PREVIEW: Woodmore boys soccer

The Woodmore boys soccer program looks to build off last year, which saw the program return to competition after two seasons off.

“It was rough,” head coach Peyton Sorg said. “It was our first year back, so we had to learn a little bit. As coaches, we had to definitely learn the varsity level speed.”

The Wildcats finished 1-10 overall. They competed independently from a conference, and they’ll do so again this year, where they’ll have to overcome the graduations of Andrew Drill, Brandon Kayser, Landyn Sipe and Rylan Vinson.

The team does return seven starters, though.

“We’re just trying to build confidence this year,” Sorg said. “Our big thing is to build confidence and make sure the kids are having fun.”

Colton Roy and Blake Avers comprise a pair of senior leaders on this year’s team, and Sorg expects a lot from them.

“They're obviously the veterans, and they played last year, so they're going to have to step up and help us out this year,” he said.

Two more key returners are last year’s leading scorer Ryne Donley and sophomore goalkeeper Jack Avers, who Sorg said grew five inches in the offseason.

“(Getting Ryne back) will be nice,” Sorg said. “Jack is back and more confident than last year, and his growth will help.”

In the offseason, Woodmore had a summer league as they built up the program, and Sorg was pleased with its participation.

“Most of the guys stuck with it,” he said. “There's a lot more confidence between the guys from last year and the upcoming freshmen.”

Two of those freshmen, Michael Sievert and Lincoln Rohrbacher, should see action, as well as sophomore midfielder David Kigar and junior midfielder Greg Gonzalez.

“The fact that I got most of the same kids from last year will really help, and we're expecting big things from them this year,” Sorg said. “Now that we have a full schedule, we'll see what happens.”