any one has perdictions for 4a rankings?

1. Northwestern

(somebody else pick #2......, etc).

Hurst,

I am curious if your prediction is based on putting last years champ automatically #1, or if you really think they should be ranked that high. I can't see how you could put them that high given all the starters they lost from last year. Not saying that they won't be good, but I'm wondering if your wearing purple under the Fort Mill colors.

Or maybe you just like to stir the pot a little...

CF....they have the best player in the state (who also happens to be a great goalscorer) and they still have a very good supporting cast. Coach is very good. They've been to the state final (I think) each of the past three years. I don't think I'm going too far out on the limb. Not saying they are a lock, but......

Who do you have for #2?

I'll give you Wando for #2, but my #1 is Lex. They are solid all around, and they return their defense. NW can't say that. NW had some tight games in the playoffs last year and I don't think they are at the same talent level. I'm sure they'll reload to a certain extent, but scoring will only get them so far...

Then you should have listed Lex as #2

I think Northwestern still has the talent & firepower to keep their #1 ranking at least starting out. After that, Wando,Dorman, Lexington, SV and you pick your order. Dutch Fork should probably start out high too with some of the club players they field. But lots of people look "should be good" on paper, so let's see what happens. For my money, Lexington vs Northwestern for the Upstate (as a rematch from he Palmetto Cup)is going to be a game worth traveling to see and probably better than the winner vs. SV at Stone.

I'll do that.

#1 seeds rarely start and finish #1 anyway.

Didn't Dutch Fork start out as #1 last year?

My point exactly.

hurst #1 - Northwestern
cflag #2 - Lexington
who me #3 - Wando

.....who is chiming in with the #4?

Do you want preseason or year end?

Preseason....need somebody to chime in with #4.

Preseason:
1.Northwestern

2.Wando -

3.SV (Player losses too significant to hold onto #2 even for preseason ranking)

4.Lexington Can't move higher than here from year end #8. Good on paper but lets see some goals and not shootout wins.

End of the Year:

1. Northwestern or Lexington
2. SV surprises Wando with youngsters to take lower State
3. Loser of #1
4. Wando

What no Mauldin? They lost to NW in the upper state it was a very good game as I recall. They also lost their coach and I don't know anything about the new coach,only that he is a teacher at the school. I guess they will need to fight their way into the rankings this year.

Preseason
1. Northwestern
2. Dutch Fork
3. Lexington

End of Season
1. Northwestern
2. Dutch Fork
3. ?

Rick Bobby: It wasn’t until you jumped in and made me think of good ol boys that I noticed we are making perdictions instead of predictions. Does this give Lexington an edge?

what team in 4A could challenge NW in upstate?

Lexington, Dorman, Mauldin.

I think Northwestern will have what it takes to make it to the title game again. The road will be much harder with the trojans losing a core group of seniors and with the strengthening of Dorman, Mauldin, and Lexington. Don't understand estimate these boys or anyone else in the upstate. I look for the upstate to be the powerhouse this year.

And yet I am correct. Northwestern is number one in the preseason 4A rankings. With the quality head coach they have, and the talented players, they should be able to contend for if not win the 4A state title.

Im excited to see if Lexington and Gettys can put it together this year!

I think Lexington will be a very good squad...like all the teams they will have to stay focused and not get to hyped up on themselves. Lexington has a tough out of region schedule playing wando, northwestern, dorman, dutch fork, spring valley and a tough in region team with irmo. They will have to win these big games and not in shootouts.

You have to like Northwestern, Lexington, and Dutch Fork.

no doubt there is going to be a good race for state this year... with a good nmber of teams who all have a shot.... which two do yall think will be playing in Stone in May?

Northwestern and Dutch Fork

Enzo vs Cates

no no no.

1. Northwestern
2. Wando
3. Irmo
4. Spring Valley
5. Lexington

Irmo has lost a good number of people and i think they might be down a little this year so i dont think they should be ranked 3rd!

This year is Lexington's shot. They have many good players from the U-18 CUFC team and from the U-17 state champion Lexington team. The whole team is pretty much Juniors and Seniors. The only thing that they lack is an outstanding goalie.

Yes but dont they have a pretty good defense with..howell, howard, and younge

yes the defense is the core of the team with forward Callison. Orzech is also a great player.

To me, pre season rankings are about what looks good on paper. That may or may not translate into a good team, but when you look at the players coming back across the board, Wando and Lex look good on paper. NW has Kropp and Enzo, as well as some other skilled players, but losing the entire defense keeps them out the the #1 spot for me.

And Irmo, what does Irmo bring back that even puts them close to the top 5? I can think of a good number of teams that look better on paper than them.

I will say that upper state seems to have more of the top teams this year. Not so much from a ranking perspective, but more from a title shot perspective.

Enzo is obviously Northwesterns best player with Vance Benson being a close second and Kropp coming in close at third.

Wando's got the title this year, they got a good team and a good coach. There going to surprise N.western in the final.

I guess that lexington vs. wando game should be a good one then.

yeah i think that is one of ... if not the most intriguing pre-season game this year!

the wando tourney will be a very good evaluation of some of the top notch teams that are represented there

from all the threads i have read, it sounds like Dutch Fork, Lexington, Northwestern, and SV should be the top contenders this year. Wando could always surprise people, but I'm gonna say...

1. Lexington
2. Dutch Fork
3. Northwestern
4. Spring Valley
5. Wando

for now...

Although the Wando tournament has some quality teams and matches, you cannot lose the fact that it is a preseason tournament that may find some teams not having all their players due to Basketball, etc. or coaches experimenting with lineups. Most teams will have 1 or 2 scrimmages under their belt, certainly not a lot of time for cohesion.

What does Spring Valley bring back this year? Do they have a lot of returning players?

Simply put - from top to bottom - Lexington is the best team in the state. They don't have an "Enzo", but they return Graham Howard at Sweeper (probably the best defensive player in the state)and then Drew Howell and Jason Young - both returning seniors. They're going to be hard to score on.
Mid field will be strong again this year, but need more speed. Up top will be Callison and either Kevin Hoarsazk sp? or Chavarria - all returning starters. Lexington really only has one question - the goal keeper.

Lexington is going to have trouble at keeper which might hurt them alot. While their defense is very good and up front thier is alot of skill i think Lexington needs to chill and not think so much of themselves if they want to do well. They were a suprise last year knocking off some good teams... this year people might be gunning for them!

Personally I do not see lex becoming to full of themselves. The keeper question is certainly an issue, but in my mind the team is a team not a few stars and others.

To me people are severely overlooking Dorman as a team to be reckoned with. Young last year with a quality coach in Osorio.

Yes, Lexington has quality players returning, but the big question for me remains can they get the ball in when the chips are down. The Lex U17 challenge forwards scored a lot of goals in club this past fall, but will they be able to do as well in the high school season against more experienced ’88 defenders? As H.S. sophomores too many shots were missed. IMO they suffered both an experience and size disadvantage last spring. This should not be the case this year. Still, winning by shootouts isn’t going to cut it this year. No disrespect intended, I simply believe that no one in the state is going to give Lexington an inch of ground this year and that means the ball has to go in the net under pressure. Score 2 goals on Wando to survive, score 3 and I'll believe. Score 4 and I'll be a fan.

I though Orzack played defense for his club team?

Oh their was no disrespect intended towards lexington in fact i am hoping to see them do very well this year. i think Coach Gettys will have them ready in time. I hope that i can make it down and see the wando vs. lexington game i am sure it will be an awsome game!

WM?.... Lets be clear on one thing.... this has been brought up over and over
Lexington went 19-5-2
W - South Aiken 4-3 in pks at a tournament
W - Ridge View 3-2 in OT
W - Irmo 2-1 in pks
L - Dorman 2-1 in pks
L - Dreher 4-3 in pks
That is a 3-2 record

So I do not understand about "winning in shootouts" as it is implied that they won most games in this manner. If anything it shows they were 0.500 (RV was in OT). they still manage to win 12 games outright by your definition.

Certainly they missed their opportunities last year. Will see if they have matured but enough

By contrast Dutch Fork went 7 times into OT , 5 of which wer pks. Irmo 3 pks

Soccer(F)

I truly meant no disrespect to Lexington, earlier in this thread I picked them to win it all this year but I am from the side of the board that believes that championships are won on offense. Everyone seems to be focusing on their defense.

Yes Lexington has a great defense coming back, but I still think that to go that extra 5 miles to Stone they have to be a goal-scoring machine. They have some incredibly talented players in front, but I still want to know can they gel and get that ball in the net.

Yes, Lexington had a great season last year and I think the Northwestern game was one of the best in years. Yes, a win is a win but to be State Champs this year it is going to require some scoring domination on their part.

So I'll still say: score 2 to survive, three to impress and four to scare some people.

The goalkeepers for Lexington are Tanner Osbourne who was second string last year and Tripp Roberson, who played JV last year. Both have talent and potential...just need some game experience.

Game experience which they don't have, if they arne't scoring three or four goals a game preseason, i can see them getting beat untill whoever is starting gains that experience.

I agree about most of the comments above with a few exceptions. One disagreement is with KickB

Quote:

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While their defense is very good and up front thier is alot of skill i think Lexington needs to chill and not think so much of themselves if they want to do well.

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Where is your evidence that Lexington is thinking so high of themselves? It's been a long time since I've been on the soccer field. Are you thinking I'm a Lex. player??

And two:(Sorry I don't know how to double quote) I agree and disagree with Who-me? Yes - for Lexington to win the state, they are definely going to have to learn to finish.
They've got some quality players up top - but they lack that dominating scorer. What I disagree with is Who me's? comment that championships are won on offensive. You're not going to find too many coaches that will agree with you on that. Yes - you can't win without scoring, but you surely can win if you can't stop scoring. I know the point you're making - but if I don't have a dominate back line - I'm not too excited about my chances.