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DeKalb
Coach: PJ Hamilton (fourth season)
2021 record: 8-10-3, 0-5 in DVC (sixth)
Top returners: Kendall Gilkey, sr., MF; Landon Weishaar sr., FWD; Josiah Antimo, sr., FWD; Aaron Tierney, sr., MF
Key newcomers: Seth Hess, jr., GK
Worth noting: The Barbs have a deep team this year with positional flexibility. They could run out a lot of different lineups with different players all over the field. They are replacing they’re starting goalkeeper from the past two years, so the defense will need to be strong early if they’re going to break their conference losing streak…”Last year was the first year we did not win a conference match, and we look to improve on that this year,” Hamilton said. “We have a lot of pride playing in the DVC and want to showcase our talent year in and year out against some of the top teams in the state.”
Sycamore
Coach: Kevin Bickley (first season)
2021 record: 18-4-2, 7-0 in I8 (first); Regional champions
Top returners: Will Donahoe, sr., FWD; Nick Doering, sr., MF; Cameron Kruskol, sr., MF; Kevin Munoz, sr., GK
Key newcomers: Willie Romero, sr., D; Carter England, sr., D; Jameson Carl, so., MF
Worth noting: The Spartans are coming off back-to-back I8 conference championships and won their regional championship last season. There will be a new coach as Bickley takes on double duty coaching the boys after five years of coaching the girls. He has an experienced team with six seniors returning and another six making the move to varsity. The Spartans should be in the mix for a conference title again this year…”We are excited about the challenges that face us with our strong schedule and look forward to building on the successes of the past few seasons,” Bickley said.
Genoa-Kingston
Coach: Randy Tate (16th season)
2021 record: 21-2, 7-0 in BNC (first); BNC conference champions; regional champions
Top returners: Junior Leon, sr., FWD; Diego Espinoza, sr. MF; Julian Lara-Para, sr., MF; Leo Rocha, sr., MF; Aaron Acosta, sr., GK; Nathan Skarzynski, sr., FB
Key newcomers: Adrian Delgado, fr.,FB: Michael Botello, jr., FWD; Brandon Hernandez-Villalobos,jr., MF; Brandon Wolcott, so., FB
Worth noting: The Cogs made it all the way to the sectional final, losing to the eventual 1A champion. The Cogs lost a lot of seniors from last year’s team, but still have one of the top goal scorers in the state and plenty of experience with five all-conference players returning. The Cogs also have 11 seniors returning, so they are deep and experienced. They should be the favorites for the conference and make a playoff run… “We know we will have a target on our backs after last season, but we are up for the challenge,” Tate said. “The conference title and a long run in the state tournament are our goals and we believe we can make those happen with this team.”
Hinckley-Big Rock
Coach: Melissa Jennings (second season)
2021 record: 3-15-2, 1-6 in Little 10(seventh)
Top returners: Tyler Smith, jr., FWD/MF; Landon Roop, jr. FWD/MF
Key newcomers: Sawyer Smith, fr., MF; Luke Badal, fr., D; Jacob Orin, fr., D
Worth noting: The Royals lost 10 seniors from last year’s team, but still have four starters and six rotational players with varsity experience. The Royals should be better than last year thanks to team chemistry and hope to at least double their win total from last year…”Overall, this group has better chemistry, ball control and handling, game sense,” Jennings said. “I’m really excited to see what they can do against our opponents this season.”
Indian Creek
Coach: Nic Gaston (second season)
2021 record: 1-19, 0-7 in L10 (eighth)
Top returners: Lucas Odle, jr., MF; Jacob Coulter, so., GK; Cayden Gaston, So., MF; Jakob McNally, jr. MF/F
Key newcomers: Antonio Bonilla, fr., MF/F; Logan Schrader, fr., D; Logan Edwards, fr., MF
Worth noting: The Timberwolves will be a very young team this year, but most of the roster got playing time last year, so there is some experience. This year’s team should feature more speed than last season. If they can keep possession and finish scoring opportunities, they should improve their record… “We may be the underdogs this year since we are still a very young team,” Gaston said. “If they continue to work the way they have been then I expect they will give us 110 percent on the field.”
Kaneland
Coach: Scott Parillo (21st season)
2021 record: 9-10-1, 8-2 in I8 (second)
Top returners: Andrew Davison, sr. GK; Sam Keen,jr. Fwd Anthony Buchanan, sr., MF
Key newcomers: Andrew Walter, jr., MF/D; Eric Ramos, jr., MF/D
Wilson Love, jr., MF/D
Worth noting: The Knights had a successful conference season, but let too many games get away from them last year. This year’s team is determined to hold onto leads and win both inside and outside the conference…”This is a very hardworking group,” Parillo said. “They really want to be successful, and are on the right track to do so.”