The 2016 Wichita Eagle All-Metro boys soccer team

Cody Benedict

Kapaun

Junior midfielder

Kapaun had one of the most potent attacks in recent memory and Benedict played an important role as the generator in the middle. The junior central attacking midfielder finished with 15 goals and six assists, as Kapaun racked up 85 goals, won 15 games, and finished fourth in Class 5A. “I think Cody is probably our most skilled player when the ball is at his feet,” Kapaun coach Anthony Cantele said. “He was our workhorse in the middle. He wasn’t a selfish player and that’s what I respected the most about him. He understood his role and he maybe didn’t have the stats that he deserved, but he was as effective as a player for us as anyone.”

Alec Bevis

Carroll

Junior defender

A hulking presence on the back line for Carroll, Bevis has the size and strength along with the pace to match any striker. Bevis spearheaded a defense for Carroll that allowed 14 goals in 21 games and finished with 12 shutouts while finishing third in 5A. “He’s like a coach out there on the field for me,” Carroll coach Mike Skaggs said. “I don’t have to worry about him back there because he knows what he’s doing. He’s a big, strong kid and he’s just the complete package. I think every coach in the state would love to have a team full of kids like him.”

Carlos Cornejo

Newton

Senior midfielder

Cornejo was the force opposing defenses knew they had to contain for Newton, yet the senior attacking midfielder still produced 12 goals and four assists while leading Newton to a regional championship game. Cornejo was a threat from everywhere on the field, routinely scoring from 30 yards out and even finishing a bicycle kick goal this season. “Carlos was able to use his speed and skill to take on defenders,” Newton coach Scott Jantz said. “He had a couple of goals that were really impressive, just blistering shots. A lot of teams would try to key in on him, so we would try to isolate him as much as possible and let him go to work.”

Daniel Guardado

East

Senior forward

One of the most dangerous players in the City League with the ball at his feet, Guardado finished with 16 goals and three assists as East reached a regional championship game. Guardado will graduate as East’s all-time leading goal scorer with 48. “What made Daniel special is that you just never knew what direction he was going to go,” East coach Javier Rodriguez said. “His speed is what gets people the most, just his ability to change pace and be able to carry the ball with him. He just has a knack for being able to put the ball in the back of the net and it was privilege to watch him do that for us a lot this season.”

Dylan Jensen

Heights

Senior defender

An experienced player on the back line, Jensen was the foundation for Heights’ back line at center back the past three seasons. Big, fast, and strong, Jensen played a crucial role in Heights’ best games of the season — a 1-1 draw against Carroll and a 1-0 win over Salina Central in the playoffs. “He was the leader for us on that back line and we were able to put the puzzle pieces around him,” Heights coach Dylan Fiegel said. “He’s not afraid of anyone back there and he always had that mentality that no one is getting by him. He’s everything you would want in a centerback.”

Kaden Jobe

Maize

Senior goalkeeper

Maize had 10 games decided by a single goal and the Eagles (9-6-3) finished with a winning record in those games in large part because of Jobe’s work in goal. The senior captain finished with 11 shutouts and a 0.61 goals against average, even subbing into the midfield to serve as a second-half spark for Maize at times. “He’s got cat-like reflexes and he’s able to cover so much ground in that goal,” Maize coach Jay Holmes said. “He made some pretty unbelievable saves for us this season and did it against some top-flight competition. He gave our team a lot of confidence knowing we had him in between the pipes all season long.”

Josh Loflin

Andover

Senior midfielder

A two-time MVP in the AV-CTL Div. II, Loflin has been a premier attacking player during Andover’s recent run of success. Defenses had trouble with Loflin’s size and speed as he fluctuated between an attacking midfielder and striker role for Andover, as the Trojans finished with 13 wins and an appearance in the Class 5A quarterfinals. “Josh has been a leader for us on the field and someone the kids really look up to,” Andover coach Chris Lemons said. “He received a lot of attention from defenses this season and he still produced and did a great job of setting others up.”

Jacob Meeker

Andover Central

Senior forward

Andover Central won 11 games and reached the state semifinals for the first time in program history, finishing third in Class 4-1A. Meeker was the heart and soul of the best team in school history, as the senior forward finished with 13 goals and three assists to lead the Jaguars. “His stats don’t really show just how much he contributed to us this season,” Andover Central coach Steven Huskey said. “The best thing Meeker offered this team was his leadership. He was the focal point for us and he did such a good job of leading by example.”

Alejandro Orona

North

Junior defender

Overshadowed by the high-powered offense at North, the defense, led by Orona at centerback, pieced together an outstanding season. North won 14 games and reached the Class 6A quarterfinals, while allowing 16 goals in 19 games. “His ability to anticipate and read the play is what sets Alejandro apart,” North coach Curt Wullschleger said. “He’s just a step quicker than everyone else out there. He’s actually a naturally offensive player, so I think that kind of helps him back there because he knows how attacking players think and what they look for.”

Jonathan Renteria

North

Senior forward

North’s offense generated more than three goals per game and Renteria vital to the attack as the Redskins won 14 games and an appearance in the Class 6A quarterfinals. When Renteria wasn’t scoring himself (he finished with 14 goals), he was the one creating the goals (17 assists) for North. “The thing that made Jonathan so special is that he was always coming up with new tricks,” North coach Curt Wullschleger said. “He was always working on his game and adding new tools to his toolbox. He was one of the hardest players to defense just because he had so many tools and he wasn’t shy about using them all.”

Thomas Wells

Kapaun

Senior forward

The senior forward, who recently signed with Tulsa, shattered every single-season goal-scoring record with a state-record 50 goals, as Kapaun won 15 games and finished fourth in Class 5A. “Just the stats alone speak for themselves,” Kapaun coach Anthony Cantele said. “Going from 21 goals your junior year to 50 goals as a senior, that’s a massive improvement and all of the credit goes to Thomas for realizing he can’t just rely on his speed to be effective. He did it the right way and he worked hard to get to where he finished this season.”

Mike Skaggs

Carroll

Coach

Carroll (16-2-3) finished with its second straight undefeated season in the City League, winning a share of its second straight league title and capping it off with a third-place finish at the Class 5A tournament with a win over Kapaun Mount Carmel. “This group worked hard and pushed each other and did a great job of keeping each other in check,” Skaggs said. “My job really was to just keep this group focused, keep them positive, and keep them headed in the right direction. We’ve got a lot of kids coming back next year, so expectations are going to be pretty high again.”

This story was originally published November 16, 2016 at 5:06 PM with the headline "The 2016 Wichita Eagle All-Metro boys soccer team."