By Chris Parker
New Heights Christian (formerly College Heights Christian) soccer has the potential for a big season with a trio of all-state players returning from last season’s team that won 10 games and a district title.
“Our motto is hard, fast, clean,” New Heights Christian head coach Aaron Dogotch said. “We want to outwork our opponent through winning 50/50 challenges and attacking through the middle. We have better depth than we’ve had in the past few years. Our added depth will allow us to stay in games longer and keep our guys able to compete late in games.”
Look for Michael Parrigon (senior midfielder), Hudson Clevenger (senior midfielder), Liam Nelson (senior center back) and Ben Schumacher (junior midfielder) to be team leaders according to Dogotch.
Parrigon scored 23 goals and had 14 assists to lead New Heights as a junior. He earned first-team all-state honors.
“He (Parrigon) has an incredibly high work rate and provides a constant threat on the field,” Dogotch said. “We are at our best when we get Michael touches in the middle of the field. His speed, ball control and vision make him very difficult to defend. Michael is one of the best all-around players in the area.”
Clevenger earned second-team all-state honors scoring 13 goals and adding 13 assists last season.
“He played mostly up top for us as a junior, but we are looking to play him in a midfield position this year,” Dogotch said. “Good things happen when Hudson has the ball, so we want to find was to get him more touches. Hudson is a strong physical player that understands the game. He will be a defensive stopper for us in the midfield and will create opportunities for us in transition.”
Nelson is the third returning all-state honoree. He was second-team all-state with 12 goals and six assists as a junior.
“Liam is fearless on the field and his elite speed makes him a great defender,” Dogotch said. “Late in the season, he brought a dynamic scoring threat to us from the wing after our backline got healthy and we could afford to let him play up. He’s more comfortable at center back and he will be our rock back there this season.”
Schumacher added in two goals and eight assists as a sophomore. He earned all-district honors.
“This season we look to have him (Schumacher) in an attacking mid-field position,” Dogotch said. “He’s put in a lot of time developing his ability to control the ball and he’s become a real threat around the goal. We’re excited to give him more opportunities to score this season. He has a high soccer IQ and makes great decisions on the field.”
Parrigon, Clevenger and Schumacher will be joined in the midfield by seniors Gavin Doll and Bennett Thomas along with freshmen Brandon Schumacher and Lucas Nangle.
Dogotch on Doll: “Gavin had a solid season for us as a defender last year. He scored one goal and had two assists. Gavin played forward, center back and then settled in as our outside back, as we made our post-season run. Gavin is a strong defender that loves to go the ground to win a tackle. Gavin is a versatile player. We will be moving him into different positions based on the matchups we face this season.
Dogotch on Thomas: “Bennett is returning for his senior season after missing all of his junior year with an ACL tear. Bennett was a starter as a sophomore and a strong contributor to the team. Bennett is a good defender and is good in possession. He will serve as a distributor out of the middle.
Dogotch on Brandon Schumacher: “Brandon is an athletic player that has good presence on the ball. He has the ability to see the field and distribute out of the middle. We expect him to be a major contributor for us as a freshman.”
Dogotch on Nangle: “Lucas has played many years of club soccer and is very comfortable on the field. We can trust him with the ball to make good decisions and help start transition.”
Carson Hamlin (sophomore) and Justin Bgoni (sophomore) will be at forward with Bgoni also seeing time at goalkeeper.
Dogotch on Hamlin: “Cason has really matured physically from his freshman season. He is strong on the ball and is a good finisher. He comes from a strong soccer family and it shows with his field awareness and positioning. He will be asked to play back to the ball to keep his mid-fielders in the attack. We have a lot of confidence in his first touch and ability to read his opportunities.”
Dogotch on Bgoni: “Justin scored six goals on just nine shots as a freshman in limited minutes. His size causes real problems for defenders. We expect him to find goals from cleanup opportunities in the box.”
Defensively, Nelson will joined by Max Anreder (junior), Nixon Maningas (freshman), David Williams (freshman), Reuben Brake (freshman) and Connor Perry (sophomore).
Dogotch on Anreder: “Max played mostly outside back for us as a sophomore, while getting the occasional nod in the midfield. Max has continued to grow physically and will be an important player for us. His endurance, through his cross-country training, has made him a relentless defender. We believe that he will solidify the back line for us because of his height, speed and endurance.”
Dogotch on Maningas: “Nixon is dynamic athlete that brings speed and physicality to the edge. We are excited about his ability to push the field on overlapping runs as well as clamp down the edges defensively. We expect Nixon to continue to develop in his first touch and become a player that can make long runs on the ball.”
Dogotch on Williams: “David is a fearless defender with great speed. We look for him to get quality minutes on the back line as he continues to develop as a lock-down defender.”
Dogotch on Brake: “Reuben is a finesse player that can make long overlapping runs and be a threat for us in the attack. Reuben has a high upside and we believe he will be a key player for this program for the next four years.”
Dogotch on Perry: “Connor is returning as a sophomore after not playing his freshman season. Connor is tall and is learning to use his size in winning 50/50 balls. We believe that he can develop into a strong center back as he continues to work on his soccer skills. He has drastically increased his athleticism through off-season training.”
Rush Stewart (sophomore) will play at goalkeeper.
“Rush earned the starting position as a freshman and started 20 of the 22 games,” Dogotch said. “He recorded 97 saves on 122 shots on goal, an 80% save percentage. Rush has worked hard in the off-season on his soccer positioning and his ability to play with the ball at his feet. We expect him to play as an eleventh field player as he continues to gain confidence in his spacing and passing.”
New Heights Christian opens the regular season Aug. 30-31 at the Webb City Shootout.
“We have a very challenging regular season schedule, playing the powerhouses in the area,” Dogotch said. “These are tough tests for us, but these games do a great job in preparing us for our postseason opportunities. This is a strong senior class that is eager to return to state and finish what we fell short of last season.”
