Colorado: Boys soccer season preview

By John Rosa

For the better part of the past decade, high school soccer has been pretty easy to predict in Colorado. With very few exceptions, one could pick the Class 5A champion out of a small group of perennial powers. Liberty (now at 5A) or Broomfield would walk away with the 4A title, and the 3A champion would come out of the Metro League.

But all of that changed last year, as the 2008 season presented a pretty significant shift in the landscape of prep soccer in the state.

File photo by Patrick Miller

Denver East, long considered a solid team from a weak league, shocked the field to win the 5A championship. Rock Canyon steamrolled its way to the 4A title in only its third year of existence, while upstart Hotchkiss became only the second team outside of the Metro League to win the 3A crown since 1996.

Was the 2008 season a one-year anomaly or the harbinger of things to come?

Denver East certainly hopes the changes are permanent, as the Angels enter the year ranked No. 1 in Class 5A in the Colorado High School Coaches Association/MaxPreps poll. While East lost several key players to graduation — including All-Colorado keeper Grant Simon, the championship game's MVP, and all-staters Sharod Dadgar and Zach Grossnickle — the Angels do return Zach Bolden, the Colorado Player of the Year who scored a team-high 26 goals, and Adam Schreiber, an all-state defender.

Playing in a Denver Prep League long considered one of the weakest in the state, East had been able to fly under the radar for much of the decade. But after winning their second soccer championship in school history, the Angels, and Bolden in particular, realize they’ll be wearing a target on the pitch this season.

“It’s going to be tough,” Bolden said after last season. “Teams will know who we are, so we’re going to have to come out with even more intensity than we did last year. We’re going to have to work hard for this again, because I have a feeling we can do it again.”

There will be plenty of challengers lining up to knock the Angels off their throne, including Regis Jesuit, which fell to East in the championship game 1-0 in double overtime. The Raiders graduated much of their offensive explosiveness but should remain solid on defense in front of standout keeper Alex Goetz.

Bear Creek made a surprising run to the semifinals last year as the 20th seed in the 32-team field, and the Bears bring back the bulk of their club.

Fort Collins was the other semifinalist as a 15th seed, and the Lambkins won a state title as recently as 2005. They should contend again, but they will have to survive the brutal Front Range League, which could make a case as the toughest in 5A.

Rangeview graduated 12 players off of a squad that was undefeated and the top seed in the tournament before being upset by East in the quarterfinals last season. The Raiders should remain a factor behind the spectacular Davey Armstrong, who might be the best finisher in the state.

Defending Colorado Springs League champion Liberty also should remain formidable. The Lancers return nine starters, including senior Patrick Slogic, a 6-foot-4 senior who was an all-state selection last season. In addition, Jake Martinez, a sophomore striker who is a Regional Olympic Development and a National Pool player, returns.

Head coach Mike Goyden also is high on newcomer Taylor Shepard, a 6-2 goalkeeper who moved in from Germany a week before tryouts. Shepard played on the Europe Regional Olympic Development Program team.

Colorado High School Coaches Association/MaxPreps Poll

1.  Denver East . . .31 points (6 first-place votes)
2t. Arapahoe . . . 15
2t. Cherry Creek . . . 15 (1)
4.  Chatfield . . . 14 (1)
5.  Regis Jesuit . . . 13 (1)
6t. Grandview . . . 11
6t. Rangeview . . . 11
8.  Fort Collins . . . 10
9.  Fairview . . . 7
10. Boulder . . . 6 

Class 4A

Last season’s 4A championship game was less of a contest than a coronation, as Rock Canyon completed a dominant campaign by downing Niwot 3-0. The Jaguars started the year ranked No. 2, went through the regular season undefeated despite playing in the always tough Class 5A Continental League and outscored their opponents 105-14 while winning the first state title in school history.

While a repeat run isn’t out of the question, Rock Canyon will have to find a way to replace 11 graduated players, including 4A player of the year Alex Tornoczi and his 34 goals.

Runner-up Niwot, however, returns almost fully intact. The top-ranked Cougars bring back 10 starters, and 14 players in all, including all-staters Santiago Velez, Michele Corbet and Curtis Stecyk.

One team that will push Niwot in both state and the Northern League is perennial power Broomfield. The Eagles are still stinging from their 2-1 overtime loss to the Cougars in the quarterfinals, ending Broomfield’s run of three consecutive trips to the state championship game, a stretch that included two titles (2005, 2007).

The Eagles are led by Cole Chapleski, a 6-2 senior forward who has signed to play for the University of Denver. Chapleski has a knack for scoring big goals, including the overtime game winner in the 2007 title game, and could make a serious run at player-of-the-year honors.

Jefferson County League power Wheat Ridge made the semifinals last year, and the Farmers bring back the talented duo of Reid Hukari, who will anchor the offense, and Alex Merrill, who was the top keeper in the classification last season.

Colorado High School Coaches Association/MaxPreps Poll

 1. Rock Canyon . . . 20 (3 first-place votes)
2t. Broomfield . . . 16 
2t. Niwot . . . 16 (2)
4.  Lewis-Palmer . . . 9
5. Wheat Ridge . . . 6
6t. Cheyenne Mountain . . . 3
6t. Pueblo West . . . 3
8.  Mullen . . . 2
9t. D'Evelyn . . . 1
9t. Evergreen . . . 1

Others receiving votes: None.

Top returning players

Kevin Aguilar, Mountain View, Jr.; Cole Chapleski, Broomfield, Sr.; Michele Corbet, Niwot, Sr.; Jose Gallarza, Fort Morgan, Sr.; Ben Glass, Cheyenne Mountain, Sr.; Elisco Gomez, Montrose, So.; Gustavo Hidalgo, Rock Canyon, Sr.; Reid Hukari, Wheat Ridge, Sr.; Alex Merril (GK), Wheat Ridge, Sr.; T.J. Podio, Pueblo West, Sr.; Ramon Rodriguez, Centaurus, Sr.; Garrett Seitz, Broomfield, Sr.; David Shea, Eagle Valley, Sr.; Ken Sherer, Pueblo West, Sr.; Zach Solis, Canon City, Sr.; Curtis Stecyk, Niwot, Sr.; Alex Tagawa, Broomfield, Jr.; Steven Tobler, Montrose, Sr.; Santiago Velez, Niwot, Jr.; Ricky Zatarain, Montrose, Sr.

Class 3A

Maybe the biggest shock of all last season came at the 3A level, where Hotchkiss came from nowhere to wrest the championship out of the hands of the powerful Metro League.

The Bulldogs pull players from several schools, including Hotchkiss, Paonia, Delta and Cedaredge, and they melded to form a squad that went undefeated and knocked off preseason No. 1 Colorado Academy 1-0 in the title game. The Bulldogs will have to reload this season, though, as all but four players on the 20-man roster were seniors.

The Metro League will once again be the top conference in the state, with six teams that could be considered serious contenders for the state title. Denver Christian and talented midfielder Brent Ham gets the preseason nod, but it would be a shock to see Peak to Peak, Colorado Academy, Faith Christian, Holy Family or Kent Denver to walk away with the title.

One team to keep an eye on is newcomer Legend, located in Parker. The Titans are in only their second year, but they are led by coach Danny Winsor, who guided Smoky Hill to three 5A state titles and four championship games earlier this decade.

Colorado High School Coaches Association/MaxPreps Poll

1. Denver Christian . . . 14 (2 first-place votes)
2. Colorado Academy . . . 10
3. Colorado Springs Christian . . . 8 (1)
4. Peak to Peak . . . 6
5t. Kent Denver . . . 2
5t. St. Mary's . . . 2

Others receiving votes: Alexander Dawson, Faith Christian and Holy Family 1.

Top returning players

Juan Alvarez, James Irwin, Sr.; Daniel Broas, Colorado Springs Christian, Jr.; Tim Dalton, Holy Family, Sr.; Delovell Earls, Colorado Springs School, Sr.; Braxton Finch, Evangelical Christian, Sr.; Caleb Fuller, Hotchkiss, Sr.; Brent Ham, Denver Christian, Sr.; Marcus Landuis, Denver Christian, Sr.; Darren Lightfoot, James Irwin, Sr.; John McCaffery, Fountain Valley, Sr.; JP Mile, Peak to Peak, Sr.; Jose Moreno, Alexander Dawson, Sr.; Seamus Quinn, Holy Family, Sr.

Follow MaxPreps Colorado editor Gerry Valerio on Twitter for Colorado high school sports updates.