Cardinal Spellman might have won the CHSAA Class A boys soccer title last season, but coach Tom Cabrera isn’t worried that his team, with many returning players, will lack hunger for another crown.
“People are going to be hunting you guys down,” Cabrera said he has preached to his team. “I told them you gotta be ready for that. That’s how we’re trying to push it.”
On paper, the Pilots are probably the favorite to win it all again. They return junior center midfielder Malik Cameron and senior central defender Cory Allen from the team that beat St. Joseph by the Sea in the championship game. Cameron’s two brothers both played Division I soccer – Knox at Michigan and Kurt at Seton Hall.
Joining those two will be central midfielder Bobby Biolsi, a diminutive yet tough junior, and senior outside midfielder Marco Tutino. Cabrera expects a very team-oriented attack – it worked last year during a title-winning season.
“That’s always the key,” the coach said. “We have a few decent players, but it’s really about teamwork.”
Spellman could very well be pushed hard in CHSAA Class A North by rival Mount St. Michael. The Mountaineers have several strong players returning, led by goalkeeper Colm Burke, who singlehandedly drove his team into the semifinals with a quarters win over Monsignor McClancy. He had three penalty kick saves and eight for the game in the victory.
Center midfielder Fabian Leon and sweeper Harold Herrera are both back, as are midfielder Jason Agyekum and defender Kwame Ocran. Leading scorer Corneilus Krapah might move back to defense with the presence of sophomore Anton Porter, who just immigrated from Jamaica, and the return of Henry De La Rosa, who broke his leg in 2010.
“We’ve got some good pieces,” said coach Mike Boyle, a Mount alum. “[A title] would be a dream come true for all of us.”
The team the Mountaineers defeated in the quarterfinals, McClancy, should be right back in the thick of things of the South division. Senior center midfielder Sal Pipia and junior George Allisandratos both return to lead the Crusaders. Allisandratos will move from left fullback to sweeper.
Javier Carillo is new in goal, but coach Mike Sylvester is expecting big things from him. The same can be said of sophomores Marcus Villalba and Matt Scimemi, the brother of last year’s star, Peter Scimemi, who now plays at Fairleigh Dickinson. Villalba will play up front and Scimemi on the backline.
“We’re expecting to have a pretty good season,” Sylvester said. “The guys have high expectations. We’re pretty young, but I think we have a lot of talent.”
St. Joseph by the Sea will also be inexperienced after its trip to the ‘A’ title game, though Justin Bommarito returns to center midfield, John Gioeli is back between the pipes and forward Mario Frasca is also back. What the Vikings won’t have is a dominant player like Ryan Gardner was for them a year ago.
That doesn’t mean Sea won’t be in the mix, though.
“We’re really trying to put it together,” Vikings coach Bill Hunt said. “We should be better in the second half once we start getting to know one another.”
St. John’s Prep and St. Edmund’s are also expected to contend in ‘A’ South. Bishop Ford, Cathedral Prep, LaSalle and St. Agnes round out that division.
Cardinal Hayes, last year’s ‘A’ North regular-season winner, should be a force again and Salesian is a title contender. All Hallows, Blessed Sacrament, Sacred Heart and St. Raymond round out the North.