DYNAMIC DUO FOCUSED AGAIN
Chris Waterbury doesn't want to speak too soon, but as a veteran of the Watertown High School boys soccer team, he knows the expectations.
So does Matt Cleaver. And neither wants the Cyclones' current run of success to end on his watch.
The senior pair, Waterbury, a forward, and Cleaver, a midfielder, are ready for their shot at leading Watertown to a Frontier League title. That is what's come to be expected at WHS, and there's plenty of precedence.
"We don't want to predict too early or put a target on our backs, but coming into the preseason our goal is definitely to make it four years in a row," Waterbury said.
Actually, it would be five. The Cyclones shared the 2006 "A" Division title with Carthage, but has owned the honor outright — regular season and playoffs — ever since.
The challenge for a fifth might be more challenging than in recent seasons, however, as the Cylcones lost two key pieces, in All-North MVP Will Jaacks and goalie Tim Madden, from a 2009 squad that finished 13-4-2 after losing in the sectional semifinals to eventual state finalist New Hartford.
Coach Todd Heckman, who has accumulated a 22-2-3 league record heading into his fourth season, will depend on Cleaver and Waterbury to provide the type of direction and leadership Jaacks displayed.
"We'll just have to step and play harder," Cleaver said.
The duo led the Cyclones in scoring a year ago, along with junior forward Macky Lynch, so the team's offensive production should remain consistent.
In preparation for their other roles, Waterbury and Cleaver each, as well as Lynch, participated this summer in the Empire State Games. Their Central squad finished the games 1-2, but the event opened their eyes to a brand of soccer they haven't seen in the Frontier League.
"The play was a whole lot faster, and a lot more physical, and better tactially, too," Cleaver said.
"It was against some of the best competition in the state," Waterbury added. "So we saw what players at the high levels are going to be like, and I definitely learned how to play with and against kids I'm not familiar with."
Heckman said the fact that three players from the same school made the Central squad is indicative of the work each has put into improving on the field.
"They've been very dedicated through the years, and it paid off when they made the Empires team," Heckman said. "And that experience, playing in those tough games, will carry over to our team and they'll help make their teammates better."
If the Cyclones advance to sectional play, as expected, it will be as a "AA" squad. The new classification will make another deep run more difficult, but, for now, they have their sights set on more imminent goals.
"It will be tough this year playing up in "AA" and will take a lot of work from everybody," Cleaver said. "Matt, Macky and I are going to have to be regular goal scorers, and our defense will have to be rock solid.
"But we want to win the league and playoffs. Right now that's really what our goal is. And then we'll focus on sectionals."
"A" Division
Outlook: The Cyclones will aim for a fifth consecutive division title, but the likelihood is low that they complete another unbeaten regular season. Watertown is comfortable up front with its top three scorers from a year ago (Matt Cleaver, Macky Lynch, Chris Waterbury). First-year goalieCameron Devlin, however, will have to adjust quickly as he replaces all-star Tim Madden. ... Carthage expects to increase its win total from '09, as it likely won't tie four league games again. ... Mary Guyette, who in 2007 guided the Lyme girls to a state title, has taken over at IHC. She will depend on new goalieCorey Wardto fill the Cavaliers' biggest graduation loss (Brian Magovney). ... Indian River, which is off to a 2-0 start after the Watertown tournament, should be able to build momentum upon a late-season surge in '09 that saw it win five of seven heading into the playoffs.
Carthage Comets
Coach: Katherine Stackel.
2009 record: 7-5-4 overall, 4-1-4 league.
Players to watch: Matt Gallagher, Kelsey Brady.
Roster: Matt Gallagher (Jr., F), Noah LoConte (So., D), Matt Runge (Jr., F), Jeremy Kaufmann (Jr., M), Andrew Swords (Jr., M), Conner Biolsi (Jr., F), George Birth (Sr., D), Ryan Clemons (Sr., D), Tiago Porto (Sr., M), Zach Miller (Jr., M), Charles Oliver (Sr., D), Wyatt Lofink (Sr., F), Thomas Leake (Jr., F), Paul Zehr (Jr., D), Kelsey Brady (Sr., D), Ben Roggie (Sr., D), Jordan Abbass (Jr., M), Bryan Benson (Jr., D), Monte Weaver (Jr., F), Ryan Paige (Jr., GK).
IHC Cavaliers
Coach: Mary Guyette.
2009 record: 2-7, 4-13.
Players to watch: Andrew Guyette, Corey Ward, Carlos Smith.
Roster: Stewart Brereton (Jr., D), Al Davis (Jr., D), Shane Garrabrant (Jr., D), Patrick Gefell (Fr., D/M), Tyler Grabel (Sr., F), Andrew Guyette (Sr., M), Matt Guyette (Fr., F/M), Mike Hough (Jr., D/GK), Sam Purcell (So., D), J.T. Renzi (Jr., M/D), Carlos Smith (Sr., F/M), Robert Spicer (Sr., M/D), Dominic Uliano (Fr., M/F), Corey Ward (Sr., GK), Jude Whalen (Fr., M), Graham Whalen (Jr., F).
Indian River Warriors
Coach: Fred LaVancha.
2009 record: 6-9-2, 2-5-2.
Players to watch: Dylan Hesse, Patrick Kneram.
Roster: Griffith Black (Jr.), Edward Malinoski (8th), Erick Torres Jara (8th), Justin Beckstead (Sr.), Zachary Godin (Jr.), Dylan Hesse (Sr.), Zachary LaClair (Sr.), Zachary Pitts (So.), Patrick Kneram (Sr.), Timothy Lynch (Sr.), Ryan Lynch (Jr.), Cody Kiechle (Sr.), Benjamin Godin (Fr.), Christopher Negron (Sr.), Brandon Slaney (Jr.), Anthony Cuchens (Sr.), Samuel LaClair (Jr.), Jacob LaClair (So.), Cristian Dasilva (Sr.).
Watertown Cyclones
Coach: Todd Heckman.
2009 record: 13-4-2, 7-0-2.
Players to watch: Matt Cleaver (9 G, 5 A), Chris Waterbury (10 G, 3 A), Macky Lynch (6 G, 5 A), Pat Cleaver.
Roster: George Bonisteel (Jr., D), Will Britt (Sr., D), Eric Buduson (Sr., M), Matt Cleaver (Sr., M), Pat Cleaver (Sr., D), Cameron Devlin (Jr., GK), Pat Long (Jr., D), Macky Lynch (Jr., F), Nick Koepsell (Jr., M), Alex Nolan (So., D), Andy Pope (Jr., F), Mitch Rick (Jr., M), Ethan Rowsam (Jr., M), Milan Sanchez (Jr., M), Aaron Smith (Sr., M), Mark Taylor (Jr., D), Chris Waterbury (Sr., F), Shayne Watson (So., M).
"B" Division
Outlook: South Jefferson grabbed the title last year by a one-point margin, and this year's race will likely be just as close, even though the Spartans lost a significant portion of its offensive punch to graduation. Lowville coach Chris Riley believes the leadership ofCody CarpenterandJustin Eaveswill play a big part in determining the Red Raiders' success, and General Brown should be in the mix, too, with forwardJason Aldrichback for his season season.
General Brown Lions
Coach: Phil Jenner.
2009 record: 3-12, 3-9.
Players to watch: Jason Aldrich (12 G, 7 A), David Damon (5 G, 4 A), Tyler Studer.
Roster: Tyler Studer (Sr., D), Jason Aldrich (Sr., F), Jordan Dietterich (Sr., D), Dustin Thomas (Sr., D), Tyler Barnes (Jr., M), Logan Tefft (Jr., M), Adam Siembida (So., M), Austin Gould (Sr., F), David Damon (Jr., F), Cole Marshall (Sr., GK/D), Nick Massaro (Jr., GK), Ryan Shippee (Jr., D), Anthony Velasquez (Jr., M), Dan Phillips (Jr., M), Rich Temple (Sr., M), Jared Hickok (Jr., M), Dan Giles (Sr., F), Joe Hoyer (Jr., M), Luis Rivera (Jr., D), Riley Parker (Jr., D).
Lowville Red Raiders
Coach: Chris Riley.
2009 record: 11-4-3, 8-2-2.
Players to watch: Cody Carpenter, Justin Eaves, Dan Cannan.
Roster: Connor Rhodes (GK), Hunter Berrus (GK), Alex Clark (GK), Bryan Riley (F), Calder Roggie (F), Chris Kimmick (F), Zach Widrick (F), Jeremiah Zehr (F), Kyle Windover (F), Nick Garito (F), Taylor Ross (M), Regan Seydler (M), Dan Cannan (M), Justin Eaves (M), Cody Carpenter (M), Seamus Collins (D), Eric Vargulick (D), Wyatt Carpenter (D).
South Jefferson
Spartans
Coach: Warren Denny.
2009 record: 12-3-1, 9-2-1.
Players to watch: Alex Denny, Matt Bero, Tyler Decker.
Roster: Nick Barker (Jr.), Matt Bero (Jr.), Ryan Clark (Jr.), Tyler Decker (Jr.), Alex Denny (Sr.), Brandon Frary (Jr.), Nick Hallett (Jr.), Matthew Jenkins (Sr.), Aaron Knapp (Jr.), Zach Lanzar (So.), Ricardo Navarrete (Sr.), Christopher Palmer (Sr.), Nelson Pastor (Sr.), Chris Peters (Sr.), Jonathan Ramsey (Jr.), Tyler Robert (Jr.), Andrew Roberts (Sr.), Kyle Robinson (Jr.), Bryan Smith (Sr.), Kraig Steele (So.), Nick Thomas (Jr.), Zachary Woodard (Sr.).
"C" Division
Outlook: The Vikings ran away with the title last year by a margin of nine points, and, with the return of top scorersAndrewKelloggandTaylor Price-Kellogg, they should see similar results this fall. South Lewis will not field a varsity team this season, due to its youth, but expects to return to varsity competition next fall, athletic director Brian Oaks said.
Beaver River Beavers
Coach: Brian Sterner.
2009 record:4-10-1.
Players to watch:John Ottinger, Kyle Zehr, Ben Birchenough, Kevin Hemstreet Grimmer
Ben Birchenough (Jr.), Zane Brouty (So.), Christopher Davis (Jr.), Tarren Farney (So.), Kevin Hemstreet-Grimmer (Jr.), James Kenealy (So.), Shaun Malbeuf (Fr.), Nicholas Mattimore (So.), David Merry (Fr.), Sean Messier (Jr.), Dustin Neddo (Fr.), Hunter Nortz (So.), David Ormsbee (So.), John Ottinger (Jr.), Zachary Steiner (So.), Cody Updike (So.), Kyle Zehr (So.).
Sandy Creek Comets
Coach: Kristin Presley.
2009 record:1-14.
Players to watch: Alex Howland, Jarrett Luberto.
Roster: Jarrett Luberto (Sr.), Alex Howland (Sr.), Carl Hurd (Sr.), Will Fancher (Sr.), Dylan Gilman (Sr.), Matt Sedore (Sr.), Henrik Soderstrom (Sr.), Joe Cambareri (Jr.), Michael Horth (Jr.), Kyle Nellis (Jr.), David Rice (Jr.), Ben Wallace (Jr.), Xavier Goins (So.), Ivan Grossman (So.), Tyler Reff (So.), A.J. Wills (So.), Dan Luberto (So.).
Thousand Islands Vikings
Coach: Shannon Amo.
2009 record: 8-7-2, 8-5-2.
Players to watch: Andrew Kellogg, Taylor Price-Kellogg, Ben Lauraine.
Roster: Dan Anchor (Sr.), Sawyer Bach (Jr.), Garrett Cipullo (Sr.), Ian Hauck (Sr.), Kyle Healy (Sr.), John Kane (Jr.), Andrew Kellogg (Sr.), Kolby Kittle (Jr.), Ben Lauraine (Sr.), Scott Mason (Sr.), Scott McKain (So.), Anthony Pike (Sr.), Taylor Price-Kellogg (Sr.), Keegan Rios (Sr.), Ian Smith (Jr.), Kevin Swartz (Jr.), Isaac Taylor (Jr.).
"D" Division
Outllook: Copenhagen has owned control of this division for most of the past few seasons, having won four of the past five titles, including the past three consecutively. Lyme finished second in '09 by just a point, and will enjoy the services of the division's top player,Cory Walker, for one more season, and should have the inside track to its first regular season championship since 2004. ... Copenhagen, Belleville Henderson, Alexandria, and Sackets Harbor each lost a bulk of its scoring to graduation, though this division should remain as competitive as it was last season.
Alexandria Purple Ghosts
Coach:Robert Bastian.
2009 record:9-7-1, 8-5-1.
Players to watch:Ian Kearns, Bryan Fefee, Jarrett Sweet.
Roster:Gannon Beach (Jr.), Chris Carresquillo (Fr.), Mike Farman (Sr.), Brian Fefee (Jr.), Ian Kearns (So.), Christian Loes (Jr.), Shawn Martin (Jr.), Brandon Pierce (Jr.), Nick Shangraw (Fr.), Nick Speach (Jr.), Chris Strough (So.), Riley Thomson (Jr.), Thristan Thomson (8th), Justin Ward (Jr.).
Belleville Henderson Panthers
Coach: David Green.
2009 record: 10-6-1, 9-4-1.
Players to watch: Jake Fleury, Nick Curtiss, Kyle Durham, Eli Anderson.
Roster: Jake Allen (Fr.), Eli Anderson (Sr.), Jacob Arnold (Jr.), Thurman Babcock (Fr.), Daniel Cook (Jr.), Mathieu Corron (8th), Nick Curtiss (Sr.), Schuyler Dillon (Jr.), Nolan Donoghue (Jr.), Adam Durham (Jr.), Kyle Durham (Sr.), Jake Fleury (Sr.), Andrew Folk-Passage (Jr.), Matthew Glowfeskie (So.), Matt Harmych (Sr.), Tom Leen (Jr.), Nate Leviker (So.), Seth McManaman (Jr.), Corey Morris (Jr.), Spencer Stuckey (Jr.), Kellen Woods (Jr.).
Copenhagen
Golden Knights
Coach: Scott Randall.
2009 record: 14-3-1, 11-2-1.
Players to watch: Jake Spaulding, Josh Spaulding, Chad Tessier.
Roster: Phillip Clarke (Sr., D), Luke Davis (Sr., D), Brandon Dicob (Sr., F), Cody Dunn (Sr., M), Jacob Frith (Sr., M), Austen LaBarge (Sr., D), Derek Moser (Sr., M), Jake Spaulding (Sr., M), Josh Spaulding (Sr., M), Angelo Tan-Alberto (Sr., D), Martii Tan-Alberto (Sr., M), Chad Tessier (Sr., GK), Dylan Eddy (Jr., M), Ivan Dushchenko (Jr., M), Collin Hess (Jr., F), Joe Murtha (Jr., D), Kody Petrus (Jr., GK), Ryan Snyder (Jr., D), Zaden Whitney (Jr., F).
LaFargeville Red Knights
Coach: Dan Staie.
2009 record: 6-10, 6-8.
Information was not available.
Lyme Indians
Coach: Scott Radley.
2009 record: 13-5, 11-3.
Players to watch: Cory Walker, Lyle Connor, Justin Henderson, Tommy Barber.
Roster: Cory Walker (Sr., F), Justin Henderson (Sr., GK), Tommy Barber (Sr., M), Jacob Speno (Sr., D), Richard Illingworth (Sr., F/D), Anthony Williams (Sr., M/D), Cory Drake (Sr., F), Dakota Booth (Jr., M/D), Brian Pawlin (Jr., D), Skylar Boccialott (Jr., M/F), Jeremy Tarwater (Jr., M), Shelby Mellen (Jr., D/M), Cody Nichols (Jr., F/M), Keith Goutremout (Jr., M/D), Angelo Williams (Jr., D), Troy Wilson (Fr., F).
Sackets Harbor Patriots
Coach: Kara Kleiboer.
2009 record: 5-9, 5-9.
Players to watch: Mike Taber, J.P. Read.
Roster: J. P. Read (Sr.), Alex Romeo (Sr.), Vinny Santamarina (Sr.), Matt Schultes (Sr.), Luke Simmons (Sr.), Mike Taber (Sr.), Ian Weller (Sr.), Zach Allen (Jr.), Noel Burnett (Jr.), Alex D'Alessandro (Jr.), Zach D'Alessandro (Jr.), Jake Dillabough (Jr.), Gareth Hopper (Jr.), Artem Tkachenko (Jr.).
