Final Top 35 player rankings: Plenty of Salesianum stars among state's best in boys soccer
Brad Myers, Delaware News Journal
·2 min read
The champions of Delaware high school boys soccer were old and new this fall.
In Division I, Salesianum broke out of a 1-1 tie at halftime to roll past Cape Henlopen 4-2 for the Sals’ 13th title in the last 14 years.
Senior Gianluca Marroni scored his first hat trick in his final high school game as Sallies earned its 22nd title overall on Nov. 18 at Dover High.
Salesianum's Aiden Gonzalez (left) and Charter of Wilmington's Michael Capretto converge in the first half of the Sals' 2-0 win at Abessinio Stadium on Sept. 19. Both players were ranked among Delaware's best by the state's coaches this season.
In Division II, Sussex Academy and Saint Mark’s finished 80 minutes of regulation tied at 1, then stayed that way through two 10-minute overtime periods.
Finally, George Sapna struck the final blow as the Seahawks won the penalty-kick shootout 5-4 for Sussex Academy’s first boys soccer title.
It was just the second DIAA championship for the Seahawks in any sport, with the first crown coming in golf in 2022.
Junior goalkeeper C.J. Norton played a huge role for the D-II champs, stopping a Saint Mark’s penalty kick in the second overtime, then turning away another Spartans blast in the shootout.
Of course, there is much more to the season than just the championship games.
We relied on the coaches’ overall All-State voting to rank the top 11 players, then received input from one of the state’s top veteran coaches in ordering the others to come up with our final ranking of the Top 35 players in Delaware high school boys soccer.
Archmere's Jason Lotkowski (left) and Saint Mark's Zach Burns push for the ball in the second half of the Spartans' 4-0 win in the opening round of the DIAA Division II state tournament at Saint Mark's, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023.
33. Thomas Hanna Jr., sr., Tower Hill
Tommy Hanna, right, with mom Lexie and brother and Tower Hill soccer teammate Bo.
32. Chad Dohl, sr., Saint Mark’s
Saint Mark’s Chad Dohl (10) and Wilmington Friends Attacker James Green (6) embrace each other after Saint Mark’s scored the final goal during penalty kicks during a high school boys semifinal soccer match between Saint Mark’s and Wilmington Friends Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, at Abessinio Stadium in Wilmington, DE.
31. Jackson Laznik, sr., Newark Charter
Newark Charter goalkeeper Jackson Laznik (center).
30. Angelo Retzos, so., Indian River
29. Yersin Velasquez Lopez, jr., Sussex Central
Sussex Central's Yersin Velasquez-Lopez (left).
28. George Sapna, so., Sussex Academy
27. Eduardo Gonzalez, sr., St. Georges
St. Georges' Eduardo Gonzalez-Garduno (left).
26. Gabriel Arbuet, fr., Appoquinimink
25. Kevin Dolan, sr., Wilmington Friends
24. Kieran O’Connor, sr., Saint Mark’s
Saint Mark’s Kieran O’Connor (left).
23. Donovan Sandoval, sr., Cape Henlopen
22. Ethan Couch, sr., Sussex Academy
21. Jacob Wojciechowski, jr., Caravel
Caravel’s Jacob Wojciechowski (17) collides with Saint Mark’s Michael Smyth.
20. Diego Pedroza-Luna, jr., Delcastle
Delcastle junior Diego Pedroza-Luna (7) battles for control of the ball against Salesianum senior Paolo Magat (11) during the DIAA Division I Boys Soccer Tournament semifinals at Caravel's Bob Peoples Stadium in Glasgow, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. Salesianum won 4-1.
19. Gianluca Marroni, sr., Salesianum
Charter School of Wilmington's Dominick Tweed (14) defends against Salesianum's Gianluca Marroni in the first half of Salesianum's 2-0 win at Abessinio Stadium, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023.
18. Alan Guzman Orozco, sr., Delcastle
Delcastle's Alan Guzman Orozco (left) and Newark's Andrei Gutierrez-Lopez work near midfield in the first half of Delcastle's 1-0 overtime win, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023 at Newark.
17. Nick Livaditis, jr., Charter of Wilmington
Charter School of Wilmington's Nicholas Livaditis (left) clears the ball from Salesianum's Aiden Gonzalez in the first half of Salesianum's 2-0 win at Abessinio Stadium, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023.
16. Tyler Cifa, jr., Salesianum
Salesianum junior Tyler Cifa (26) keeps his eye on the ball against Delcastle during the DIAA Division I Boys Soccer Tournament semifinals at Caravel's Bob Peoples Stadium in Glasgow, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. Salesianum won 4-1.
15. Jake Hutchison, jr., Cape Henlopen
14. C.J. Norton, jr., Sussex Academy
13. Paolo Magat, sr., Salesianum
Salesianum senior Paolo Magat (11) celebrates scoring a goal against Delcastle during the DIAA Division I Boys Soccer Tournament semifinals at Caravel's Bob Peoples Stadium in Glasgow, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. Salesianum won 4-1.
12. Gannon Tolmie, jr., Salesianum
Salesianum’s Gannon Tolmie attempts to hold off Nicholas Livaditis of Charter of Wilmington.
11. Riley Buzby, jr., Appoquinimink
Appoquinimink goalkeeper Riley Buzby (0) stops a shot by Salesianum.
10. Daniel Otlowski, sr., Saint Mark’s
Saint Mark’s Daniel Otlowski (8) celebrates after the winning goal during of a high school boys semifinal soccer match between Saint Mark’s and Wilmington Friends Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2023, at Abessinio Stadium in Wilmington, DE.
9. Michael Capretto, so., Charter of Wilmington
Charter School of Wilmington's Michael Capretto (left) is defended by Salesianum's Ryan Toy in the second half of Salesianum's 2-0 win at Abessinio Stadium, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023.
8. Finlay Lum, jr., Caravel
Caravel’s Finlay Lum (15) heads the ball away from the goal under Saint Mark’s midfielder Jonathan Lennon.
7. Kato Connor, jr., Wilmington Friends
6. Cardin Benjamin, jr., Cape Henlopen
5. Trevor Sullivan, jr., Caesar Rodney
Caesar Rodney's Trevor Sullivan (right)
4. Gavin Newcombe, jr., Charter of Wilmington
Charter School of Wilmington's Gavin Newcombe clears the ball away from teammate Dominick Tweed (14) and Salesianum's Aiden Dietrich in the first half of Salesianum's 2-0 win at Abessinio Stadium, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023.
3. Sean Duffy, sr., Salesianum
Salesianum's Sean Duffy (left) tangles with Charter School of Wilmington's Michael Capretto in the second half of Salesianum's 2-0 win at Abessinio Stadium, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2023.
2. Cristofer Torres Romero, sr., Delcastle
Delcastle's Cristofer Torres Romero celebrates his overtime goal in Delcastle's 1-0 win, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023 at Newark.
1. Aiden Gonzalez, sr., Salesianum
Delcastle senior Fernando Argueta-Lopez (10) battles for the ball against Salesianum senior Aiden Gonzalez (16) during the DIAA Division I Boys Soccer Tournament semifinals at Caravel's Bob Peoples Stadium in Glasgow, Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. Salesianum won 4-1.
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