Pitch perfect: The top Fort Collins-area boys soccer players to watch this fall
Right on the heels of the Women's World Cup, it's soccer time in Colorado.
The boys high school soccer season hits the pitch starting this weekend, with several local teams in action.
There are again some talented players in the Fort Collins area, meaning there's a good chance at least one local squad makes the state semifinals or better for an eighth straight season.
Here are a dozen local boys soccer players to watch on the pitch this fall:
Brady Poore, Liberty Common
The Eagles' senior is the area's lone returning first-team all-state selection after getting the nod in Class 3A last season.
He already led Liberty Common with a whopping 28 goals and 19 assists for a local best 75 points in 2022. The midfielder is a playmaker in every sense of the word, and he should be integral to the Eagles' chances at making the state semifinals for a fourth straight season.
Manuel Scelfo, Fossil Ridge
Scelfo should be a vital part of the SaberCats' offense with Fossil's top two scorers last season gone to graduation.
The wing forward has a quick first step and can juke past defenders with ease, which allowed him to score five goals with four assists last year. The senior will get a chance to shine for a Fossil squad that is coming off consecutive seasons reaching at least the Class 5A quarterfinals with a Front Range League North title last season.
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John McGuirk, Fort Collins
This sophomore striker is hard to miss. As a freshman, McGuirk was already one of the taller forwards on the field and parlayed that to a 10-goal debut season at the high school level.
Now, he's the only returning Lambkin who scored more than twice last season on their runner-up FRL North squad. Expect him to have a breakout campaign.
Lance Gilbertson, Rocky Mountain
The Lobos' leading returnee had a senior-laden roster around him last season, but he'll be more of a focal point this fall. Gilbertson is a steady hand, tallying 15 points with a half-dozen goals and three assists last season.
Rocky Mountain needs a breakout offensive season after losing star goalkeeper Eli Yoxall to graduation. The senior may not do it alone, but Gilbertson will get more opportunities for a Lobos team looking for a return trip to the 5A postseason.
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TJ Gantek, Heritage Christian
Gantek will move into a more featured role this fall (notice a theme here?) after the Eagles lost departed 3A all-state seniors Seth Nichols and Jayden Taylor.
The midfielder already made his presence felt with a strong 2022 season, scoring 11 goals. Gantek will be instrumental for a Heritage Christian squad that has piled up five straight double-digit win totals in full (non-COVID) seasons.
Davin Khaffaji, Windsor
There weren't a ton of bright spots for Windsor in a 4-9-2 season a year ago, but Khaffaji was absolutely one of them.
He led the Wizards with eight goals as a sophomore and that was before an offseason of growth. Windsor was a young team last year, so don't be surprised if Khaffaji is the centerpiece of a bounceback run for a proud program this fall.
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Asher Black, Liberty Common
Speaking of defense, Black is one of the best around at it. He was a 3A second-team all-state selection last season, solidifying the Eagles' defensive third that pitched 12 shutouts.
Though stats don't tell the whole story, Black still showed his passing chops with seven assists and can start the offense for a dynamic Liberty Common attack.
Finn Hoffman, Poudre
We're not only about the goals here. Hoffman didn't score at all for the Impalas as a junior, but he was a playmaker with a half-dozen assists from his defensive position in 2022.
He should control the ball even more as a senior with do-it-all offensive weapon Thane Latzig graduated after a combined 43 goals the past two seasons. Hoffman plus attackers like Kolton Ball and Kaden Mattson should fill that void for Poudre.
Ben Halloran, Timnath
The Cubs got a good one in Halloran, who anchored Timnath in the program's debut season last fall.
As a freshman, he led the way with eight goals, five assists and a pair of multi-score matches for a team that got hot late, going 3-0-1 during a four-game stretch of league play.
Expect the midfielder/forward to improve on those numbers and the Cubs to improve on their 4-win total in their sophomore season.
Antonios Katopodis, Fossil Ridge
The attacking midfielder will join Scelfo in the offensive third, part of an always formidable Fossil finishing unit. He was impactful despite limited minutes last season, netting six goals, including a pair that ultimately were game-winners.
The senior has a tall frame that should allow him to win plenty of balls near the net and slide right in as one of the area's top scorers.
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Merlin Kautz, Rocky Mountain
Like most standout locals, Kautz is something of a wizard with the ball in his possession.
He came up big last season with three goals in wins over local rivals, plus the Lobos' lone goal in a 1-0 playoff upset win over Arapahoe. Like his teammate Gilbertson, Rocky will rely on the senior Kautz more this season as a scorer and facilitator.
Luke Balic-Wilson, Heritage Christian
Balic-Wilson was another standout defender last season for an Eagles squad that had four shutouts in 2022.
But he was still an offensive threat as a roaming defensive/midfield hybrid, scoring eight goals and dishing out five assists. This will be his fourth season at the varsity level, and that experience should pay dividends for Balic-Wilson and Heritage Christian.
Bonus names to watch:
Adrian Morjon Martinez, Fossil Ridge
Andrew DuToit, Liberty Common
Kaden Mattson, Poudre
Josh Fogelberg, Fort Collins
Luke Lundy, Heritage Christian
Bennett Whelan, Liberty Common
Charlie Lewis, Fossil Ridge
Lawson Hill, Timnath
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado boys soccer: 12 Fort Collins-area players to watch this fall
