Greenfield-Central’s Bennett Singco controls the ball against Connersville during Monday’s first round game of the New Palestine Sectional.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
HANCOCK COUNTY — The three county schools enter the 2024 boys soccer season with the same goals in mind, but with different ways of hoping to get there.
Mt. Vernon comes into the season as the most experienced of the three, returning nearly everyone from last year’s starting lineup. They’ll look to use that experience to their advantage.
New Palestine has a new head coach and graduated a very strong senior class, but returns key pieces and has a new mindset when it comes to practicing and preparing each week.
Greenfield-Central graduated a strong senior class and lost its starting goalkeeper, but discovering its team identity and a new turf field has the Cougars full of excitement entering the year.
Here’s how they all look as the season gets underway.
Greenfield-Central
After a 12-2-3 season and a Hoosier Heritage Conference title in 2022, the Greenfield-Central lineup looked much different last year.
For most of the year, the 4-12 Cougars were searching for a team identity, and while they’ve graduated another strong senior class, they believe they’ve found just that.
Led by seniors Axel Valladares and Sawyer Dalton on the attack, the Cougars enter the year hoping to have more offensive success after scoring just 10 goals last season.
They lost top scorer and member of the All-HHC team, Gavin Jack (four goals), leaving Valladares (two goals) as the team’s top returning scorer.
Senior Derek Harmon returns to bolster the midfield as well, along with senior Jacob Oakley up front.
The Cougars will also look to improve defensively after allowing 57 goals last season but will have to do so without goalkeeper Jordin Jones who is now playing year-round with the Indy Eleven Academy.
Taking the spot Jones has held for three seasons is fellow senior Nathan Robbins, who the Cougars coaching staff is excited to see in net.
The defense in front of him will be led by an experienced, returning group including senior Justin Lane and junior Kaiden Hiner.
They’ll be joined on defense by junior Cam Yost and sophomores Garrett Jack and Kye Tutrow.
“Last year we had to learn a new identity, and we spent most the season trying to find who we were,” assistant coach Matt McConnell said. “This team now is out of that and it feels like we’re now building on things rather than reinventing.”
Mt. Vernon
With 14 seniors on the roster, head coach Matt Mayhew has a deep, experienced team to lean on.
That group will be looking to build off an 11-6 season where they went 5-2 in the HHC before a sectional semifinal loss to East Central.
“We’re senior heavy this year, so we’ve got a pretty motivated group. It’s been really good watching them gel and mentor some of the younger kids,” Mayhew said. “That experience is going to have to be our strong suit. We’ve got seniors on every line and then some underclassmen that will get some minutes.”
They’ll have to do so without one of their top players from last season, junior Shawn Houser.
Houser was in an automobile accident on June 18 where he was thrown from his car and suffered a traumatic brain injury. While he won’t be able to suit up for the Marauders this year, the news over the last few weeks surrounding his recovery has been great.
Houser has returned home after being in the ICU for 17 days and in rehab for 21 days. Since returning home, he has been able to attend a few of the Mt. Vernon practices.
“Reality really hit home. He’s been able to come to some practices and kick the ball around with the boys, which has been a big boost for them,” Mayhew said. “It’s definitely a little different. It puts everything in perspective where soccer really is and how life is so important. The boys appreciate seeing him out there and it’s nice for him to come out and see some familiar faces.”
Houser was a one-two punch up front with classmate Charlie Cole, scoring eight goals and recording two assists last year.
Cole will be back to anchor the attack this season and will be surrounded by seniors Nate Bennett, Luke Alka and Drew Lynch.
Cole scored a team-high 16 goals and added four assists for 36 points on the season. He was second in the HHC in both goals and points.
“He [Cole] always amazes us with what he can do. He came back very motivated,” Mayhew said. “Some of the stuff he can do with the ball is pretty amazing.”
Alka scored six goals last season, while Bennett had three goals and seven assists and Lynch recorded three of each.
Manning the goal for the second straight season will be senior Will Keppler who had 127 saves last season and recorded five shutouts.
In front of him, defensively, will be an experienced back line.
Seniors Rylan Vinard, Zane Kaminski and Brock Austel, along with junior Brady Webber all return.
Nick Heitman and Xander Sokol are the only two players the Marauders graduated.
New Palestine
The opposite of Mt. Vernon, the Dragons lost 11 seniors to graduation, as well as head coach Brett Canova from a team that went 9-9 overall, were 6-1 and co-champions in the HHC, earned their first sectional win since 2019 and reached the sectional title game for the first time since 2015.
Incoming head coach, Juan Diaz de Leon has come in and implemented a new formation, a new look on defense and looks to build a strong culture.
He’ll have to do so with a new-look team.
Gone on the attack from last year’s squad is Hancock County Player of the Year Elliot Canova, along with Andon Colclazier and Cohen Wintin.
Canova scored a team-high 11 goals and added four assists, Colclazier was second on the team with eight goals and Wintin tied for the team lead with five assists and added five goals.
Leading the attack this year will be juniors Cole Christopher and Paxton Holmes.
Christopher had four goals and five assists last season, and Holmes had six goals and two assists.
Sophomore Mark Everett and junior Will Bardonner will provide depth up front.
In net, the Dragons bring back Jake Wells who started all 18 games last year.
The defense in front of him is where the Dragons have question marks. According to de Leon, they’re still shifting people around and trying to figure out who will fill those spots.
In the midfield, senior Eli Martin will play a bigger role after being a bench role player last season, alongside senior Kendall Steele.
“There’s been lots of changes to the way things used to be done,” Diaz de Leon said. “Overall, the team is buying into it, and hopefully we can execute this season.”
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2024 Boys Soccer Schedules
Greenfield-Central Cougars
Date;Opponent;Time
Aug. 17;at Lawrence North;7:30 p.m.
Aug. 20;vs. Batesville;7 p.m.
Aug. 24;Cougar Cup;2 p.m.
Aug. 27;vs. Carmel;7:30 p.m.
Aug. 29;vs. Yorktown;7 p.m.
Sept. 3;at Pendleton Heights;7 p.m.
Sept. 10;vs. Delta;7:30 p.m.
Sept. 12;at Mt. Vernon;7 p.m.
Sept. 17;at Park Tudor;7 p.m.
Sept. 19;at New Palestine;7 p.m.
Sept. 26;vs. Shelbyville;7 p.m.
Oct. 1;vs. Scecina;7 p.m.
Oct. 3;at New Castle;7 p.m.
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Mt. Vernon Marauders
Date;Opponent;Time
Aug. 17;vs. Hamilton Southeastern;10:30 a.m.
Aug. 20;at Richmond;7 p.m.
Aug. 22;vs. Warren Central;7 p.m.
Aug. 24;at New Castle;10 a.m.
Aug. 27;vs. Delta;6 p.m.
Aug. 29;vs. Fishers;7:30 p.m.
Sept. 3;at New Palestine;7 p.m.
Sept. 5;at Yorktown;7:15 p.m.
Sept. 12;vs. Greenfield-Central;7 p.m.
Sept. 17;at Shelbyville;7 p.m.
Sept. 21;Marauder Classic;10:30 a.m.
Sept. 26;vs. Pendleton Heights;7 p.m.
Oct. 1;at Ben Davis;7:30 p.m.
Oct. 3;vs. Lawrence Central;7 p.m.
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New Palestine Dragons
Date;Opponent;Time
Aug. 20;at Mooresville;6 p.m.
Aug. 22;vs. Yorktown;5:30 p.m.
Aug. 24;vs. Brownsburg;10 a.m.
Aug. 27;at Whiteland;6 p.m.
Aug. 29;at Franklin Central;5:30 p.m.
Aug. 31;vs. Lawrence Central;10 a.m.
Sept. 3;vs. Mt. Vernon;5:30 p.m.
Sept. 10;vs. New Castle;7 p.m.
Sept. 12;at Shelbyville;5:30 p.m.
Sept. 14;at Lawrence North;10 a.m.
Sept. 17;vs. Greenwood;6 p.m.
Sept. 19;vs. Greenfield-Central;7 p.m.
Sept. 21;vs. Delta;12 p.m.
Sept. 26;at Carmel;6 p.m.
Oct. 1;vs. Franklin Community;5:30 p.m.
Oct. 3;at Pendleton Heights;5:30 p.m.
