Boys' Soccer Preview

Sidwell Friends is ranked among the top teams in the nation and is bolstered by its strong defense, led by goalkeeper Seth MacMillan, who has orally committed to play for Princeton. Senior Ben Norton also will be key in the back, while forward Nathaniel Howell, who scored 18 goals last season, leads the way up front. . . . Churchill graduated All-Met Kevin Dansky, who scored 26 goals last year, but again will challenge for the 4A West title behind midfielders Sam Bradley and Cameron Kidwell. . . . Led by Nat Eggleston, Georgetown Prep is expected to challenge for the IAC title, but must go through Episcopal, which went undefeated last season. The Maroon graduated All-Met Player of the Year Given Kalipinde and All-Met defender Will Addis but should still be tough to beat . . . Sherwood is the talk of the area as a favorite to advance deep into the postseason, and it's another team that will be led by an experienced back line, including senior Tomi Adewole, a second-team All-Met selection last season. . . . Magruder returns just one starter from last year's region championship team, but Coach Steve Pfeil says he feels his team has "good soccer players at every position and more depth than last year." Goalkeeper Torsten Meuschke did not allow a goal last year in junior varsity. . . . Several coaches pointed to Northwood as a major contender this season despite moving up from 2A, and the Gladiators opened the season with a 3-0 win over Magruder. Another team that moved up and may still lay claim to the title is Clarksburg, which is bolstered by the return of midfielder Julio Arjona, a U.S. youth national team player. . . . Keep an eye on Damascus and talented forward Yaw Amankwa, a U.S. U-15 national pool player. . . . Defending 4A champion Bowie is led by senior forward Brian Graham, a first-team all-state selection who has committed to play for North Carolina Greensboro. . . . Marriotts Ridge has back seven starters, including second-team all-state midfielder Pat Sullivan. . . . Paul VI graduated 12 seniors and will look to rebuild behind 14-year-old Kennedy O'Shea. . . . Gonzaga also lost several players from last year's team but should remain a factor in the area. . . . River Hill will be led by senior Jon Talbot, a talented forward who led Howard County in scoring as a sophomore and was a standout last year, as well.

-- Paul Tenorio

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Parity All Over

Coaches around the area are saying they expect titles to be up for grabs and few teams to distance themselves from the pack. Battles could include Montgomery County, where Clarksburg and Northwood will fight in Class 3A, while 4A boasts no clear-cut leader, though Sherwood is the favorite. In another competitive race, Gonzaga and Good Counsel will try to keep up with DeMatha in the WCAC.

Standouts

All 12 first-team All-Met selections were seniors last year, as were nine of the 12 second-team choices, leaving plenty of spots available this year.

Despite the graduating talent, there are plenty of names to watch, including Arjona, Graham, Amankwa, Adewole and Good Counsel's Malcolm Harris and Hugh Roberts, among others.