Back to the drawing board? New look for DHS boys soccer
It isn’t usually a good thing when a coach says a season’s planning means going back to the drawing board.
And such might be the case for the 2011 Davis High boys soccer team.
But before Blue Devil backers get concerned, remember that drawing board is in the possession of veteran mentor Ashley Yudin, who is entering his 22nd campaign.
Plus, the cast of characters he has to mix and match before Friday’s opener against Terra Linda is talented and — for the most part — seasoned.
Replacing Delta Valley Conference co-MVPs defender Alex Vivona and striker Cyrus Ghaffari (not to mention all-league goalkeeper Erik Anderson) are the most pressing matters.
Judging from past accomplishments, DHS will find a way to be in the championship mix at the end.
In two of the past three years, the Devils have finished runner-up to Sac-Joaquin Section winners Jesuit (2011) and Merced (’09). Five times under Yudin’s guidance, the locals have won the regional crown. Once — in 2000 — Davis earned the prep national championship.
With feeder programs like the Davis Legacy Soccer Club and AYSO contributing to this fall’s team, Yudin thinks the next couple of weeks will be key to how his charges settle into their new roles.
“We just have to find the right mix,” Yudin told The Enterprise. “I have no idea how we’ll react up front. In the past, we’ve had players like Stephen Dongo and Cyrus. Those were huge forwards for us; gunning forwards who could put the ball in the back of the next. Now, this year, we don’t have one of those.”
Hoping to work on the frontline will be seniors Hyato Kawaguchi, Matt Austin and Chris Mulvihill. Throw in junior Collin Holtz and Yudin feels there will be a handful of Blue Devils who “will work well up front … with their backs to the goal.”
And on a team that plays a passing game that prides itself on measured strikes, midfielders Ryan Gross — a team captain — Kian Bagheri and Dylan West could emerge as a scoring trio.
West played a lot of forward in 2010 before drifting back to a wing and eventually playing some late-season defense.
“We’ll see how we can play collectively and score goals,” Yudin says, smiling.
Last year, a bonanza of 95 goals led to a 23-4-2 record and a cruise through an undemanding DVC schedule.
This season, Yudin loves his midfield. With Bagheri, West and Gross joining senior anchors Jacob Weiss and Tom Nolan, the Blue Devils could play that control game as well as any recent DHS edition.
Weiss is a guy who takes good care of the ball, according to Yudin, who adds that a healthy Nolan will be a big plus.
Both Weiss and Nolan were hurt and missed last year’s finale against Jesuit. Despite a 3-0 margin of victory for the Marauders, Yudin said he would have liked to have seen the result had the pair played.
Poor Nolan again is working his way back from an ankle injury and Yudin thinks his senior middie is “about 80 percent.”
“Some years we don’t have a midfield and still try to play out of the midfield,” Yudin recalls. “Not the case this year. … We’ll work it around in the midfield. This year we have five people in the middle and have subs that can contribute.”
Lee LeVerrier and a handful of untested junior varsity call-ups will be asked to patrol in front of junior goalie Derek Pleasants.
“(Derek) is a good kid,” Yudin explains. “He needed that one year, but he can bring a lot to the table.”
Yudin says Pleasants is the kind of guy who “can laugh at his mistakes … but play serious when (needed).”
Tyler Darrah, another junior, is expected to back up Pleasants.
The Davis boys will find out quickly whether Yudin’s new recipe tastes any good.
The Bay City Invitational (hosted by Montgomery High in Santa Rosa) could mean five time-abbreviated contests before DHS’ first regulation contest on Monday against powerhouse Marin Academy (at Davis, 4 p.m.).
The Devils play D-II champ Granite Bay on the road Wednesday, Sept. 21, and then journey to arch-rival Jesuit on Sept. 23. DVC competition kicks off on Tuesday, Sept. 27.
— Reach Bruce Gallaudet at bgallaudet@davisenterprise.net or (530) 747-8047.
Short URL: http://www.davisenterprise.com/?p=75054
Posted by Bruce Gallaudet
on Aug 24 2011.
Last Login: Tue 22 May 2012 11:46:20 PM PDT
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