There are no easy soccer games when you compete in the Shore Conference A South Division. Jackson High School boys’ soccer coach Fred Napoli has come to accept that. And when your team graduates 14 seniors, remaining competitive can be a problem.
That is the state of boys’ soccer at Jackson. Yet Napoli, now in his third year, believes he has a young but experienced group of players who can compete in one of the toughest leagues in the state.
"We know that there are no breaks on our schedule," Napoli said. "We have a tough game every time we step on the field. We lost just about our whole team to graduation. There’s no doubt that hurts us, but I feel we have a pretty solid nucleus of younger players. They come out and work hard every day. They have been playing all summer. Even though they may be young in age, they do have some experience.
"I think we can remain competitive in this division," he added.
Gone are All-Shore and All County picks Greg Cohen, Matt Castoro, Mike Hannemann, Eric Tymesko and Anthony Costa, all of whom contributed to Jackson’s 10-8-1 record, which included a trip to both the Shore Conference and state playoffs. Of course replacing those players will take time. There is no immediate remedy when you lose your top scorer and some of your best defenders.
"Anytime you lose 14 players off a team, including a number of starters, there is going to be a transitional period," Napoli said. "That’s one of the question marks on this team. Not so much the lack of playing time, but the lack of real varsity experience."
Leading the Jaguars into the 2001 campaign are seniors Dan Perriera and George Gkionis. Perriera, a striker, is looked to for scoring. Gkionis is one of the team’s best midfielders. Another key returner is junior midfielder Chris Swietzer.
"I’ve got a couple of guys who gained a lot of experience from playing varsity ball last year," Napoli said. "We’ll need those guys to step up the leadership and sort of set the way for the younger players. Our success is going to be based on how well our younger players make the transition to playing at the varsity level. No doubt it is going to take a while for some guys to settle in and feel comfortable."
Napoli has a talented group of newcomers. Leading the defense are junior Mike Materia and sophomore Lenny Mecca. Brothers Tim (senior) and Nick (sophomore) Lyons will figure as key elements in the Jags’ success in shutting down opposing offenses. Other defenders include sophomore Chris McBride, senior Charlie Cristian and junior Dave Smith.
Jackson has no shortage of midfielders. Sophomore Ryan Moglia, who will also see time at striker, junior Nick Gkionis, brothers Anthony (senior) and Joey (sophomore) Ferro, and freshman Doug Rodkey are all vying for starting positions.
Team forwards include senior Lance Isaksen, and juniors Valdo Thompson and Bobby Kane.
"Offensively, we’ve been moving the ball well," Napoli said. "We’ve been spreading the field and passing well. We have a couple of kids who have proven to be able to finish around the goal. We’re pretty balanced offensively."
Jackson opens its season at 3:45 p.m. Sept. 7 at Monsignor Donovan High School.
"I know that Mon Don was a young team last year so I expect them to be pretty tough," Napoli said. "Their players have a year of experience on which to draw off. We don’t expect any cakewalks this year at all. If we continue to work and train hard, we’ll stay competitive."