Renewed hope and optimism will mark the start of the 2006 El
Molino soccer campaign this month, as the varsity boys look to move
into the upper-echelon of the Sonoma County League.
The Lions showed flashes of brilliance in their first season
under former Lady Lions coach George Wells, finishing just one game
under .500 overall. Among the season highlights was an impressive
win over Sonoma and an exciting overtime tie with co-champion
Healdsburg. The Lions made their season in November when they
defeated eventual NCS runner-up Analy for the first time in six
years.
³My wish is that we¹ll be competitive in the SCL and challenge
for a playoff spot this year,² said Wells, who will be assisted by
returning JV coach Ryan Cook. ³We¹re going to play solid,
aggressive defense and rely on a few talented players to score for
us.²
El Mo graduated five players from last year¹s squad and should
return eight seniors to the team this fall. Among the key returnees
are: leading scorer Luke Manton (13 goals in 2005), defender Dylan
Enochs, midfielder Steven Warne, forward Aaron Ruiz, midfielder
Richard Vallee, midfielder Matt Emory, defender/midfielder Tony
Vicini, forward/midfielder Jeremiah Mahan, forward Michael Starr,
midfielder Everado Robedo and goalies Ethan Louden and Tim
Petteford.
³Our starting 11 will be as strong as we¹ve had in a few years,²
noted Wells. ³Our weakness may be that we won¹t have as much depth
as we¹d like.²
The Lions will kick off pre-season action on Monday, Aug. 28
when they entertain Maria Carrillo (4 p.m.), followed by an Aug. 31
clash at Elsie Allen (7 p.m.).
