The Northwest Herald soccer preview will appear in the Aug. 22 edition, with previews on each local team. Until then, here are five storylines to watch this fall.

Can Huntley have another historic season?

Huntley made history last season when it finished with a 20-3-2 overall record and won its first sectional championship before losing to York in the Class 3A supersectionals. Can it top that this season?

The Red Raiders lose 2022 Northwest Herald All-Area first team forward Hayes Porsche and goalkeeper Ethan Kornas and honorable mention defender Chance Pickett and midfielder Thomas Rodriguez to graduation. Huntley graduated 16 seniors from last season’s historic team.

Still, the Raiders return talent, including first-team defender Zach Heitkemper. The senior was one of the premier center backs in the area and notched 10 assists, many coming off of set plays when he boomed big kicks in front of the goal.

Huntley will need players to step in and step up if it wants to defend the FVC title, and the Red Raiders should have some candidates to fill in for the departed seniors.

Who else can contend in the FVC?

Crystal Lake South finished one goal away from winning a FVC title after the Red Raiders defeated the Gators, 1-0, during the regular season to finish ahead in the standings. That one goal likely was a strong motivator for a Gators program that has had recent success, losing in the 2A state title match in 2019 and winning the 2A title in 2018.

The Gators lose First Team defender Tomasz Slawek and midfielder Tom Coughlin to graduation but should have strong candidates to help lead South back for another conference-title run.

Dundee-Crown finished third in the FVC last season at 6-2-1 and will miss midfielders Ashton Ajroja and Juan David Pacheco and defender Jefferson Leon, but forward Miguel Angel Pena will lead a talented group of seniors this season.

Junior forward Juan Martinez will lead Hampshire, which along with Cary-Grove finished 5-4 in conference last season. Both teams will look to take the next step this fall.

The Gators will look to win their fourth straight regional title, while the Red Raiders will try to build off of last season’s success. The Chargers have won three straight regional titles and will try to take the next step by winning a sectional.

Who will take the Kishwaukee River Conference?

Harvard controlled the KRC race last season with a 9-1 record, with the Hornets’ only loss coming against Woodstock North. The Hornets went on to lose their opening match against Wauconda in the 2A tournament.

Senior forward Juan Silva and midfielders Eric Aquino and Oger Bernal graduated, but Harvard will return junior goalkeeper Andres Hernandez-Flores and sophomore midfielder Martin Quintero, both of whom earned Northwest Herald All-Area honors.

Both Woodstock and Woodstock North finished 7-3 in conference and will need to replace departing talent. Defender David Marin and midfielders Eloy Bernal and Erik Hermannson all graduated for North, while midfielder Mateo Alcazar and forward Tim Maidment graduated for the Blue Streaks.

Marengo finished 1-9 in the KRC last season but won a regional title.

Experienced bunch

After four new coaches started with their teams last fall, only two local teams will have a new leader this season. Adam Schmitt will enter his first season as the Burlington Central coach after Dimitri Tsoukalas left the post after one season, and Josef Schroeder takes over at Prairie Ridge.

The McHenry County area has a large group of experienced coaches. McHenry’s Tony Caruso leads the pack with 25 years of service with the Warriors. Dundee-Crown’s Rey Vargas (19), Cary-Grove’s Mark Olson (17), Crystal Lake South’s Brian Allen (16), Crystal Lake Central’s Jay Schwarzorock (15) and Richmond-Burton’s Casey DeCaluwe (12) all have led their respective schools for more than 10 years.

Marian Central’s season without a conference

Marian Central won’t play in a conference this season after the Hurricanes left the ESCC at the end of last school year.

The Hurricanes will play some teams around the area, including Johnsburg, Prairie Ridge and Marengo, while playing other teams in the Rockford area and Lake County. Marian finished 3-6 in conference play the past two seasons and hadn’t finished above .500 in conference since 2015 when the Hurricanes were 6-3.

The school is hoping to join a new conference for the 2023-24 school year.