Boys soccer: Season Preview

With the high school boys soccer season getting under way today, here are five storylines in Hillsborough County to watch.

Is Jesuit Rebuilding or Reloading?

Reloading. Jesuit graduated 15 seniors and will start as many as seven underclassmen. This team, however, may be as good as last year's squad that ranked among the state's best.

"You also have to consider that last year's junior varsity squad was perhaps our best ever," coach Bob Bauman said. "I love these young guys' energy and chemistry."

Bauman also likes the leadership provided by senior defender Chris Conlon and forward Brett Durrance, who had 31 goals and 15 assists as a junior.

Class 4A-District 8 is loaded

Gaither, Steinbrenner, Sickles and Freedom in the same district? Who will survive? Steinbrenner may be the best of the bunch, but the same could be said for Sickles, which stunned Gaither last year for the district title. Gaither still made it to last year's Class 5A state semifinals before losing. Freedom, meantime, is always well coached and competitive.

Class 5A-District 7 is even more loaded the 4A-8

As good as 4A-District 8 is, 5A-7 may be better. The 5A-7 teams -- Alonso, Bloomingdale, Durant, Newsome, Plant, Riverview and Wharton -- will beat each other up during the regular season, but should emerge stronger when playoff time rolls around. Don't forget Durant made it to the Class 5A state final last year before losing, and Wharton, after struggling through the season last year, won the district title, 3-1, over Bloomingdale, which was ranked nationally. Heading into this season, Bloomingdale may be the district favorite behind a tough defense led by keeper Austin Spagnola.

East vs. West vs. North vs. South

The debate as to which corner of the county is stronger heated up a bit last year, and no doubt will continue. The east side is led by Bloomingdale, Durant and Newsome while the west (and really the northwest) is led by Sickles, Steinbrenner, Gaither and Berkeley Prep. The south has Plant and Jesuit and Tampa Prep, while north Tampa features strong programs at Wharton and Freedom. Pride in your territory is definitely at a premium when it comes to holiday and local tournaments. Durant, for instance, gained a lot of respect last year for the east side, showing strong in the Wharton tournament and beating Gaither in the Class 5A state semifinals.

And the player of the year is …

There usually is a definitive star heading into the year, but this year it isn't so clear. Several great players -- including Jesuit forward Brett Durrance, Sickles forward Carlos Rodriguez, Bloomingdale keeper Austin Spagnola, Jesuit sweeper Chris Conlon and Tampa Prep's Jordan Hayes -- are in the conversation for the county's best player. Should be interesting to see how it sorts out through the season and head-to-head competition.