Well Raptors, we are nearing the final stretch of the school year. That means a couple of different things are starting up, one of which is the boy’s soccer season. In the majority of sports, magnet struggles in comparison to schools in our division, Oceanside being one of these schools. However, recently the Raptors have tended to hold their own with just about anyone over the 80 minutes. Last year the Raptors fell to Oceanside in the state semifinals with a 2-0 loss. On their way to the semifinals, they were victorious over school rivals Bishop England, securing the win in the 4th period of overtime by way of a Jacob Burke penalty. This year the team looks a little different. The midfield consists of veteran player Ben Brock, Senior, who will have to step up big time as the team copes with the loss of Christian Streck and Turner Orvin. In the attacking phase of the game, the Raptors lose Jacob Burke, Kofi Ayiku, Carter Griffin, and Pope Kennedy. Defensively the losses of captain Hadley Shaw, JB O’Neal, Elliot Yarborough, and Baker Story could prove to be costly. However, senior Lukey Sutherland believes this team can rebound saying “Although losing the seniors will be difficult, their loss could be positive for the future. This team has a lot of young talent that will be able to prove their skill and hopefully provide for a great future of Raptor soccer.” Lukey also adds that he predicts a successful season, winning the lower state title and losing to Grey Collegiate in the state finals. He says that he most looks forward to beating Oceanside at home, and bible study with both the girls and boys team! This year’s team only features one other senior, previously mentioned captain Ben Brock. As for the juniors, the secondary captain James Benetti plays in the center of defense and Jack Keiffer starts wide. Adi Katan and Mark Sereda will battle it out for the starting job in the net as Henry Jones and Brady Smith join James Benetti on the backline. Junior’s Fritz Browning, Ian Williams, and Aiden Ruggiero play up top. Rounding off the junior class is Julian Gillum and Vaughn Hickerson in the midfield. Moving on to the sophomores, there is a lot to be excited about for the future. Jace Gutting returns for a second season with the Raptors after leaving last year’s team early to go play in the MLS Next program. Cesa Ramirez returns to the squad as well after making an impressive impact on the team last year as a freshman getting big minutes in the middle of the park. Blake Yarbough also gets brought up to the squad this year after spending the majority of last year dominating the Junior Varsity scene, a much-deserved call-up. Sophomore Vadym Stefanyshyn is expected to get some minutes this season for the Raptors in the attack as well. As is Sophomore Keon Hutchuns in the backline. Although this team is lacking a large number of veteran players, the potential for this team is endless. Multiple players compete at the highest level in club soccer for teams such as Surf ECNL and NPL. Competing with the likes of Oceanside will be no easy feat, however. The previously #1 ranked team in the country, according to MaxPreps, has not lost much, if any strength in their roster. Aside from this tough, but winnable matchup with the Landsharks, the Raptors should be able to compete comfortably with the rest of their schedule.