Williamson County Preview

[Welshdragon]

Independence has high hopes after setting a school record for wins with a 13-6-2 record last season.

Goalie Chandler Farmer posted shutouts in the Eagles??™ first four soccer games this season. He??™s getting lots of help from defenders Nick Dykes and James Collings.

Coach Josh Phillips calls midfielder Ben Gaines, a skilled ballhandler and playmaker, one of the top soccer players in Middle Tennessee. Independence returns eight starters.

 

Brentwood

Brentwood, powered by five college signees, figures to be the team to beat in District 11-AAA. The Bruins return eight starters from last year??™s state semifinalists.

Brentwood is a veteran team with eight seniors, but it was sophomore Nick DeSalvatore who led the way with three goals in a season-opening win over Clarksville.

 

Ravenwood

Clay Watson, an assistant the past two seasons, succeeds Charlie West as Ravenwood??™s coach. He inherits four returning starters and 12 upperclassmen, including eight juniors, from last year??™s 8-3-3 team.

Central defender Max Schnuck and striker Cody Christopherson will lead the way for the Raptors, who hope to surprise some teams by the end of the season.

 

Franklin

Franklin has 10 travel-team players on its roster, more than it had last season, and coach Steve Parker hopes that translates into more wins.

Goalkeeper John Shaw made a career-high 20 saves in a 1-0 win over Ravenwood in the opener, but the Rebels??™ back line needs to improve after allowing eight goals in the next two games.

Co-captains Alex McCubben and Alex Booth will lead the way for Franklin.

 

Centennial

Center back Brennan Scott, an East Tennessee State signee, is one of eight returning starters for Centennial. The senior scored the winning goal in a 1-0 upset of Brentwood last year.

Left back James Doran, who has committed to Tennessee Wesleyan, is another talented player on the Cougars??™ veteran back line along with Justin Kyle and Grant Scoble.

Centennial has two talented sophomore midfielders in Tyson Adkinson and Jerry Orantiz. Adkinson is on Tennessee??™s Olympic development team, and Orantiz is a foreign exchange student from Mexico.

 

Battle Ground Academy

Center midfielder Stephen Morrissey, a South Carolina signee, and seven other starters return for Battle Ground Academy, which went 9-5-2 last year.

The Wildcats boast a quick lineup, but they only have four seniors. Forward Jackson Ryden, center back Jordan Fraley and goalkeeper Ryan Bristol should play key roles.

 

Brentwood Academy

Brentwood Academy probably will miss goalkeeper Turner Reily, who graduated after setting a school record with eight shutouts last season.

Forward Zach Langen, who has committed with Lipscomb, and defender John Reagan Moore will lead the way for the Eagles.

BA boasts a strong midfield with Andrew Knestrick, Nick Bryson and Jonathan Dresch. The Eagles return seven starters from last year??™s 5-6-5 team.

 

Fairview

Jason Loudon, a former goalkeeper at Marietta (Ga.) High School, will try to build a defensive foundation in his first year as coach at Fairview. He put a great emphasis on offseason conditioning for his young team that has only two upperclassmen.

Captain Curtis Hand, midfielder Luke Cundari, strikers Caleb Duke and Tyler Emler and goalkeeper Jared Hill should play important roles.

 

Page

Page returns 10 starters from last year??™s 6-8-1 team.

Second-year coach Nathan Clapp said there was too much infighting in 2007 and hopes to develop better chemistry this season.

Tommy Liddell and Taylor Lankford, the team??™s top scorers last spring, will lead the offense. Goalkeeper Steve Brown, defender Joseph Kelly and midfielder Matt Brown will have a lot to say about the team??™s success in District 11-A/AA.

[rebelj]

Excellent stuff, Welshdragon. The question every year always remains the same. Will anyone step up and challenge Brentwood for the 11AAA title? It would be a lot more exciting to have some parity.

[turtleboy]

Excellent stuff, Welshdragon. The question every year always remains the same. Will anyone step up and challenge Brentwood for the 11AAA title? It would be a lot more exciting to have some parity.

 

 

 

Brentwood will be challenged this year (whether they will actually lose to another district team is still up in the air)...

Franklin, Independence, Centennial will all put up a good fight.

[rebelj]

Brentwood will be challenged this year (whether they will actually lose to another district team is still up in the air)...

Franklin, Independence, Centennial will all put up a good fight.

A few interesting matches this week...

 

Brentwood v BGA

 

Centennial v Indy

 

Centennial v Overton

 

 

The only thing that stinks this week is the weather and how it will affect when and how these are played...