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HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
Soccer season kicks into high gear this week
Huntington High’s Chris Moncer dribbles across the field during the Region IV boys soccer sectional at Spring Valley High School last season.
Purchase this photoHUNTINGTON -- A move to two classifications for West Virginia high school soccer takes effect this season.
Class AAA, Region IV, Section 2 includes Huntington High, Cabell Midland, Spring Valley, Hurricane and Lincoln County. Class AAA, Region IV, Section 1 consists of Winfield, Ripley, Parkersburg and Parkersburg South.
Huntington St. Joe boys play in Class AA/A, Region IV, Section 2 with Point Pleasant, Herbert Hoover, Sissonville and Charleston Catholic.
The Huntington St. Joe girls are in Class AA/A, Region IV, Section 2 with Poca, Herbert Hoover and Charleston Catholic. Class AA/A, Region IV, Section 1 includes Point Pleasant, Sissonville and Ravenswood.
The new season also marks the debut of new head coaches at Huntington High.
Brian Erenberg is coaching the Huntington High boys while Nicky Keevy leads the girls' program.
Last season the Huntington High boys upset No. 1-ranked Huntington St. Joe to win a sectional championship before losing to Parkersburg in the regional tournament. The Highlanders had a 12-9 record.
Huntington High opens its boys season at 7 p.m. today with a home game against Hurricane.
"Our goal is to win states and that's based off last years performance," said Huntington High boys assistant coach Firas Al-Samarraie. "Our conditioning sessions went really well and this team is very enthusiastic."
"Brian and myself have a great understanding and I believe we share the same philosophy."
Huntington High's three senior captains are center midfielder Chris Moncer, outside midfielder Garith Duncan and forward Erik Bjornson.
Other top players include junior defender Patrick DeMoss and senior Jamel Boukhemis.
Cabell Midland's boys are coming off a 10-6-1 season, but the future looks bright as coach Jack DeFazio returns a healthy amount of talent.
"We have a lot of returning players so our confidence and intensity level is up," DeFazio said. "The team is tired of playing against themselves and they're ready to play in a real game."
Cabell Midland also opens today at home, a 6 p.m. contest against Nitro.
Top returning seniors for the Knights include midfielders Caleb Brownfield, Brandon Adkins, and Kyle Ryder. Huntington St. Joe transfer Alex Molina will also have an impact. Molina and Adkins are also kickers for the Knights' football team.
Junior Tyler Kennedy is expected to be one of Cabell Midland's top scoring threats at the forward spot.
For a young Spring Valley's boys soccer team last season, it was a year aimed at improving and gaining learning the game.
Coach Stos Hall believes the team did that and is ready to compete at a higher level.
"We're still young, but I think will be in a lot more close games this year," Hall said. "Our offensive attack looks fluid, but we just have to shore up our defense."
Players expected to make significant contributions include seniors Evan Dailey (forward), Aaron Holland (midfielder), and Pat Brown (outside defender).
Dailey and junior forward T.L. Bryant are scoring threats.
Huntington St. Joe boys will be very inexperienced this season after being ranked high in the state for two years. The Fighting Irish graduated all of its seniors, and Molina left for Cabell Midland.
Defender Ryan Gdula is the lone senior starter back from Hurricane's first boys state tournament team that finished with a 21-4-1 record. Cameron Keenan is part of a large junior class for the Redskins.
Cabell Midland and Huntington High girls teams will continue a rivalry that had a heated battle in the postseason last year. Cabell Midland squeaked past the Highlanders 1-0 in overtime to claim a sectional semifinal win.
The Knights went on to defeat Spring Valley and claim the sectional championship. Cabell Midland finished the year at 8-7-5 while Huntington High was 9-10-2.
Huntington High girls team members Taylor Cunningham and Abi Woods, both juniors, were All-Mountain State Athletic Conference second team selections last season. Senior Molly Harrington was on the all-conference honorable mention list.
Girls teams at Huntington St. Joe and Spring Valley girls are looking to turn things around after losing seasons. The Fighting Irish finished 5-10-5 and the Timberwolves were 7-11-5.
Spring Valley coach Jim Hodge has high expectations.
"This should be the strongest year we have had in Spring Valley girls soccer history," Hodge said. "The girls that we have on the field right now have been playing year-round soccer for three years.
Spring Valley will be strong in the midfield with seniors Sara Christian, Amanda Sellars and Brittany Messer. Sophomore strikers Jenna Dorsey and Chelsea Seay know how to put the ball in the net.
Hurricane's girls are led by seniors Skye Smith and Jordan McKinney. Smith had 20 goals in 2007 when the Redskins went 15-2-3.
Winfield moves up to the Class AAA ranks with a girls team that allowed only 12 goals last season.
Freshman goalkeeper Faith Farley had a shutout last weekend in a 2-0 defeat of Wheeling Park. Returning seniors from the 18-2-4 squad include Lea Midkiff, Brittany Wilson, Erika Hoff and Molly Murphy.
Huntington High boys
Aug. 26 Hurricane; Aug. 28 Nitro; Aug. 30 at Wheeling Park; Sept. 2 at Cabell Midland; Sept. 4 at Huntington St. Joe; Sept. 6 St. Albans; Sept. 8 at South Charleston; Sept. 13 East Fairmont; Sept. 16 Spring Valley; Sept. 18 Capital; Sept. 20 Greenbrier East; Sept. 23 at Woodrow Wilson; Sept. 26-27 Ted Hundley Tournament; Sept. 29 at Parkersburg; Sept. 30 at Ripley.
Oct. 7 Winfield; Oct. 11 at Elkins; Oct. 13 at Geroge Washington.
Huntington High girls
Aug. 26 at Hurricane; Aug. 28 at Nitro; Sept. 2 at Cabell Midland; Sept. 6 at Woodrow Wilson; Sept. 9 Lincoln County; Sept. 16 at Spring Valley; Sept. 20 Greenbrier East; Sept. 22 at Sissonville; Sept. 23 St. Albans; Sept. 25 Winfield; Sept. 30 Ripley.
Oct. 4 Parkersburg; Oct. 7 at Ashland; Oct. 9 Huntington St. Joe; Oct. 11 at Capital; Oct. 16 South Charleston.
Cabell Midland boys
Aug. 26 Nitro; Aug. 28 at Hurricane; Aug. 30 at Fairmont East; Sept. 2 Huntington High; Sept. 4 South Charleston; Sept. 6 at Charleston Catholic; Sept. 9 at Lincoln County; Sept. 11 Spring Valley; Sept. 16 at St. Albans; Sept. 18 Winfield; Sept. 23 Riverside; Sept. 26-27 at Huntington High Tournament; Sept. 30 at Sissonville.
Oct. 4 Parkersburg; Oct. 7 at Huntington St. Joe; Oct. 9 George Washington; Oct. 14 at Capital.
Cabell Midland girls
Aug. 26 at Nitro; Aug. 28 at Hurricane; Aug. 30 Jackson, Ohio; Sept. 2 Huntington High; Sept. 4 at South Charleston; Sept. 9 at Lincoln County; Sept. 11 at Spring Valley; Sept. 16 at Winfield; Sept. 17 Huntington St. Joe; Sept. 20. at Fairmont Sr.; Sept. 23 St. Albans; Sept. 25 at Ripley; Sept. 27 at Parkersburg.
Oct. 2 Sissonville; Oct. 4 at Bloom Carroll; Oct. 6 Poca; Oct. 9 at George Washington; Oct. 14 Capital.
Spring Valley boys
Aug. 26 at South Charleston; Aug. 28 at St. Albans; Aug. 30 Sissonville; Sept. 2 South Point; Sept. 4 at Ashland; Sept. 6 at Greenup County; Sept. 9 Huntington St. Joe; Sept. 11 at Cabell Midland; Sept. 13 at Ravenswood; Sept. 16 at Huntington; Sept. 18 Ripley; Sept. 23 Cross Lanes; Sept. 25 Lincoln County; Sept. 27 at East Carter; Sept. 30 Russell.
Oct. 2 Boyd County; Oct. 4 Greenbrier East; Oct. 6 Hurricane; Oct. 7 at Nitro; Oct. 11 at Riverside; Oct. 14 at Point Pleasant.
Spring Valley girls
Aug. 22 at Fairmont; Aug. 23 at Robert C. Byrd; Aug. 26 South Charleston; Aug. 28 St. Albans; Aug. 30 Sissonville; Sept. 6 at Greenup County; Sept. 9 Huntington St. Joe; Sept. 11 Cabell Midland; Sept. 13 Ravenswood; Sept. 16 Huntington High; Sept. 18 Ripley; Sept. 23 Poca; Sept. 25 at Ashland; Sept. 27 at East Carter; Sept. 30 at Lincoln County.
Oct. 2 at Boyd County; Oct. 4 at Greenbrier East; Oct. 7 Nitro; Oct. 11 at Riverside; Oct. 14 at Point Pleasant.
Huntington St. Joe boys
Aug. 26 at Mountain Sate Academy; Aug. 28 at Ravenswood; Sept. 4 Huntington High; Sept. 6 Linsly; Sept. 9 at Spring Valley; Sept. 12-13 Bishop's Cup; Sept. 16 at South Point; Sept. 18 Nitro; Sept. 23 at Point Pleasant; Sept. 26 Mountain Mission; Sept. 30 at Ashland.
Oct. 2 at Charleston Catholic; Oct. 4 Sissonville; Oct. 7 Cabell Midland; Oct. 9 Parkersburg South; Oct. 14 at Winfield; Oct. 18 at Cross Lanes Christian.
Huntington St. Joe girls
Aug. 26 at Point Pleasant; Aug. 29 Linsly; Sept. 2 Midland Trail; Sept. 4 Sissonville; Sept. 6 Ravenswood; Sept. 9 at Spring Valley; Sept. 12-13 Bishop's Cup; Sept. 23 Parkersburg South; Sept. 26 Mountain Mission; Sept. 30 at Ashland.
Oct. 7 Poca; Oct. 9 at Huntington High; Oct. 14 at Nitro; Oct. 16 Bluefield; Oct. 18 at Cross Lanes Christian; Oct. 20 Point Pleasant.
