Expectations are high in Wickliffe as the Blue Devils return eight starters from a team that won 10 games last fall.
Wickliffe also returns two others with varsity experience, and with the new OHSAA divisional alignments, the Blue Devils are optimistic they can make a deep postseason run.
“We have the potential to go further into the postseason this year,” said fourth-year head coach Dominic Buttari. “I really think we should be shooting for a district final and beyond considering what we are bringing back and the new division alignments.”
The Blue Devils finished last season 10-8 overall and 3-2 in the Chagrin Valley Conference. They reached the district semifinals, where they fell to eventual Division III state champion Andrews-Osborne Academy.
Wickliffe’s biggest challenge heading into the season is replacing Anthony Shaw, who was a mainstay in the goal over the past few seasons.
“The only real hole to fill is goalkeeper,” Buttari said. “We lost who I felt was the best goalkeeper in our conference last season to graduation. We have players willing to step up and fill that hole. It’s important that they remember that we don’t need them to be last year’s keeper, we need them to be the best versions of themselves.”
The Blue Devils do return a pair of all-conference performers in Kurt Boergert and Noah Touschner.
Boergert, a senior midfielder, scored 21 goals and added nine assists on the way to earning first-team All-CVC and first-team All-Greater Cleveland honors.
“Kurt is the engine of our midfield,” Buttari said. “He covers so much ground in a game it is hard not to notice his work ethic and impact on each game he plays in.”
Touschner, a senior forward, collected 14 goals and six assists in earning second-team All-CVC honors as a junior.
“Noah leads our line,” Buttari said. “He does a great job creating goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates and I look forward to seeing him score some more for himself this season.”
Junior Drew Rossman returns in the midfield after scoring three goals with 10 assists last season.
“Drew is our set piece specialist, getting most of his assists last season that way,” Buttari said. “I know though that he wants to get more involved in the run of play so I am excited to see what he can do this year.”
Sophomore Karsyn Glosser and senior Cayden Spalding anchor the Wickliffe defense.
“Karsyn is a player I had the pleasure to coach before he got to the high school level. He is the anchor of our defense and his ability to distribute the ball is crucial for the way we want to play. He is also willing to do whatever the team needs which has resulted in him playing some goalkeeper this season” Buttar said. “This is Cayden’s first year on the team but he is a great athlete and extremely coachable. His ability to get up the sideline and join the attack is something I have not often seen in a high school player.”
Wickliffe has the potential to compete for the CVC Valley Division title and to play deep into the postseason. To do that, the Blue Devils have to come together as a team and consistently put forth their maximum effort.
“To be successful this season we need to work hard and stay together as a team,” Buttari said. “While we do return a lot of starters, there are going to be new guys getting minutes this year and it is important we support them as they transition into their larger roles.”
Wickliffe’s talent and experience will allow Buttari to be more aggressive in his game-planning.
“We are very solid all over the field, so I plan to let the boys play and hopefully get everyone involved in a free-flowing attack since they know each other so well,” he said. “When it comes to minimizing our weakness, my goal is to make us very organized defensively this year, it is probably my number one priority; it’s hard to lose games when you don’t give up goals.”
