Oley Valley boys looking for a three-peat in an up-for-grabs Berks soccer season

There’s always a favorite. That has been one constant in Berks boys soccer through recent years.

Maybe it’s Wilson. Or Oley Valley. Or Fleetwood. Someone walks into each season carrying the burden, wanted or not, of being the team to beat.

Until this season. Just about everyone agrees the county championship is up for grabs.

All four of last year’s semifinalists, the three teams listed above and Gov. Mifflin, lost most of their top players. That makes the next two months difficult to predict.

Let’s take a look at how it might shake out.

The champs

The conversation has to start with Oley Valley, which has won three of the past five BCIAA titles. The Lynx were also District 3 Class 2A champs last season.

Graduating perhaps the greatest senior class in school history seems like an impossible obstacle to overcome. Four of those seniors were All-Berks players. Oley might have enough depth to regroup.

Six key contributors return: Player of the Year Chase Reifsnyder, Anthony Witt, Danny Turchi, Nate Fatkin, Josey Williamson and Nathan Pufko. Brooks Muir, a center-mid who played academy at Pa. Classics, also joins the Lynx. That’s a ton of experience and talent.

Winning county gold, once a far-off dream, has become a tradition at Oley. The Lynx want to keep it going.

“We won the last two years,” Williamson said. “I feel like we have to win this year. It’d be nice to have three in a row.”

The almost favorite

This was supposed to be Mifflin’s turn. The Mustangs were penalty kicks away from reaching their second consecutive final in October while fielding a young lineup with a future Player of the Year candidate.

Micah Nyce, who scored nine goals in 12 games, is skipping his senior season at Mifflin to play for Pa. Classics. Jacob Coman, a standout in the midfield, moved out of state. That means coach Jose Garcia’s team is unexpectedly rebuilding.

“We’ll compete,” Garcia said. “I strongly believe we have a good chance at the playoffs. The only thing is I don’t have the depth.”

Mifflin has captain Joey Petricoin back in the fold. It has a budding scorer in Frederick Inderbitzen. The Mustangs are still hoping to chase the championship that has twice slipped away.

The usual suspects

Wilson and Fleetwood are undergoing their biggest rebuilds in recent memory. They each lost three All-Berks selections and one All-State pick.

Prior to his team’s first official practice last week, Wilson coach Moss Grande was going through his new roster. It was loaded with underclassmen. The only returning player who saw significant varsity time is midfielder Josh Zielinski.

Fleetwood returns Malachi Herndon, a skilled all-around player who can excel up front or on defense. Almost all of the Tigers’ scoring is gone.

One coach still picked Wilson as the county favorite, which says a lot about the program’s ability to reload. No one counts out either of these powerhouses.

“Obviously we’re in a rebuilding year but my expectations never change here,” Grande said. “It’s always, take care of counties, districts and states.”

The sleepers

Exeter and Tulpehocken were once on the short list of county favorites every season. Both have waited a while to add their next championship.

The Eagles haven’t won since 2014. The Trojans have been searching for gold since 2011.

Tulpehocken won the District 3 Class 1A championship and was an overtime loss from reaching the state final. Striker Eliecer Aguirre, goalkeeper Brayden Evans and seven other experienced players return. The Trojans are equipped to play into November again.

Exeter returns 12 seniors, including three all-division picks and most of its defense. The Eagles could be ready to challenge the Berks I heavyweights.

Conrad Weiser is hoping to make a move in Berks II with top scorers Marty Ramsay and Ibrahim Sheriff back. Don’t overlook the Scouts.

The changes

Former Twin Valley coach Christian Murray has replaced Rob Cairns at Antietam. Murray inherits a talented group that includes attackers Christian Bowles and Carson Lubas. The Mounts are the defending Berks IV champs.

Jason Long takes over as Twin Valley’s coach. Other new faces on the sideline include Chris Geddio at Schuylkill Valley and David Medina at Muhlenberg.

Reading High is back in the fall after opting out last season because of COVID-19. The Red Knights reached the United X League final in the spring.