked the game winner as our next shooter,” said Bolivar coach Steven Fast. “He makes one or two big saves in each of the shootouts. He has really kept us in games.”
Bolivar doesn’t play Carthage in the regular season, lost 3-0 at Willard in late September and hosts Republic this Thursday.
CLASS 3 DISTRICT 12 @ CARL JUNCTION HS
Another COC-Large heavy group and one that’s set up nicely for the host school.
The favorite: Carl Junction’s the only team in this group with a winning record. The Bulldogs (10-8-1 overall) have had a knack for close games. Ten of their outcomes have been decided by one goal or PKs.
Carl Junction had some struggles early in the season but has played much better of late. The Bulldogs are 8-3-1 overall since mid-September, with one-goal losses to Joplin and 2-0 losses to Boonville and Springfield Catholic the only setbacks.
Carl Junction’s attack is keyed by the senior duo of Connor Niemeyer (8G in 17 matches) and Kegan Peters (7G, 5A). CJ’s best result of the season was when it beat Republic 2-1 in overtime at home on Sept. 27.
We could have a sectionals preview Wednesday night when CJ hosts Carthage.
The darkhorse: Neosho would have to be the other team to watch out for in this group. They’ve played the likes of Carthage (4-2), Republic (2-0) and Carl Junction (4-3, 2-1 PKs) to respectable losses, but don’t have any eye-popping wins. They’ve played CJ close in two matches so we should have a competitive finals here.
CLASS 4 DISTRICT 9 @ CENTRAL HS
Parkview moved down to Class 3 and Kickapoo got bumped over to this district.
The favorite: You have to go with Kickapoo here, as the Chiefs have the roster and the strength of schedule you’d like to see from a potential Final Four team.
Kickapoo’s played the best of the best in the state. Three of their five losses were against teams ranked in the Top 6 of the Class 4 state poll.
They’ve beaten the likes of Catholic, Ozark, Nixa and Glendale locally, with games against Rolla and Carthage still remaining.
Offensively, Kickapoo has spread the wealth. Cole Johnson (15G, 4A), Jaxon Riddle (16G, 7A), Ian Hansen (12G, 4A) are atop the offensive stat leaderboard, but the Chiefs have also gotten contributions from the likes of junior Duece Vandaveer (6G, 10A) and freshman Aiden Bilbao (7G, 5A).
Goalkeeper Jacob Holman has been stellar, posting 11 shutouts thus far.
The Chiefs have benefited from the return of senior Tyler Shrum, who suffered a season-ending injury last year.
“He has been a leader and a workhorse for us in the back,” coach Phil Hodge said.
Add in Josh Scheiderer and Zac Salyers, and Kickapoo possesses the best defending unit in the area. Former defender Zach Peters has shifted up from a defender’s role last year to a midfied/attacking role this year to give the Chiefs even more offensive weapons.
It’s harder to crack the Class 4 state rankings than it is to actually make it to the final four. Kickapoo, if it can advance through districts and sectionals, will only need to beat one out-of-area team (a Lee’s Summit team) to make it to Fenton. As Nixa showed last year, it’s achievable.
The spoiler: It’s been a good season for Central, and as Rolla coach Mike Howard said after last week’s meeting, the Red and Black Bulldogs are for real.
Central entered this week 13-4 overall, a figure that could be even better if not for a PK loss to Catholic and an overtime loss to Rolla.
Speedy forwards Yahya Ben Makhlouf (22G) and Jamie Villegas (21G) have been the main weapons on Central’s attack. Josh Hession and Ben Zimmerman have added five goals apiece. Like Dylan Brown of Republic, Central’s Makhlouf has had emerged as a big threat.
Mark Dragoi has tallied a team-high 9 assists. Goalkeeper Jack Ellerbee has started every game for Central and holds an 85% save percentage on 18 goals allowed.
Central’s offense has been consistent and productive for the most part. They’ve scored at least through goals in 12 matches.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Kickapoo would be the second-best team they’ve faced this season. On the other hand, Central won’t be the second-best team Kickapoo has faced. This is where strength of schedule pays off for the Chiefs.
One common opponent of note: Central lost 7-0 to Lee’s Summit West in late August. The Bulldogs have no doubt improved since then, but Kickapoo played that same LSW team to a 2-1 loss in double-overtime the next day.
CLASS 4 DISTRICT 10 @ OZARK HS
This was formerly the local “Group of Death,” but Kickapoo has been moved to a different district and Branson has moved up from Class 3.
The favorite: Nixa took some recent losses to strong competition, but I really like the way the Eagles have been playing over the last few weeks. Losing a guy like Parker Crawford means some tactical adjustments, but the Eagles haven’t missed a beat. Before last weekend, Nixa had won seven straight with a goal differential of +30.
Offensively, Jacob Romero (12G, 4A) and Andrew Koban (9G, 1A) have become pivotal players for Nixa’s offense in Crawford’s absence. I also like what shifty midfielder Hunter Daniels bring to this team. He’s one of the area’s next standout players.
Defensively, Jon Dasal has again been outstanding in the back. Jakob Price (36 saves, .96 GAA) has continued the strong play from his sophomore season. Nixa still has to play Branson, but after convincing wins over Joplin (3-0) and Ozark (7-0) the Eagles have likely locked up the district No. 1 seed.
The spoiler: Sept. 20 was rock bottom for Ozark, but also a turning point for the team. Ozark coach Tom Davidson, after seeing his team endure a forgettable a 7-0 loss to Nixa, said afterwards, “I hope I didn’t lose my team tonight.”
It was evidently a wakeup call for the Tigers as Ozark has played very well since then, going 8-1-1 overall. The lone loss was 3-1 to state-ranked Vianney. Ozark’s offense has also picked up – the Tigers are averaging over three goals per match since their blowout loss to Nixa.
Lawson Spence (12G, 3A) has really come on as a sophomore. James Pottberg (6G, 9A) and Keaton Amstutz (7G, 8A) are proven and dependable senior leaders. In the back, Davidson credits the likes of Josh Neidig, Carter Burgerss and Noah Suiter for keying the defense.
Ozark played about as poor of a half of soccer as you can play against Nixa back on Sept. 20, but credit the Tigers for bouncing back and not letting their season get away.
The darkhorse: Joplin fell to Ozark 4-1 last week, but the two teams are likely to meet again in the district semifinals. Joplin’s been up-and-down. The good results include a 3-2 win over Helias Catholic, a 1-0 win over Carl Junction, a 2-0 win over Parkview, and even a 1-0 road loss to Kickapoo. The “downs” include a 1-0 loss to Webb City and lopsided defeats against Nixa and Central.
Senior forward Pavin Winkle is Joplin’s top offensive weapon. He has a team-high seven assists and is tied for the team lead with six goals. Midfielder Ethan Merino (6G) and James Hernandez are two sophomores who will be a big part of Joplin’s future.
Joplin’s defensive line has contributed six goals to the team output.
Offense has been hard to come by, but coach Luis Percovich says the team plays an unselfish style and continues to build chemistry. Joplin’s defense has been steady most of the year. The Eagles have held opponents to one or fewer goals in 10 games entering this week.
Goalie Garrett Nimmo has had big saves in many games, Percovich said, and junior defender John Loden has overcome injures to be the “heart of the defense” on the field.
