The Northwest Herald boys soccer preview will appear in print Aug. 26 with info on every local team. Until then, here are five storylines to watch in McHenry County for the 2025 season.

How will Prairie Ridge follow up a historic season?

The Wolves enjoyed one of their best seasons in program history last year, reaching the state tournament for the first time in 25 years. Prairie Ridge claimed Fox Valley Conference, regional, sectional and supersectional championships to reach the Class 2A state tourney and went on to place third with a 1-0 win over Lemont.

The win over Lemont gave Prairie Ridge 20 wins, and the team brought home its first state trophy since winning the 1A title in 1999.

Leading the charge was senior attacker Henry Knoll, who was named the 2024 Northwest Herald Boys Soccer Player of the Year after netting 25 goals and eight assists.

Knoll was one of 15 seniors on last year’s team – a group that amassed 44 wins over their final three seasons. How the Wolves respond to losing such a talented and big class of seniors will be worth following over the course of the season.

Who is the team to beat in the Fox Valley Conference?

Despite Prairie Ridge winning the FVC crown, it sure was a close race. The Wolves held on to win the conference outright with a 7-1-1 record, but their competition wasn’t far behind with runner-up Huntley (7-2) and Crystal Lake Central (6-2-1) and Crystal Lake South (6-2-1) all vying for the top spot.

Winning the FVC was no easy task for Prairie Ridge, which beat McHenry – the eighth-place finisher in the conference – by a score of 2-1 in their final game.

Crystal Lake South, led on defense last year by Pierce Johnson and goalkeeper Noah Dunteman, has been consistently strong in conference play and won the previous two FVC titles, sharing in 2023 with Huntley.

Overall, the Gators and Jacobs have each won three conference titles since 2016, Huntley has won a pair, and Dundee-Crown and Prairie Ridge have one apiece. Hampshire won the FVC tournament championship in the 2021 spring season.

Will there be any new challengers in 2025?

Can anybody catch Harvard in the Kishwaukee River Conference?

The Hornets continued their dominance in the KRC last year with a perfect 7-0 record, giving them their fifth conference title in a row. On top of that, Harvard picked up a dramatic 3-2 victory against rival Richmond-Burton to win the KRC Tournament on the heels of a go-ahead, second-half goal by defender Mario Mercado.

Richmond-Burton (5-2), Woodstock (5-2) and Woodstock North (4-3) were the only other teams in the KRC to finish with a winning record during conference play, and they’ll each be eager to knock off a Harvard team that always seems to reload despite losing a big group of seniors.

This season will be no different as the Hornets lost six of seven All-KRC choices to graduation. Only forward Jesus Aquino is coming back among the Hornets’ All-KRC selections.

Who will be the top goal scorer in 2025?

Although last year saw a substantial amount of seniors move on, returning stars will look to do even more damage in 2025.

One player who seriously stuck out was Richmond-Burton forward Nick Kyes. Kyes led all Northwest-Herald area players in his first season with 43 goals to help the Rockets win their second straight regional title and set a team-record with 20 wins. Kyes didn’t play as freshman but joined his sophomore season to play with his brother, Joe, and instantly became one of the area’s most dangerous players.

Other top goal scorers returning include Harvard’s Aquino (10 goals), Marian Central’s Stefan Stojich and Anthony Cutrona (nine each), and Crystal Lake Central’s Nathan Gray and Burlington Central’s Samuel Knych (eight apiece).

How many McHenry County teams will find postseason success?

While Prairie Ridge had the most successful season in 2024, the Wolves were far from the the only McHenry County team to perform at a high level.

Crystal Lake Central, Hampshire, Harvard, Huntley and Richmond-Burton joined Prairie Ridge as regional champions last fall. R-B and Huntley both advanced to sectional finals.

Among the winningest teams, Crystal Lake Central, Harvard, Prairie Ridge and R-B all finished with 15-plus victories, while those four plus Crystal Lake South, Hampshire, Marengo and Woodstock each had 10-plus wins.

Which teams will make a jump this year?