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YAIAA boys' soccer preview: Contenders hunting for more


As the first day of fall practices winded down and defending YAIAA champion Central York worked on ball-handling drills, coach Frank Lenno quietly expressed a desire for a little more.

A state tournament win would be nice, he said. The Panthers got to the PIAA tourney for the first time in school history two years ago. They returned last year, but again fell in the first round. The furthest any league team got in the postseason was Gettysburg, which reached the second round.

Can a YAIAA team go deeper in the state tourney? Here is a look at how league teams stack up.

Preseason top 5

1. Central York

2. Gettysburg

3. West York

4. Biglerville

5. Red Lion

Players to watch

IGOR GOMES, CENTRAL YORK, SR. >> The YAIAA Division I Player of the Year, voted by the coaches, Gomes also picked up GameTime- PA.com all-star honors, which recognizes the whole league. He scored 21 goals in his first season at Central after moving to the U.S. from Angola.

CONNOR GRIEST, BIGLERVILLE, JR. >> The midfielder was a second-team Division III all-star last season, but draws high praise from coach Jebb Nelson. His five goals ranked second on the Canners last season.

JOHNNY KING, BERMUDIAN SPRINGS, SR. >> Mostly a defender, King earned the coaches' vote as Division III's top player.

DARIAN MCCAULEY, WEST YORK, SR. >> The goalkeeper is back for another season anchoring the Bulldogs defense. A three-year starter, he was a first-team goalie selection by GameTimePA and Division II coaches.

EDDY RODRIGUEZ, WEST YORK, JR. >> A prominent player in the Bulldogs' lineup since he was a freshman, Rodriguez adds a clutch scoring punch. He received a Division II first-team all-star nod last season from the league coaches.

BOBBY WEIKERT, GETTYSBURG, SR. >> The Warriors defender will be a four-year contributor for coach Scott Hancock's squad. He received first-team honors from Division II coaches and GameTimePA.

ADAM YINGLING, GETTYSBURG, SR. >> A converted goalkeeper, Yingling has 27 goals in his last two seasons. Twenty of them came last year.