2023 Shore Sports Network Boys Soccer Preview: Class B Central

Class B Central goes from a six-team division in 2022 to an eight-team race in 2023 with the addition of St. John Vianney and Red Bank Catholic. St. Rose cruised to its second straight outright Class B Central title last year while overwhelming the competition within the division, but could face more resistance this season with St. John Vianney joining the fray.

Red Bank Catholic does not join the division as an instant division-championship contender, but the Caseys will have a chance to be more competitive year-to-year, which could mean an eventual run at a title. Throw in Ranney with those other three and B Central is home to four of the six non-public programs in Shore Conference boys soccer. Not something Point Beach, Asbury Park, Henry Hudson and Keyport are all that thrilled about, but those teams have to make a home somewhere.

Long Branch junior Alejandro Flores-Lopez (left) and St. Rose senior Diego Nieves battle for the ball. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)

St. Rose

The Purple Roses spent every ounce of themselves in making it to a penalty shootout at the end of the Non-Public B championship game against powerhouse Gill St. Bernard and losing in said shootout did not diminish St. Rose’s run that nearly ended in a state title. Some key players have moved on in the last year, but the Purple Roses bring back eight significant contributors from the 2022 year, including quite a bit of scoring.

Senior forwards Aidan Bonczek and Jack Tiernan both emerged as top scorers for St. Rose a year ago and will play up top in front of returning starter midfielders Diego Nieves and Andrew Restiano. Nieves has been a dependable scorer for St. Rose since he was a freshman and is the team’s leading returning scorer.

On defense, Henry McLean, Jack Kane and Matt Alexis return as steady, battled-tested fullbacks to serve as the last line of defense in front of All-Shore goalkeeper Jack Harmon. As much as any player, Harmon was the catalyst in St. Rose making it to the state final and hanging with GSB all the way through 100 minutes. Senior Carlos Ramos leads a group of talented newcomers that should help St. Rose improve upon last season and give the Roses a chance to advance in both postseason tournaments.

St. Rose at a Glance

Head Coach: Simon Muckle, fourth season
2022 Record: 10-4-5 (5-0-0, first in Class B Central)
SCT Group: 3 (Freehold Twp., Manasquan, Raritan)
NJSIAA Section: South Non-Public B
Key Losses: Packy O’Hearn (Midfield), James Vitale (Midfield/Defense), Mike Conlin (Defense), Matt Cheney (Defense)

Returning Starters

Jack Tiernan, Sr., Forward (7 goals)

Aidan Bonczek, Sr., Forward (8 goals, 2 assists)

Diego Nieves, Sr., Midfield (9 goals, 5 assists)

Andrew Restiano, Sr., Midfield (2 goals, 4 assists)

Matt Alexis, Sr., Defense

Henry McLean, Jr., Defense (1 goal, 1 assist)

Jack Kane, Sr., Defense (1 goal, 1 assist)

Jack Harmon, Sr., Goalkeeper

Other Key Players

Carlos Ramos, Sr., Midfield

St. John Vianney

Although they won only four games in 2022, the Lancers are just two years removed from authoring a winning season and making the Shore Conference Tournament coming out of a very competitive Class B North division. Now, St. John Vianney brings back a talented group amid a few key losses to graduation and is hoping to take the next step as a team that will not be relying on many seniors.

Juniors Kyle DiMarco and Anthony Marano are the two proven returning players on the attack, with DiMarco a third-year starter and Marano is coming off a productive sophomore season in which he hit the back of the net three times. It will also be a junior-led defense with returning starters Jack Scheuing and Dylan Smith. Will Keegan and Ty Peperoni, meanwhile, are the two seniors in the lineup, with Keegan up top and Peperoni on the back line.

The rest of the starters will be underclassmen, including freshman goalkeeper Gavin Bearmore replacing an all-division keeper in Matt Brana. St. John Vianney was positioned to make gains had the Lancers returned to Class B North, so the move to Class B Central immediately makes them a contender for the division title and a natural rival for defending champion St. Rose.

St. John Vianney at a Glance

Head Coach: Ryan Tetro, fifth season
2022 Record: 4-10-4 (1-6-0, seventh in Class B North)
SCT Group: 5 (Wall, Manalapan, Brick Memorial)
NJSIAA Section: South Non-Public A
Key Losses: Danny Herndon (Forward), Luke Molloy (Midfield), Matt Brana (Goalkeeper), Dean Sokolowski (Defense)

Returning Starters (With 2022 Stats)

Anthony Marano, Jr., Forward (3 goals, 3 assists)

Mason Boles, So., Forward

Will Keegan, Sr., Forward

Kyle DiMarco, Jr., Midfield (1 goal, 3 assists)

Alex Siniscalchi, So., Midfield

Alex Cardenas, So., Midfield (2 assists)

Jack Scheuing, Jr., Defense

Dylan Smith, Jr., Defense

Other Key Players

Luke Noble, So., Midfield

Ty Peperoni, Sr., Defense

Gavin Bearmore, Fr., Goalkeeper

Ethan Bellone, So., Forward

Isiah Boone, So., Midfield

Alex Buckley, So., Midfield

Dominick Fuoco, So., Midfield

David Salvesen, Sr., Midfield

Ranney

Coming off its best season in program history in 2021, Ranney had a wealth of production it had to replace in 2022 and while the Panthers did fall off somewhat, they showed they can still compete with St. Rose for the top spot in the standings. There were some growing pains – like a draw vs. Henry Hudson – but the Panthers clawed their way back into the Shore Conference Tournament and won another NJSIAA Tournament game.

This year’s group will trot out more experience on opening day than last year’s group did, led by Dev Nayer and senior Trey Junkin. Sophomores Alex Lennon and Tyler Yang played a lot as freshmen and should each be primed for a leap forward in production and impact. The defense is where Ranney will be most inexperienced, but the Panthers still bring back a pair of seniors in Gabe Garnette and Kevin Mortenson.

Coach Donny Gray fit the pieces together nicely last year and with a little more scoring punch this season – Red Bank Catholic transfer Saaed Torres and Nayer will be the forwards leading that attack – Ranney can hang with St. Rose and St. John Vianney in the race for the top spot in B Central.

Ranney at a Glance

Head Coach: Donnie Gray, seventh season
2022 Record: 8-8-2 (3-1-1, second in Class B Central)
SCT Group: 7 (Long Branch, Jackson Memorial, Brick)
NJSIAA Section: South Non-Public B
Key Losses: Jake Sobel (Midfield/Defense), Christian Virone (Defense), Glen Cantalupo (Goalkeeper)

Returning Starters (With 2022 Stats)

Dev Nayer, Jr., Midfield (4 goals)

Saaed Torres, Jr., Midfield (Transfer from Red Bank Catholic; 3 goals, 1 assist)

Trey Junkin, Sr., Midfield

Alex Lennon, So., Midfield (1 goal, 1 assist)

Tyler Yang, So., Midfield (2 goals)

Gabe Garnette, Sr., Defense

Kevin Mortenson, Sr., Defense

Point Pleasant Beach

With the graduations of top scorers Josh Boyan and Collin Hutton, not to mention goalkeeper Owen Curtis and top defender Chris Madden, Point Beach lost significant impact from last year’s team. On a positive note, the Garnet Gulls have routinely worked bench players into games while playing in Class B Central and that has helped them turn over the roster from year to year – even when they are hit hard by graduation.

While this year’s team did lose some instrumental players, it brings back plenty of supporting players who are ready to take on greater roles. Junior Cody Monticello has played goalkeeper, but as a sophomore last year, he showed a scoring touch with five goals. He will join forwards Dylan Ryan and Ronan Lynch in leading the attack, while the freshman duo of Brodie Powers and Landon Hoberman join Monticello and returning senior Ryan Pasola in the midfield.

While Madden and Curtis are noteworthy losses, Point Beach has plenty of experience back on defense and even in goal, where sophomore Bennett Moberg takes over after getting some looks as a freshman. Seniors Thomas Schulter and Jimmy Borowski will lead the defense with juniors Bennett Mayer and Logann Batyr – giving the Garnet Gulls a goal-prevention unit that should help them compete with the non-publics at the top of the division.

Point Beach at a Glance

Head Coach: John Palumbo, second season
2022 Record: 7-10-2 (3-2-0, third in Class B Central)
SCT Group: 10 (Toms River North, Middletown North, Donovan Catholic)
NJSIAA Section: Central Group I
Key Losses: Josh Boyan (Midfield), Collin Hutton (Midfield), Chris Madden (Defense), Owen Curtis (Goalkeeper)

Returning Starters

Dylan Ryan, So., Forward (3 goals, 4 assists)

Ronan Lynch, Sr., Forward (1 goal, 3 assists)

Cody Monticello, Jr., Midfield (5 goals, 1 assist)

Ryan Pasola, Sr., Midfield

Logan Batyr, Jr., Defense

Bennett Mayer, Jr., Defense (1 goal, 3 assists)

Jimmy Borowski, Sr., Defense

Thomas Schulter, Sr., Defense (3 goals)

Other Key Players

Brodie Powers, Fr., Midfield

Landon Hoberman, Fr., Midfield

Bennett Moberg, So., Goalkeeper

Ryan Kurmin, So., Forward

Richard Pokorny, Jr., Forward

Red Bank Catholic

Information not provided. Check back for updates.

Head Coach: John Killick, first season
2022 Record: 3-13 (0-6, seventh in Class A Central)
SCT Group: 8 (Colts Neck, Lacey, Shore)
NJSIAA Section: South Non-Public A
Key Losses: Scott Termotto (Goalkeeper), Vincent Coccimiglio (Forward), Christian Condon (Midfield/Forward), Dean Bolstad (Midfield), Robert Milke (Defense)

2022 Key Contributors With 2023 Eligibility (With 2022 Stats)

Micah Eagles, So., Midfield/Forward (3 goals)

Andrew Torregrossa, Jr., Midfield (2 goals)

Luke Meyers, So., Midfield

Jack Keefe, Jr., Defense/Midfield

J.J. Titone, Sr., Defense

Christian Sherman, Jr., Defense

Asbury Park

Information not provided. Check back for updates.

2022 Record: 2-9-1 (1-3-1, fourth in Class B Central)
SCT Group: 11 (Southern, Point Boro, Red Bank)
NJSIAA Section: Central Group I
Key Losses: John Wesley Lavarin (Forward)

2022 Key Contributors with 2023 Eligibility (With 2022 Stats)

Joel Guzman Soto, Jr., Forward (2 goals)

Dain Salazar, So., Forward (3 goals, 1 assist)

Gustabo Lazo-Garcia, Sr., Midfield (2 goals)

Eric Lopez, Sr., Midfield

Hermsley Louisius, Jr., Defense/Midfield (3 goals)

Jamesley Cagilus, Sr., Defense

Jalens Phillipe, Sr., Defense (1 goal)

Eli Flores, Jr., Goalkeeper

Henry Hudson

Information not provided. Check back for updates.

Head Coach: Murphy O’Donnell, third season
2022 Record: 2-9-2 (0-3-2, tied fifth in Class B Central)
SCT Group: 9 (Toms River South, Monmouth, Matawan)
NJSIAA Section: Central Group I
Key Losses: Evan Buzzanco (Forward), Jesse Jacobs (Midfield), Jack Crowther (Midfield)

2022 Key Contributors with 2023 Eligibility (With 2022 Stats)

Leo Koerning, Jr., Forward

Nathan Boms, So., Midfield/Forward

Dylan Gonzalez, Sr., Midfield (8 goals, 1 assist)

Ubaldo Garcia, Jr., Defense

Emiliano Cervantes, Jr., Defense

Hayden Kurdes, Sr., Defense

Brendan Sapio, Jr., Defense

Phinn Kozic, Jr., Goalkeeper

Keyport

The Red Raiders were exceedingly young during a challenging 2022 season, which means they will inherently be a more experienced team in 2023. Brayan Rodriguez is looking for a bouncback season leading the attack, with senior Edwin Prudente bringing leadership to a midfield group that will be sophomore-heavy.

Junior Luke Budd is the central figure of the defense in front of classmate Mason Lewandowski in goal. Keyport leaned on freshmen for playing time at a lot of spots next year, and the performance of Jacob Pinto, John Covert, Christhian Morris, Diego Rocha, Ryan Triosi and Justin Visaggio will carry a significant amount of weight when it comes to Keyport’s ceiling. The presence of the four non-public schools make Keyport’s path to the top of the division more difficult, but with a young, hungry group, the Red Raiders have a chance to climb over the next several years.

Keyport at a Glance

Head Coach: Brendan Hilliard, 10th season
2022 Record: 1-13-2 (0-3-2, tied fifth in Class B Central)
SCT Group: 6 (Rumson-Fair Haven, Ocean, Middletown South, Lakewood)
NJSIAA Section: Central Group I
Key Losses: Christian Oldhafer (Forward)

Returning Starters (With 2022 Stats)

Brayan Rodriguez, Jr., Forward

Edwin Prudente, Sr., Midfield

Jacob Pinto, So., Midfield

John Covert, So., Midfield

Christhian Morris, So., Midfield

Luke Budd, Jr., Defense

Diego Rocha, So., Defense

Matt Lewandowski, Jr., Goalkeeper

Other Key Players

Ryan Troisi, So., Midfield

Justin Visaggio, So., Forward