By Kelly Bleakley

Head coach: Coach Mark Gianfrancesco

Years coaching at BHS:  20 years; head coach for 18

Asst. coach: Erin Kuhn

Last season’s highlights:

The team’s greatest accomplishment was winning the Waubonsie Valley Regional last season.

Top returnees:

This year’s top returnees are four seniors: Erik Faessler (midfielder), Trevor Hockings (defender), Will Smith (defender), and Nolan Garvin (midfielder). Also three juniors will help team depth: Joe Corno (forward), Brandon Knapp (forward), and Sal Garcia (midfielder).

Top newcomers:

The top newcomers are three strong sophomores: Ben Chandler (midfielder), Miguel Garcia (defender), and Adler Palos (midfielder).

Outlook for this season:

Coach Gianfrancesco has a very positive outlook for this 2016 fall season. “On paper, we look solid, but we need to go out and actually execute and perform as a team,” Coach Gianfrancesco said.  “We will need to incorporate our new additions to the squad seamlessly to assist with building that solid core to be successful this season.  It should be extremely exciting!”

Top teams in your league/area:

“The Fox Valley region is always strong, so both St. Charles East and St. Charles North will be challenging opponents, but you cannot count out the other Upstate Eight River opponents,” Coach Gianfrancesco said.

Top players in your league/area/state:

Coach Gianfrancesco said he’s not sure about the top players around the area but he is confident that Erik Faessler is one of the top players in the area. “I am not sure what some of the other teams have in regards to top players, but the top player I have seen to date compared with our opponents is Erik Faessler.  He has been the best player on the field in every match we have played to this point.”