2022 Fall Preview: Wilmington HS Boys Soccer

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Battling right to the end for the American Division title, Wilmington fell just short with a 6-2-2 record. Batavia was first at 7-1-2.

The Hurricane was 8-5-4 overall. WHS had a late-season four-match win streak to remain in contention but lost to the Bulldogs 3-0 in the regular season finale.

Wilmington scored just five goals in the nine non-wins while notching 21 goals in the eight victories.

First-team all-league performers for WHS included graduates Avery Warix, Nathan Wood, Caleb Macias, Cole Bernhardt and Trevor Billingsley. Javier Becerril was a junior last year and earned first-team honors. Warix, Wood and Macias were team captains.

Veteran head coach Imad El-Macharrafie will be assisted by Bobby Oetzel.

There are five returning letterwinners, three of them starters. Steven Collins was named team captain. “He has shown leadership abilities necessary to support the program and help lift his teammates up,” the coach said.

El-Macharrafie said this group is fun to coach. They remember this is a game and are constantly improving because they love to play.

“We are bringing in some upper classmen that will help the program tremendously,” El-Macharrafie said. “We are excited to see what Levi Cochran, Antonino (Nino) Gonzalez, Eric Maus, and a returning player after a year out of state Jose Morales do this year to help the five returning letter winners. We are happy with our freshman class as well, they show grit.”

The team can contend in the American Division, the coach said, if the team can “shore up some positions and develop our players to meet the needs of those spots, but again, these are players that aren’t afraid of the extra work.”

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