2024 Spring High School Sports Preview: Boys soccer capsules for Greater Spokane League

From staff reports

Teams listed in alphabetical order. Records and standings from 2023 season.

4A/3A

Central Valley (7-8, 3-6, 7th): Aaron Gruis is in his third year with the Bears, with a strong team up the middle. Beau Butner – a six-time varsity letter winner across two sports – heads the defense from the centerback position. Maddox Lopez welcomes his brother Beckham to the midfield in 2024. Depth and goal scoring will be a point of emphasis for CV.

Cheney (9-6, 3-6, 8th): Former Blackhawk Noah Prophet returns home to coach after a collegiate career. He takes over from former Mead Panther and Gonzaga Bulldog Nick Hamer. Prophet is hoping to build off 13 letter-winners returning, including seniors Logan Mink and Sam Woller. Ollie Cagle comes in as a freshman forward.

Gonzaga Prep (14-5, 9-0, 1st): The GSL co-champion Bullpups and head coach Johnny Bartich will have their work cut out for them with three first-team All-GSL players gone. The Bullpups will be strong up the gut with a senior centerback in Lukas Looney – a second-team All-GSL player in 2023 – and Phoenix Sandbo, a senior center midfielder. Thirteen seniors graduated, so expect a lot of play time for new starters.

Lewis and Clark (12-6, 6-3, 4th): Two seniors, Bruch Emch and Max Wilson, are returning off ACL tears their sophomore seasons. Two All-GSL players were lost to graduation and four total starters. Seven starters return alongside Emch and Wilson, both who played on the 2022 state team. They should make the backline a strength for the Tigers.

Mead (13-4, 8-1, 1st): The Panthers are content with scoring “ugly” according to second-year coach Tanner Wilburn. Sometimes Mead can get too cute in front of goal, but the 20 athletes on the roster – who all chose soccer as their primary sport – are looking to compete with Gonzaga Prep again for the GSL title. Kye Welch, a first-team All-GSL, and Wes Starley, All-GSL honorable mention return. They make up a strong team up the middle. Look for Mead to control the game through its possession.

Mt. Spokane (2-11, 2-7, 9th): An unfortunate number of injuries to their seniors in 2023 gave a lot of varsity minutes to players underneath them. The Wildcats will be experienced in midfield and defense and will need to hunt for their goals. Ten letter-winners graduated, but All-GSL honorable mention midfielder Gavin Wunsch, a junior, is back. So is senior defender Matthew Cong.

North Central (5-9, 4-5, 6th): North Central made it to the round of 16 in the state tournament in 2022, so the Wolfpack have been in rebuild mode since then. First-team All-GSL forward Adrien Ferrasse graduated and a total of 11 letter-winners are gone from 2023. Head coach Matt Leonard will lean on senior defender Evan Sand and junior midfielder Owen Bischoff for leadership and top play.

Ridgeline (8-5, 6-3, 3rd): In their third year, the Falcons are chock full of seniors, including Braylon Helm-Renz, a first-team All-GSL midfielder in 2023 and Caden Thompson, a first-team All-GSL defender. Junior Andrew Chaker will look to be the leagues top striker this season. Head coach Ernie Merino said his team will have excellent possession and will play high-quality soccer. In general, they will have to improve their finishing and team defending. Young goalkeeping will be something to watch.

University (1-13, 0-9, 10th): Kara Sharpe joins the boys team as head coach after spending the past five as the girls coach. She takes over a program with five starters and she will have to rely on four starting freshmen. The Titans will be searching for some players with pace who have the ability to put the ball in the back of the net. The 2023 GSL girls coach of the year will be looking to improve from the 2023 season and game to game.

2A

Clarkston (0-14, 0-10, 6th): Head coach Corinthia Richert is going into her 10th season, and while the Bantams are still young, they have more experience than in 2023. Richert has enjoyed what she has seen from her team in the early part of the season. Junior striker Stephen Alfred and junior Riley LePlante will provide the experience.

East Valley (6-11, 4-6, 4th): The Knights only lost one letter-winner and no starters from their 2023 squad. Head coach Logan Georgeadis – who is in his third season – will have two All-League players at his disposal. Midfield senior Hunter Anderson and junior midfielder Weston Fraxz return to lead East Valley.

Pullman (18-4, 10-0, 1st): After taking fourth in state a season ago, the Greyhounds are expected to push deep into state again, even after losing league offensive MVP Carl Dollins and two first-team All-League players. The top two goal scorers graduated, but Clarens Dollins and Evan French will look to shoulder some of the burden. Leon Lange, the leagues defensive MVP, is back to anchor a top-tier defense.

Rogers (7-9, 3-7, 5th): The Pirates hope to cause havoc in the 2A again, their fourth-year head coach, Mike Duke said. First-team All-League midfielder Valen Byiringiro returns as a senior, as does junior Evan Rushing, Josiah Torres and Sahil Sahebzada, all three were honorable mentions in the league last year. The expectation is to rely on the defensive end and find the back of the net on their offensive chances.

Shadle Park (9-9, 5-5, 3rd): Almost the entire Highlander defense graduated or transferred from 2023. After finishing third in the league a season ago, Shadle will need to find its defensive identity and a consistent goal threat. Expect that to fall to senior first-team All-GSL Tyler Pearson. Sam Picicci will provide solid play in net, as he earned an honorable mention nod last year.

West Valley (14-5, 8-2, 2nd): CC Collins joins University’s Kara Sharpe as the two coaches who made the jump to coach the boys after coaching the girls for multiple seasons. She will learn how to build the team after five starters are gone from 2023. Two seniors will be the focus. Up top is Cyler Petruso and helping provide him service is Rylan Allen, a center midfielder.

NEA

Lakeside (11-9, 9-3, 2nd): A roster exodus from 2023 will test co-coaches Darin Mott and Wayne Ferris early in the season. The Eagles lost seven starters due to graduation and injury. A traditionally small turnout and an inexperienced roster will force some tough learning moments, but the coaches expect the squad to be competitive.

Newport (2-10, 2-11, 6th): The Grizzlies are hoping and expecting to finish better than in 2023. One starter graduated and one other letter-winner is gone, but the rest return including senior defender Jess Johnson who will be relied on to lead the squad.