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1
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Montverde Academy
Montverde, FL
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0-0-0
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| Until someone beats Montverde Academy, the Eagles are pretty firmly entrenched at No. 1. The program is riding a national record 136-match undefeated streak that covers the six years Mike Potempa has been the head coach at the Orlando-area school. This year's team features GK Chase Vosvick (Loyola Maryland), GK Connor Jones (Virginia), midfielder Santiago Sarmiento (San Francisco), midfielder Usman Gil Ivern (Butler) and forward Kizza Edward. |
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2
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Coppell
Coppell, TX
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0-0-0
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| Coppell has built its own academy program and it appears to be paying big dividends on the high school side. The Cowboys finished last season ranked No. 2 following an undefeated season. With junior Wyatt Priest, who scored 19 goals, senior Nick Taylor, who scored 24 goals, expected to return, Coppell is an easy choice at preseason No. 1 in Texas. |
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3
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Loyola
Los Angeles, CA
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0-0-0
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| Elliot Smith-Hastie will be tough to replace, but Loyola has proven to reload every season. The Cubs are the reigning CIF Southern California Regional champions and will be among the group of favorites to win it all again this year. Loyola ended the 2016 season with a 21-match win streak. |
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4
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Cathedral
Los Angeles, CA
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0-0-0
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| No team has ever come as close to beating Montverde Academy (Fla.) as Cathedral did last year, pushing them to PKs. Manuel Garcia was the only underclassmen from Cathedral named to the All-CIF Southern Section Division 3 team. |
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5
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Hamilton
Chandler, AZ
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0-0-0
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| There were five All-Arizona first-team underclassmen, and three of them at Hamilton, making this perennial Arizona power a clear favorite to defend its title in 2017. Among the projected returners are midfielder Josh Drack, the Big School Player of the year following a 25-goal season in 2016, midfielder Beto Vidana, who had 12 goals and 13 assists, and defender Nick Mootz, who scored the game-winning goal in the state final. |
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6
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Brownsville Porter
Brownsville, TX
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0-0-0
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| Porter has a pair of all-state returners back from last year's undefeated state title-winning team, making it again a preseason favorite in Texas 5A. The key returner is senior defender Anthony Cuellar. |
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7
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Paramount
Paramount, CA
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0-0-0
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| Word is standout Bryan Ortega will not be playing for Paramount this season, and if so that may very well change the projection of this team. Still, Paramount plays a brutal schedule and its results in early December will set the tone. Ortega was one of only two underclassmen named to the All-CIF Southern Section Division 1 team in 2016. |
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8
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The Woodlands
The Woodlands, TX
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0-0-0
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| With seven returning starters from a 21-2-3 team expected back, The Woodlands is an easy call as previous favorite in the Houston area. Key players include seniors Nicholas Pekel (Montevallo), Wesley Mitchell, Julen Ormaza, Hugh Cosculluela, Asa Graham and juniors Blake Havern and Ryder Sousa. |
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9
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Jesuit
Carmichael, CA
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0-0-0
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| A newcomer to the winter season, Jesuit might very well find itself in the SIMA FAB 50 title hunt. Under legendary coach Paul Rose, who has more than 700 wins, Jesuit was a perennial fall-season national power. The entire section has moved to winter play for the 2016-17 campaign. |
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10
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Cypress Bay
Weston, FL
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0-0-0
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| Spurred by a strong junior class, Cypress Bay again figures to be in the state title running among Florida's large schools. Junior forward Mateo Pieschacon scored 15 goals last season, junior midfielder Gordon Phipps and senior defense William Fiero were Sun-Sentinel 5A-4A All-Area honorees last season. |
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11
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Servite
Anaheim, CA
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0-0-0
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| The Friars have become of SIMA FAB 50 fixture in recent years. Although last year's team was senior heavy, Servite has found ways to reload every season. |
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12
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St. Paul's
Covington, LA
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0-0-0
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| In Louisiana right now, it's pretty much St. Paul's -- then everyone else. The Wolves are coming off a season where it's only setback was a 5-0 loss to Montverde Academy (Fla.). Although St. Paul's graduated four of its five Division I team-team all-state selections, the team remains the clear favorite in Louisiana. |
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13
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Torrey Pines
San Diego, CA
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0-0-0
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| A large underclass group helped Torrey Pines to a 23-win season in 2016, and the Falcons start the year as the clear favorite by the coaches in the CIF San Diego Section. |
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14
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Alief Elsik
Houston, TX
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0-0-0
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| Elsik will be a frontrunner in Texas' 6A Region III, led by senior forward Saul Amaya. The Rams have been a consistent SIMA FAB 50 performer in recent years, and the youthful team that went 1-2 at the Montverde Academy Soccer Tournament in 2015 are now all juniors and seniors. |
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15
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Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes Estates, CA
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0-0-0
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| Last year's team went 22-2-5, and with 15 projected returners, including three of its top five goal scorers, expectations again are high for the Sea Kings. |
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16
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Redlands East Valley
Redlands, CA
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0-0-0
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| Redlands East Valley was the postseason surprise of 2016, but they won't catch anyone sleeping in 2016-17. The Wildcats return two of its four first-team All-San Bernardino County performers -- Alec Hooper and Rene Gonzales -- from a team that went 27-2-1. |
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17
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Buchanan
Clovis, CA
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0-0-0
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| Buchanan was pretty senior heavy in 2016, but the Bears have established themselves as the class of the Central Section. The team's trip of San Clemente for the Lotto Showcase early in the season will help sort out this team's place in California as well as the nation. |
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18
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Lake Travis
Austin, TX
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0-0-0
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| Although Lake Travis was handled by Coppell in last year's state final, this program has certainly earned a spot among the nation's elite through the rest of its play. Lake Travis brings back eight players from a team that went 28-2 in 2016. |
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19
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Bellarmine Prep
San Jose, CA
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0-0-0
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| Bellarmine, like several of the private schools in the preseason rankings, have simply been the benchmark against which other teams in the section are measured. The question surrounding the Bells this year is whether the team can find the offense to make another run at the league and section titles. |
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20
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Lopez
Brownsville, TX
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0-0-0
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| Jose Echeverria, a junior, was one of the top players in Texas last season and is back to help a strong Lopez side. Since the Development Academy has thinned the ranks of the traditional Dallas-Ft. Worth and Houston powers, the Brownsville area has stepped in with solid state title contenders each of the past five or six years. |
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21
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Ransom Everglades
Miami, FL
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0-0-0
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| Ransom-Everglades starts the year as the top-ranked team in Miami. The team has two All-Miami 3A-1A second-team all-stars projected to return. The team is expected to get a battle for No. 1 locally by Belen Jesuit, a SIMA FAB 50 Top 5 team last year, and Doral Academy, which picked up several key transfers. |
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22
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Sunny Hills
Fullerton, CA
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0-0-0
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| Herminio Padilla was the Orange County Player of the Year last year, and is one of the projected top returners for coach Mike Schade. Padilla scored all of Sunny Hills' goals during its run to the CIF Southern Section Division 2 title. |
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23
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Godinez
Santa Ana, CA
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0-0-0
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| Bryan Ibarra, who scored 27 goals last season for the CIF Southern Section Division 4 champs, is expected to return to lead a Grizzles program that always seems to be in the hunt. |
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24
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Fleming Island
Orange Park, FL
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0-0-0
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| Fleming Island is coming off an undefeated regular season and is an early favorite in North Florida, along with Ponte Vedra, Fletcher, Bishop Kenny and Mandarin. |
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25
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Naaman Forest
Garland, TX
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0-0-0
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| DFW coaches polled in the preseason liked Naaman Forest as the No. 2 team behind Coppell to start the season. The Rangers' strong showing in 2016 warrants the ranking, but expect quite a bit of parity in the area with North Mesquite, Marcus, Dallas Jesuit and even the McKinney schools possibly taking turns as 2-3-4-5 behind Coppell. |
