Brentwood High School has taken an early lead in the Tennessee State Secondary Athletic Association Class AAA boys high school rankings.
The Bruins are ranked #1 in the state poll and have gotten off to a good start.
Brentwood is looking for its fourth state championship this decade in 2013. In 2008, the Bruins were voted by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America as the nation’s top team among states that play boys high school soccer in the spring.
A year ago, they finished #4 nationally after winning the AAA state title. A number of key players return from that team. Seniors Blake Chidester, Josh Wild and Matt Churitch are among the top returnees.
Chidester scored 20 goals as a junior, tops on the Bruin squad. Churitch, who has signed to play at Clemson, returns in goal.
Veteran head coach Mike Purcell also looks to a trio of juniors, Ken Harasawa, Alex Smith and Austin Petrovitch, Jr., as key returning players.
The Bruins’ defense took a hit when senior Will Jones, a returning starter, suffered a severe ankle injury during the Brentwood basketball season. That ended his last year on the hardwood, and will likely keep him off the soccer field as well.
“All of our district opponents provide quality opposition, and I expect this year to bring the same level of competition Williamson County has come to expect,” said Purcell in an preseason article on the Brentwood Home Page.
Chances are one of their challenges will come nearby against rival Ravenwood, which reached the quarterfinals of the state tournament a year ago. Those two meet in the “Battle of the Woods” on April 3 at Ravenwood.
The Raptors lost some of their top players to graduation, and one player they had hoped would lead the team this year, junior midfielder Alec Velez transferred to Shattuck-St. Mary’s, a Minnesota boarding school. He will play on their U. S. Soccer Development Academy team.
Ravenwood, which dropped a 3-0 decision to Franklin HS to open the season, is ranked #4 in Tennessee.
Among the top returning Raptors is Dylan Rose, who will represent the United States in the Maccabi Games in Israel this summer. Also back are Ty Patterson and goalkeeper Myles Fullen, both all-district a year ago.
“I have great expectations for the season, said first-year coach Jose Londono. “During the preeason conditioning workouts and during the tryout process I knew I was going to have group of boys that are ready to train, develop and play.”
Ravenwood is coming off a year that saw the Raptors win the District 11-AAA tournament championship and advance to the state playoffs for the second straight year.
While not among the teams ranked among the top Division II-AAA teams, Brentwood Academy returns a solid squad, including senior midfielder Seth Coomer and senior defender Gus Wilson.
There is another Coomer on the Eagles roster, as freshman forward Nick Coomer, along with sophomore midfielder Forrest Wright, are expected to be among the top newcomers.
Brentwood Academy also has a new head coach. Gift Ndam is at the helm of his first high school coaching assignment.
The Eagles are in a difficult division that includes Baylor, Father Ryan, McCallie and Montgomery Bell Academy, all of which traditionally field competitive teams.