The Warrenton soccer team is hoping to climb closer to the .500 mark following a 3-16 finish last fall. The Warriors will return four starters but have had low numbers in practice as the season approaches.

“Right now we’re still working a little bit on where we want people to go,” said Coach John Schulte. “We’re looking to see where kids are going to fit in the best. Having our whole team there at once has been aa struggle but they are working hard.”

Sophomore Bryan Guerrero returns as the Warriors’ leading scorer, having netted 10 goals and 20 total points.

“He’s really quick and good with the ball,” said Schulte. “He’s able to create space and get shots off, so we’re hoping he can double his goal output from last year.”

Senior Jack Scruggs will play wing midfielder.

“He has improved every year and is looking really good at practice right now, so we’re looking for big things from him this year.”

Senior Josiah Hodgson will play a defensive or midfield role.

Meanwhile, junior Davin Cox will contribute at forward or midfield.

“He’s got a lot of speed, so we’re looking at using that to get up the field and make some things happen,” said Schulte.

Also returning with experience is junior Santiago Cano, who will most likely play midfielder.

“He does a really good job with foot skills and ball control,” said Schulte. “He should be able to get open and make moves in transition to get up the field.”

Junior Miguel Cano will also use his speed to contribute at midfield.

Maison Rader played defense for the Warriors last year and will likely be in that role again.

“He’s a really big presence as one of our tallest players,” said Schulte. “He uses that to stop any kind of air attack against us.”

“Another player we’re glad to have back is Hector Cortez,” added Schulte.

Cortez played as a freshman but did not participate last season.

“We can probably play him at center midfield,” said Schulte. “He has really good ball control and can pass and move around to find the open guy. We’re looking for him to really step up this year.”

With the goalie position vacated due to graduation, sophomore Owen Thompson will step into the keeper role full time.

Also returning is sophomore Philip Kackley, either at forward or midfield.

“He’s one of the fastest kids on the team and has a lot of endurance,” said Schulte. “We’re looking at him to get up and down the field.”

Junior Ethan Wilmes has played defense in the past but may see more time at midfield.

“We’re just really trying to build on what we started last year,” said Schulte. “I think the kids work ethic is going to show this upcoming season. We could win eight to nine games pretty easily and be in a lot of games that could go either way.”

He anticipates the team strengths to be in the midfield.
“We have some really good wing player and our two center kids have a good grasp of the game,” said Schulte.