Coming off last year’s impressive season with a record of 13-4-1, along with a repeat as the Skyland Conference champs, this year’s boys soccer team has some big shoes to fill. Luckily, this year’s group looks to be just as talented as the last.

The boys soccer team graduated eighteen seniors last year, which means they lost a bunch of talented players. However, there are a few key returning players this season who will ensure the team is a force to be reckoned with on the field again this year. These players include juniors Junior Medellin and Jack Burd and seniors Adam Sonbol, Deen Sonbol, Dimitri Ramirez, and Dan Guerrero Nieto. 

Along with the key returning players, many new individuals are stepping up to fill the empty holes left in the team. Some players who are moving up to varsity this year are seniors Ryan Meechan, Nick Rehman, and Ethan Wolkofsky, juniors Jalen Moni and Evan Suraci, and sophomore Christian Nielsen. 

Some of the newcomers to the team include underclassmen who are anticipating what it’s like to play on a varsity sports team. 

“I look forward to playing with older people with higher skills so I can learn from them,” Nielsen said. “The games are higher stakes and it makes it more exciting to play on the highest level possible in high school.”

Coming into this season, this team has high expectations set for themselves as a result of having tremendous depth and lots of experience in all positions on the field. 

Though this team is very talented, they still have some tough competition coming up this season. Some of their top competitors include Hunterdon Central who is predicted to be a top 5 team in the state this season. Also, Bridgewater, Gil St. Bernards, and Pingry are very very strong teams this year as well.

Despite competing in one of the toughest conferences in the entire state, the boys soccer team is still hopeful that they will be able to repeat as conference champs and compete for a state sectional championship while enjoying themselves on the field. 

“I am hopeful the boys can enjoy the game and each other as teammates this season,” head coach Eric Puma said. “It’s a privilege to be on the field and represent HHS.”