Local teams eager to continue to build

MAT-SU — A pair of Valley boys soccer teams welcomed back senior-laden groups, while another is working to build a foundation with a new crop of talent.

Defending Northern Lights Conference champion Wasilla boasts eight seniors and a handful of key juniors. Colony, a team Wasilla edged in the NLC semifinals last season, has 13 seniors and a strong junior class.

After losing nine seniors to graduation, Palmer will be led by its five-man senior class.

“I feel like we have a good group of guys. They’re hard working and working toward their goals,” Wasilla head coach Blake Livingston said.

Kyler Perry leads the Wasilla senior class into the 2013 season.

“He’s a region player-of-the-year-caliber player,” Livingston said.

The Warriors also return senior goalkeeper Corey Hogan, who posted a shutout during a semifinal win over Colony, and who backstopped a 2-1 win over Homer in the NLC final.

“We have an outstanding keeper in Corey Hogan,” Livingston said. “It’s huge for our team. Whenever you have a keeper of that caliber, it gives the whole team confidence.”

The senior class also includes Chris Campbell and Elijah Craword. Livingston is also pleased with a junior class that features the likes of Cash McGregor, Oleg Lozko, Josiah Williams and Ethan Keenan.

“I feel like we’re blue collar, with the right pieces,” Livingston said. “Hopefully we can challenge for a potential region championship and a state berth.”

Colony, with its 13 seniors and 22 upperclassmen, also hopes to be in the conversation about teams with the potential for a region title and trip to state.

All-conference forward Jake Spannagel leads a senior class that was boosted by newcomers Nick Blohm and Rhys Cole. Blohm will join Spannagel as a leader on the offensive side, while Cole is establishing himself as a key player on the defensive end.

“We have a lot of juniors and seniors this year. I don’t know if we have any standout complete superstars, we just have a really good overall team,” Colony head coach Jeremy Johnson said. “We have a lot of depth. I really like our depth.”

In addition to Spannagel and Blohm, junior Chris Olsen and sophomore Harrison Menard will be part of Colony’s offensive arsenal. Senior Tanner Menard and junior Ben Atkinson are leaders in the midfield.

Johnson said he also likes his corps of defenders, which includes Cole, Andrew Knowles and senior captain Lucas Hickle.

Menard and Atkinson are also captains this year.

Senior Greyson Grediagin and junior Sean Haley will split time in the Knights net, Johnson said.

The goal is a place Palmer certainly has some depth this year. By pulling one of his goalies into the field, Palmer head coach Kevin Dearborn said the team was able to make key improvements.

“The biggest switch is moving Chandler (Jones) out of goal,” Dearborn said.

Palmer moved the versatile Jones to the field to help improve a young team. That allowed Dearborn to promote sophomore Elliott Price, a promising underclassman.

“Elliott is a great young keeper. He’s our only true comp player,” Dearborn said.

With the loss of nine senior starters to graduation, Dearborn said he will be looking to Jones and seniors Tyler Carbone and Garrit Van Diest to be the leaders. Another key player, he said, could be junior Nathan Pempek, who is having success as Palmer’s new starting sweeper.

All three teams were scheduled to play this week, but all games have been cancelled due to recent heavy snowfall. See future editions of the Frontiersman for season previews of the Colony, Palmer and Wasilla girls programs, and the Houston High teams.