IHSAA boys soccer preseason Fab 15 rankings: Will someone dethrone Noblesville?

The 2023 boys high school soccer season officially kicks off Saturday. Before the games begin, let's take a look at 15 of the best teams in Central Indiana.

Soccer preview: Getting you ready for 2023 season

1. Carmel (15-3-2, regionals)

The Greyhounds followed an 0-2-2 start with a 15-0-1 run that culminated with a spot opposite Cathedral in the regional championship match. They were really good last year, and they're poised to be even better this year with the addition of a couple players from MLS Next — specifically midfielder Johnny Gourley — to a lineup that consists entirely of juniors and seniors.

Among the team's most notable returners are senior midfielder Connor Dora, who scored five goals and four assists and is widely considered one of the state's top talents, and senior goalkeeper Adam Keleher, who earned all-state honors after logging 83 saves and allowing just 10 goals over 20 games in 2022. The lineup also features seniors Nick Basso and Hayden Warneke on the attack, and junior Chris Gabriel on defense.

More: Indy-area's top goalies to watch in 2023

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2. Noblesville (16-3-3, 3A champions)

The two-time defending state champion Millers graduated 16 seniors, including Gatorade Player of the Year Sam Divis (11 goals, 10 assists), midfielder Jake Johns and defender Owen Mejia. That's a lot. But they graduated a lot following the 2021 season, too, and still successfully defended their state title, so discount Noblesville's chances of a three-peat at your own risk.

All-state goalkeeper Cole Thompson and fellow senior Max Reason will anchor the backline alongside junior Kasole Williams, who joins the team by way of FC Cincinnati, while newcomer Keller Willis, a junior, slots in as a midfielder. Sam Holland, an all-state striker, is back for his senior season and will be joined by sophomore Brady Frayer up top. Miles Tucker is another to watch after netting five goals last season.

More: Indy-area's top forwards to watch in 2023

More: Indy-area's top midfielders to watch in 2023

3. Brownsburg (12-3-3)

The Bulldogs return nine of 11 starters from last season, with a strong senior core to lead the way. That leadership group is headlined by all-state pick Grant Porath, a two-sport standout (basketball) who tallied 20 goals and 12 assists. He's a lethal attacker but will once again have a strong supporting cast with Weston Bradley (11 assists) and defender Gavin Wagers (third-leading scorer with eight goals and five assists), as well as Speedway transfer Lawrence Ohalete (13 goals).

Kaden Steckel returns as starting keeper after posting six shutouts as a junior.

Of note: Brownsburg's regular-season losses were by a goal to both Fishers and Noblesville. Its draws included a wild 3-3 finish against Hamilton Southeastern and a scoreless tie vs. then-No. 1 Zionsville.

4. Zionsville (11-2-3)

The Eagles have the unenviable task of replacing forward Jackson Jelinek and midfielder Luke Cero, who combined for 27 goals and 11 assists, and lead defender AJ Jacklin. But as with Noblesville, this should be more of a reload than a rebuild for coach Rob Jordan, who returns a sophomore forward with varsity experience (Aaron Habecker), three upperclassmen midfielders (Ryan Minor, Noah Almeida and Alek Habecker) and a senior goalie in Angelo Backhaus, who allowed just 11 goals in 16 games.

There will be a glut of newcomers, of course — defenders Carter McMahon and Gavin Masterson, midfielder Eli Nieshalla and forward Theobald Jackson to name a few — but with a rigorous regular-season schedule (begins Saturday vs. Carmel), they should be more than ready for sectionals.

5. Hamilton Southeastern (13-3-3)

The Royals return five of their top eight scorers from a year ago, most notably leading scorer Logan Puls who netted 15 goals and a pair of assists. Puls, as well as James Wells, Rex Randy, Drew MacDonald and Evan Shideler are all entering their senior years, as is goalkeeper Colin Sutter, who saw action in 14 games (477 minutes) and allowed seven goals. Junior keeper Cam Joneic logged 755 minutes over 15 games. He also allowed seven goals and made 30 saves.

HSE dives right in with games against Cathedral and Brownsburg, then opens September with a four-game stretch of Brebeuf, Fishers, Westfield and Noblesville.

6. Fishers (11-3-4)

Discussions about the Tigers should start with IUPUI commit Kyle Clayton who enters his senior season 15 goals away from the school's all-time record (he netted 22 last season). He'll fuel the attack once again while juniors Caleb Hernandez and Denny Johnson, and sophomore Ethan Laboy all return to the midfield.

Seniors Will Sandlin and Avery Williams, and junior Grant Scott headline a high-quality defense in front of new goalkeepers Nick Kline (played 10 minutes in 2022 as a sophomore) and senior Anton Menendez.

Fishers has a three-game, seven-day stretch at the end of August that consists of Noblesville (Aug. 29), Carmel (Aug. 31) and Hamilton Southeastern (Sept. 5).

7. Cathedral (10-8-5, semistate)

The Fighting Irish started four juniors and five underclassmen last season. To that group they add a pair of seniors — forward Fynn Lahrsen and midfielder Ian Jackson — and midfielder Michael Bonaccorsi, who could make an immediate impact as a freshman. Coach Joel Russell believes that'll make for an especially dynamic attack with junior striker Cal Kurzawa coming off a banner year (17 goals, 11 assists), plus Kenyon Neal in the midfield.

Jett Wallmeier will lead an experienced defense that did not concede multiple goals in the state tournament until the semistate championship vs. Columbus North (won three straight 1-1 games in penalties).

8. Brebeuf Jesuit (17-4-1, 2A champions)

The Braves open the season ranked No. 1 in Class 2A by the state's coaches and boast a roster that's more than deserving of the title "team to beat" as they search for a third consecutive state title.

Losing leading-scorer Stefan Boes hurts, but they return their next five leading scorers, including Ben Haneline, Julian Bell and Quinn Warren, all of whom tallied double-digit goals last season and registered five-plus assists.

The one vacancy that needs to be addressed is a replacement for goalkeeper Aidan Wade, who allowed just 12 goals in 21 games last year.

9. Center Grove (10-6-2, regionals)

Though they graduated second-leading scorer Landon Montfort, the Trojans should have a pretty powerful offense again this year with Kentucky commit Ely Detty (17 goals, 16 assists) entering his senior season. He'll be aided by fellow forward Matheus Gubert, who played varsity as a sophomore last fall, as did midfielder/defender Keaton Barnhizer.

Center Grove's long-term success will hinge largely on its growth defensively, according to coach Jameson McLaughlin, and its regular-season schedule should help foster that development with notable games against Brebeuf, North Central, Cathedral — Detty vs. Kurzawa promises to be entertaining — and Noblesville.

10. Pike (16-2-3, regionals)

The biggest question surrounding the Red Devils pertains to how they'll replace goalkeeper Cesar Morales. But with nine returning starters, including all-state forward Anelson Azard (21 goals, 10 assists) and fourth-year starter Luke Smith, whoever it is should have time to settle into the position. Pike, which beat North Central in the Marion County finals and Brownsburg in the sectional finals, will also receive a boost from attacking mid Ivan Acuna, who tallied seven goals and eight assists last year.

Pike plays Carmel in a rematch of last year's regional semifinal on Aug. 14, then hosts Cathedral on Aug. 26.

11. Heritage Christian (12-5-1)

It's a mixed bag for the Eagles entering their second season in 2A, which is to say they graduated leading scorer Gabe Carrao and the majority of their back line, but they return a number of quality pieces, namely senior defensive center mid Noah Hamm (Ohio Northern commit) and winger Max Lock, and a couple notable newcomers in Ty Ruhl and Jameson Neill.

Two fun facts: 1. Coach Caleb Schnake left open the possibility of rostering 15 seniors. 2. Hamm scored a goal in semistate as a freshman, then led HC to its first conference co-championship as a junior. Now he hopes to secure the program's first state title since 1969.

12. Speedway (15-4, regionals)

It hurts to lose eight starters from a back-to-back regional championship outfit, but it helps when you're pulling replacements from a JV squad that went 13-0 the year before (53-1-3 over past four seasons) and out-scored its opponents 55-4.

That's the situation the Sparkplugs are in, and the newcomers will be joining an experienced and talented core: forward Kervens Saint Paul (27 goals in his debut campaign) and center attacking mid Toby Cork (eight assists, four goals), and holding mid Alexander Yohanis (six assists, four goals).

Three newcomers to watch: Centerback Israel Reynoso, holding mid Sam Harmon and midfielder Joey Heaviland.

13. Park Tudor (20-2-1, Class A champions)

Good news first: The Panthers will have a strong midfield and attack with mids Teddy Kramer, Carson Shattuck and Lorenzo Nofrini, and forwards Elliot Scotten and Daniel Peyton all returning following last year's Class A title run. The bad news: PT needs to replace its entire starting back four and goalkeeper, and it will be looking for new leaders to emerge.

This is all to say there will probably be some growing pains, but the experience gained over the past couple seasons and the challenging schedule ahead should have the Panthers poised for another deep postseason run come October.

14. Guerin Catholic (4-10-1)

Coach Jim Alvarez branded 2022 as a year of transition and development with a largely young and inexperienced roster. The Golden Eagles are still relatively young, but they're significantly more experienced with multiple returning varsity players. That group of key returners includes four seniors: Luke Sell (goalkeeper), Armen Chapman (defensive mid), Jacob Hein (midfielder) and Nolan Sheu (midfielder).

Guerin has the potential to be a fast-paced team according to Alvarez, who expects they'll play "a fluid and more competitive brand of soccer" this season.

15. Cascade (14-4-1)

Looking for an area sleeper in 2A? Well, look no further. The Cadets return seven seniors and five juniors from their 2022 sectional runner-up squad, including Ari Moore (13 goals, nine assists), Lane Trump (nine goals, five assists) and Drake Dodson (six assists). There's also Chase Schnarr, a speedy senior defender who doubles as kicker/punter for the football team. Cascade's biggest loss was in net, where Jayson Kemp will be replaced by an inexperienced newcomer.

Trips to Speedway (Aug. 31) and Chatard (Sept. 16) should provide opportunity to see how the Cadets measure up.

Follow Brian Haenchen on Twitter at @Brian_Haenchen.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school boys soccer rankings: Carmel, Noblesville on top