A-K Valley boys soccer preview: Deer Lakes planning encore after ‘special year’

By: Jerin Steele
Thursday, August 24, 2023 | 4:54 PM

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The most successful boys sports year in Deer Lakes history began with the boys soccer team’s run to its second WPIAL title in three years last fall.

A pair of freshmen combined for the winning goal as Peyton Kushon passed to Jacob Orseno, who scored in overtime to lift the Lancers past Beaver, 1-0, in the Class 2A final.

Having young talent such as Kushon and Orseno as well as Collin Rodgers and Zane Spence to pair with seniors such as Joey Kushon makes the Lancers a contender again.

“Last year was a special year at Deer Lakes,” Lancers coach Aaron Smith said. “We lost a core of talented seniors, but we look forward to continuing the strong tradition here at Deer Lakes.”

That core of seniors that graduated included all-section players Nick Braun (keeper) and Ryan Hanes (forward) as well as center back Nate Litrun.

There’s a contingent of underclassmen who will fill out the lineup.

“We’ll be a younger team, but the pieces are starting to fall together,” Smith said. “There will be a lot of new faces out there this fall. We look forward to seeing this team compete.”

Along with the continued rivalry with Shady Side Academy, plenty of other A-K Valley teams will be looking to knock off the Lancers in Section 2-2A.

Knoch was third in the section and returns four captains: Mason Nebel, Matthew Welsh, Jordan Auther and Will Parisi. Auther (defender) and Nebel (forward) are seniors. Welsh and Parisi are juniors who man the midfield.

Freeport also made the playoffs last season and has a new coach in Brad Walker.

Walker comes to Freeport from Leechburg. He has a couple of seniors back in defender Mark Caruso and forward Vinnie Porco, as well as junior midfielder Angelo Porco.

“We want to implement a core defensive identity, plus play a style that best suits our players,” Walker said. “We have a great young nucleus of players with a mix of upperclassmen with experience. We’re entering the year a bit dinged up, but will soon have our full complement of players.”

Justin Grubb took over for Walker at Leechburg, and he’s excited to work with returning players Luke Fox, Mathias Bernat, Gabe Suman, Ryan Shaw and Mason Scitticatt.

“Their dedication and skill are undeniable,” Grubb said. “I’m confident that their contributions will be pivotal in driving our team success this season.”

Fox Chapel is the lone Class 4A team in the A-K Valley. The Foxes play in a difficult Section 1 that was home to all four WPIAL semifinalists last year. They nearly knocked off Seneca Valley in the semifinals but lost 3-2. All-section midfielder Colin Lazarra and leading scorer Carson Krushansky return.

Plum was a semifinalist in Class 3A but had some significant losses to graduation, including Section 4 Player of the Year Lucas Pittman.

The Mustangs also lost one of their expected returners in standout midfielder Aldi Flowers, who signed an academy contract with MLS side FC Cincinnati.

“It’s good for Aldi, but it’s a huge, huge loss for us,” Plum coach Raf Kolankowski said. “He was one of the top players in the WPIAL, but it’s a major opportunity, so we’re happy for him.”

Plum has four returning starters: goalkeeper Owen Zalewski, forward Tristan Ralph and defenders Tyler Yurisnec and Garrett Chandler.

“We have our defenders back, but we pretty much have all new players in the midfield and up front, so we’re going to have to grind out a lot of games this year,” Kolankowski said. “It’ll be a challenge, but one we’re looking forward to taking.”

The other two local Class 3A teams, Highlands and Kiski Area, play in Section 1 and both have a new coach.

Ben Fiore takes over the Cavaliers after leading Ambridge on a run to the WPIAL Class 3A championship game as the 11th seed last year.

Uber-talented forward Anders Bordoy graduated and is now at Memphis, but Kiski Area has an experienced core returning, including senior forwards Nate Witt and Liam Foley.

Matt Skoda takes over at Highlands, where he was an assistant last year. Former coach Jakub Kasprzyk stepped down but stayed on the staff as a volunteer assistant.

High-scoring forward Sam Norris leads the group of returners, which also includes Lukas Oddis, Jesse Maloney, Ryan Maloney and Cainen McCann.

“My expectations for us are to play a clean, organized team game,” Skoda said. “I want them to take risks on the attack, be disciplined on defense, move the ball and apply what they learn in practice in games.”

All four Class A teams in the A-K Valley — Burrell, Springdale, Riverview and St. Joseph — play in Section 3.

The Raiders return all-section forward Chris O’Toole.

Burrell has an experienced group back that will look to avenge an upset loss in the first round of the playoffs last year.

Keeper Ryan Croushore, midfielder Cam Wagner and forward Jayson Ireland lead the way for the Bucs. They’ll also get a boost as senior Haydn Herbulock is back after missing all of last year with a shoulder injury.

“We have no idea how (defending WPIAL champ) Winchester Thurston restocked this offseason, but we feel like we can make a good run at the top of the section,” Burrell coach Andrew Kariotis said. “While we have our smallest roster in my seven years here, the kids are close and really seem to be playing for each other.”

Springdale will be another challenger for the section title. The Dynamos return all-section players in senior forward Billy Lawrence and senior defender Mason Gent.

“I expect a tough section with a lot of competitive games,” Dynamos coach Paul Palo said. “We have to play our best and put in work to be successful.”

Players to watch

Ryan Croushore, sr., GK, Burrell

Cam Wagner, sr., M, Burrell

Jayson Ireland, sr., F, Burrell

Joey Kushon, sr., D, Deer Lakes

Peyton Kushon, so., F, Deer Lakes

Collin Rodgers, so., M, Deer Lakes

Jacob Orenso, so., M, Deer Lakes

Carson Krushansky, sr., F, Fox Chapel

Colin Lazarra, sr., M, Fox Chapel

Mark Caruso, sr., D, Freeport

Vinnie Porco, sr., F, Freeport

Sam Norris, sr., F, Highlands

Nate Witt, sr., F Kiski Area

Austin Beck, so., M, Kiski Area

Mason Nebel, sr., F, Knoch

Matthew Welsh, jr., M, Knoch

Luke Fox, sr., M, Leechburg

Ryan Shaw, sr., D, Leechburg

Tristan Ralph, sr., F, Plum

Owen Zalewski, sr., GK, Plum

Chris O’Toole, jr., F, Riverview

Mason Gent, sr., D, Springdale

Billy Lawrence, sr., F, Springdale

Jackson Pribanic, sr., D, Springdale

Preseason rankings

Class 4A

1. Pine-Richland (14-5-1)

2. Fox Chapel (13-4-2)

3. Butler (13-5-2)

4. Seneca Valley (23-1-1)

5. Norwin (11-7)

Class 3A

1. Moon (19-1-2)

2. Hampton (12-7)

3. Montour (12-5-5)

4. Plum (19-3-1)

5. Ambridge (14-7-1)

Class 2A

1. South Park (19-2)

2. Deer Lakes (20-3)

3. Quaker Valley (18-4-1)

4. Beaver (13-8-1)

5. Shady Side Academy (14-4)

Class A

1. Charleroi (18-4)

2. Winchester Thurston (19-2-1)

3. Sewickley Academy (16-4)

4. Greensburg Central Catholic (15-3)

5. Seton LaSalle (13-4-1)

*Records from 2022

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Burrell, Deer Lakes, Fox Chapel, Freeport, Highlands, Kiski Area, Knoch, Leechburg, Plum, Riverview, Springdale