SILER CITY — The start of boys’ soccer season in Chatham County is less than two weeks away.
Last fall, four schools — Jordan-Matthews, Seaforth, Northwood and Woods Charter — made their respective state tournaments, with the Jets and Wolves each winning at least one playoff game.
The top team in the county last fall was Jordan-Matthews, which finished the year with a record of 18-5-1 after a loss to Manteo in the third round of the 2A tournament. This offseason was a period of transition for the Jets, who graduated eight seniors. They start the 2023 season Aug. 15 at home against Burlington Williams.
Among the players no longer with J-M in 2023 are Zander Ocampo — who was named all-state last fall after totaling 38 goals in 24 games — as well as starting keeper Ricardo Rocha, midfielder Paul Lujan and forward Juan Hernandez Soto. The top returning players for the Jets this fall are rising junior Francisco Ibarra, rising seniors Giancarlo Aguila, Anthony Rodriguez, Jonathan Campos and Jason De Paz Rodriguez.
The Jets have finished .500 or better in 12 straight seasons under head coach Paul Cuadros.
Among the teams hoping to challenge J-M for a conference title this fall will be Northwood and Seaforth. The Chargers are making their debut in the Mid-Carolina Conference this season after coming down from the 3A level. In 2022, they went 8-12-2 overall and lost in the first round of their state tournament to Swansboro.
Northwood had three players make all-conference in 2022 — rising seniors Rui Aguiar, Ken Vazquez Alonzo and Patrick Baquero — and all three are expected back this fall. The three combined for 45 goals and 22 assists last season.
The Chargers open their 2023 campaign Aug. 14 on the road at Carrboro. Their first conference game of the year will come Sept. 5 against Jordan-Matthews.
Seaforth, meanwhile, went 8-9 overall last fall and 6-4 against conference opponents. This came just one year after the Hawks went 2-13 in their first season as a team.
The Hawks are expected to return their entire roster this fall, including last year’s Mid-Carolina Conference goalkeeper and co-defender of the year, respectively, in rising junior Jack Haste and rising senior Hunter Blake. Seaforth’s top returning scorers from last year are rising seniors Walker Magrinat and Cris Cervantes, who both had five goals to their credit last fall.
Seaforth opens the 2023 season Aug. 14 at home against Southern Alamance, which went 7-11-3 overall last fall.
Competing in the Central 1A Conference this fall will be both Woods Charter and Chatham Charter. The Wolves finished last season with a record of 8-12-1 and lost in the second round of the playoffs to top-seeded Rosewood.
Woods Charter had four players make all-conference last season, and two of them — rising seniors Eli Hutter-DeMarco and Motasem Mamoun — are set to return to the team in 2023. Hutter-DeMarco was named the Central Tar Heel 1A Conference Player of the Year last fall, while Mamoun tied for the team lead with 14 goals.
The Wolves’ first game of the 2023 season is Aug. 17 on the road at Leadership Academy. The team’s home-opener comes the following Monday against Uwharrie Charter.
Chatham Charter was the lone county team not to make the playoffs last season. The Knights finished the year with a record of 3-14-1 and a conference record of 2-6.
The good news for Chatham Charter is that it returns most of its roster from last fall, including top scorer Ryan Jones (12 goals). The Knights begin their 2023 campaign Aug. 16 at home against Central Carolina Academy.