Winter All-County 2023: Which boys soccer players shined brightest in Palm Beach County?
2023 marked another triumphant winter on the pitch for Palm Beach County high school boys soccer teams.
12 local squads advanced to the postseason in the FHSAA state tournament, although Boca Raton was the last team standing − the only crew to reach the Final Four.
Below is a list of the top players from the season, including nominees for the Palm Beach Post's Player of the Year.
First team selections are official nominees for the honor and will be recognized at the live show for this spring's Palm Beach County High School Sports Awards, to be held June 9 at Dreyfoos Hall. Those official nominees are eligible for a free ticket.
The show is produced with support from Baptist Health Orthopedic Care.
Check back later for information on how to RSVP to the event, sponsored by Baptist Orthopedic Care. The Palm Beach County High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country.
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Player of the Year Nominees − First Team
Luca Balzano, Jr., Benjamin
Before meeting Taylor in region quarterfinals, Balzano recorded six shutouts and 141 saves (8.3 per game), ranking No. 22 in the state and No. 7 in Class 3A. The junior allowed just 15 goals on the season to help Benjamin finish 9-5-4 and clinch the district championship.
In district semifinals, Balzano made the penalty kick save needed to advance the Bucs past a gritty King's Academy.
Michael Capille, Sr., Spanish River
Adding Capille to the roster helped the Sharks improve to 16-5-1 and a region semifinal finish. 17 goals on the season saw the forward end the year as Spanish River's scoring leader. He was also No. 25 in the state and No. 9 in Class 7A with 18 assists.
Ford Cash, So., Benjamin
Cash posted a team-leading 14 goals and nine assists in 16 games. 2023 marked his second season as the Bucs' top scorer after putting eight goals in the net to take Benjamin to the Final Four his freshman year.
Caleb Chapman, Sr., Boca Raton
The midfielder tallied a team-and-career-high 13 assists to help Boca Raton go 22-5 in his fourth and final year on varsity. As Boca forged a 13-game win streak, he scored five goals − including the game-winner for a regular season dub against Olympic Heights.
Aaron Diaz, Sr., Wellington
Wellington's deep 10-6-2 run through Class 7A playoffs featured an offense sparked by the team captain. He stuffed the book with a roster-leading 17 goals on 38 shots, plus four assists and 14 steals in 1435 minutes. Diaz's best performance − a hat trick − came in a 3-2 win over Jupiter to open the season.
Diaz, a four-year varsity forward, was also the Wolverines' top scorer in 2022 before being bounced by then-state semifinalist Palm Beach Central.
Christian Gonzalez, Jr., Boca Raton
Gonzalez split a team-high 11 goals with senior Hung Vu and came second on the roster with eight assists. Three playoff goals before meeting Celebration in the Final Four for Class 7A helped the returning defender top the stat sheet with 30 points.
Roots-Ken Jean Baptiste, Jr., Palm Beach Gardens
Jean Baptiste took the pitch for just 12 games, but the team captain certainly made up for lost time before the Gators were eliminated by Treasure Coast in district play. In 910 minutes of play, the striker came up with 25 goals and 14 assists to earn team MVP honors.
He was the highest-ranked striker for Class 7A-District 10 and one of the best in the country, coming in at 17th for the state and 75th in the nation.
Adonte Jakusik, Sr., Royal Palm Beach
Jakusik followed up an impressive junior season with an even better senior campaign. He had a team-high 16 goals and 37 points, adding five assists as Royal Palm battled its way to region quarterfinals against Boca.
The Wildcats finished 14-5-4 and upset two-seed Palm Beach Central to earn the program's first district championship since the 2015-16 season.
Cameron Koch, Sr., Seminole Ridge
Improving from five goals and one assist as a junior to a team-high 15 and 10, respectively, for his senior year, the forward returned the Hawks (13-7-1) to their winning ways after a lackluster 2022. Koch recorded two goals to charge a 3-0 district quarterfinal win over Martin County before the two-seed was upset by title-winner West Boca Raton in semifinals.
Trey Lane, Sr., Berean Christian
The Bulldogs went 10-6-2 before meeting state semifinalist Archbishop Carroll in region semis for Class 2A. It was a major thanks to Lane, who led Berean as a defender and on offense with 17 goals in 17 games, tacking on two assists along the way.
To win back-to-back district championships, he scored a game-high two goals in a draw with Trinity Christian.
Ethan Schweiger, Sr., Spanish River
Supporting Capille from midfield, Schweiger stunted on the competition with 16 goals and 11 assists. The senior dominated the postseason, seeing the Sharks beyond Olympic Heights in district semis with the only score through double-overtime and made another to survive Palm Beach Central in region quarterfinals.
Eli Thallemer, Jr., Wellington
Ten saves in a Class 7A region semifinal draw to Boca closed the chapter on a standout season for Thallamer. The goalkeeper averaged 5.8 saves per game, totaling 58 against 75 shots on goal in only ten appearances defending the net.
Coach of the Year
Luke Schartner, Berean Christian
After losing five seniors from the class that saw the Bulldogs go 9-7-1 in 2022, Schartner still saw Berean Christian to back-to-back district championships, finishing 11-6-2 on the season. To meet Final Four contender Archbishop Carroll in Class 2A region semifinals, the young program upset three-seed Riviera Prep, 3-2.
Second Team
Small schools
Aaron Berman, Sr., Katz Yeshiva
Paolo Brown, Sr., King's Academy
Luke Casper, Sr., Benjamin
Miles Kelly, Jr., Berean Christian
Pedro El Khaouli Jreige, Sr., FAU High
Thomas Flores, Sr., FAU High
Zach Fragione, Jr., Cardinal Newman
Graham Herkenrath, Jr., FAU High
Jace Gardner, Sr., Jupiter Christian
Nabil Handal, Sr., Saint Andrew's
Nicolas Leon, Fr., Berean Christian
Gary Lucien, Sr., Lake Worth Christian
Lorenzo Meszaros, Fr., Jupiter Christian
Daniel Ramirez, Jr., Trinity Christian
Freddy Sanchez, Sr., Atlantic Christian
Daniel Saviano, Sr., FAU High
David Thomas, Sr., Atlantic Christian
Big schools
Andre Betioli, Sr., Boca Raton
Raheem Binns, Sr., Seminole Ridge
Shawn Boullion, Sr., Atlantic
Raul Calvi, Sr., West Boca Raton
Ethan Castaneda, Jr., Olympic Heights
Aidan Cook, Jr., Palm Beach Central
Louis Edro, Jr., Palm Beach Gardens
David Hernandez, Sr., Wellington
Pedro Lagoeiero, Sr., Olympic Heights
Hayden Mersereau, Jr., Boca Raton
Adrian Najarro, Sr., West Boca Raton
Joao Oliveria, Jr., Boca Raton
Tyler Peitz, Jr., Seminole Ridge
Carmine Ricciardi, So., Boca Raton
Danny Rodriguez, So., Royal Palm Beach
Antonio Rubino-Zapata, Jr., Wellington
Hayden Ryan, Jr., Wellington
Nahir Salto, Sr., Olympic Heights
Thiago Solis, Sr., Dwyer
John Stevenson, Jr., Boca Raton
Hung Vu, Sr., Boca Raton
Ronald Yanez, Sr., Santaluces
Honorable Mention
Mason Adcock, Sr., Cardinal Newman
Leonardo Burguete, Jr., Olympic Heights
Thomas Coates, Sr., Oxbridge
Franco Giangaspero, Jr., FAU High
Craig Hanlon, Sr., Lake Worth Christian
Justin Ibrahim, Jr., Spanish River
Xavier Loor, Jr., Palm Beach Central
Kellner Lopez, Sr., Forest Hill
Aiden McKinley, So., Lake Worth Christian
Camden Misquez, Sr., Olympic Heights
Anthony Murillo, Sr., Lake Worth
Cesar Patrullo, Jr., Boca Raton
Kason Peitz, Fr., Seminole Ridge
Gael Rocha, Fr., Trinity Christian
Ricardo Rocha, Fr., Trinity Christian
Joshua Santiago, Fr., FAU High
Sam Schulman, Sr., Katz Yeshiva
Sean Sheehan, So., Benjamin
Julio Spahiu, Sr., Olympic Heights
Emmanuel Siado Suarez, Jr., Palm Beach Central
Julian Silvestri, Sr., Cardinal Newman
Joseph Slay, Jr., King's
Dylan Trachtenberg, Jr., Olympic Heights
Giovanni Turquia, Jr., Boca Raton
Heath Wood, So., Seminole Ridge
Justin Wright, Jr., King's
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach Post Winter All-County Boys Soccer 2023
