The top 5 boys soccer storylines heading into the 2018 season in the Wichita area

The ball is rolling again in Wichita.

Some of Kansas’ top talent has taken to the training pitch as the 2018 high school boys soccer season is set to begin. Here are five top storylines to watch:

1. Looking to breakthrough

Bishop Carroll reached the Class 5A state championship game in 2017 and lost after Blue Valley Southwest dinked a ball around the box and somehow found the back of the net.

The Golden Eagles didn’t create many chances, but defensively, they were sound enough to win a title.

Carroll loses a lot of pieces in 2018, including first team All-City League picks Skyler Stuckey, Corbyn Howard, Alec Bevis and Dawson Lee. But the Eagles will bring back plenty of talent in seniors Carson Lee, Aaron Valenciana and Braeden Huslig.

Reaching the final again will be tough, but Carroll has finished at least third in three of the past four seasons. The Eagles have never won a boys soccer state championship.

2. Central of attention

Andover Central was the other Wichita-area team that reached a state final, but they, too, couldn’t find that last win.

The Jaguars lost 3-0 to Bishop Miege in the Class 4-1A championship game, finishing their season 17-4. Central will be looking to take that final step in 2018.

In 2016, they took third with a 2-0 win over Louisburg, and last year’s runner-up finish was the best in school history.

Andover Central will have to mend the losses of forward Bryce Fimreite and Jackson Lewallen, midfielder Jacob Cromly, and defenders Cole Hickerson and Colton Trowbridge — all of whom received first team All-AVCTL II honors last season.

But league coach of the year Steven Huskey will have a solid defense returning with junior Jack Benedict and goalkeeper Davis Joseph coming back for another run.

3. Can Kapaun keep up?

The Crusaders finished third in 5A last season after a 2-0 loss to Carroll in the semifinals that crushed their spirits.

Now they have to move on with plenty of holes still left to fill. Alex Zachgo, Cody Benedict, Ryan McCully and Joe Chessmore are all gone. And the City League is only improving.

Kapaun will bring back senior forwards Jack Barrier and Corbin Mai that will make for a strong duo up top. Their connection with midfield junior Kevin Black will be key if they want to get back to Kapaun’s first title game since before 2010.

The Crusaders will be looking for their first title since 1997, before any of the current players were born.

4. A City League race to remember

With so much roster turnover hitting the City League in 2018, the race seems to be as open as ever.

Carroll, Kapaun and North appear to be among the favorites, but Northwest, East and Heights will have a realistic shot at the league title.

The Redskins seem to be the team no one is talking about in the Wichita area after failing to reach the Class 6A semifinals with a 12-3 record in the regular season. They return star senior midfielder Alfonso Ceballos and senior defender Enrique Najera.

East will have a spark in sophomore forward Ivan Quezada, who was the only freshman to earn first team All-City League honors last year. Heights has second team selection Anthony Cuevas, who led the Falcons from the front in 2017. And South will have the same asset in junior Juan Umana.

With so much talent coming back, there will be plenty of moments to catch on the pitch.

5. Kicking it in the suburbs

Although the City League will likely have the best chance at producing a state champion in 2018, the areas around Wichita will produce some of Kansas’ bests, too.

Eisenhower lost two games last year. McPherson took third in 4-1A. Campus/Clearwater won AVCTL I, but Maize and Newton captured regional championships.

Here are some of the top returning players from the AVCTL:

• Andover Central - David Joseph, Goalkeeper, Sr.
• Campus - Cole Thompson, Defender, Sr.
• Campus - Rylan Walter, Goalkeeper, Sr.
• Eisenhower - Tyson Rey, Defender, Jr.
• Eisenhower - Ian Young, Midfielder, Sr.
• Maize - Hunter Clark, Midfielder, Sr.
• Maize - Nick Reiswig, Defender, Sr.
• Maize South - Andrew Bliss, Forward, Sr.
• Valley Center - Sam Fields, Midfielder, Sr.

This story was originally published August 20, 2018 at 3:19 PM.