CIF-NORTH COAST SECTION BOYS

The Team to Beat: Danville Monte Vista

The East Bay Athletic League will be a war of attrition, with any one of the top five teams capable of winning the league and North Coast Section title. Going into the season, the Mustangs appear to be the cream of the crop, albeit by a very, very slim margin.

Monte Vista brings back six starters, including its entire attack, and it has a lot of talent in areas where there will be new starters. For example, the Mustangs graduated an All-EBAL starting goalie and will replace him with Bryant University-bound senior standout Niko Dutra.

Canisius-bound senior middie Cody Soberanes is one of two returning first-line middies, and the Mustangs will get major contributions from senior attackman Ryan Lieber, junior attackman Casey Hock, junior middie Jarret Hassfeld, junior attackman Jared Welker, junior long-stick middie Matti Ruetman and Fontbonne-bound senior defenseman Jordan Wallace.

Contenders: Foothill-Pleasanton, San Ramon Valley, De La Salle, Amador Valley

Foothill-Pleasanton returns nine starters from last season, including all three attackmen, two first-line middies, all three defensemen and a goalie. Junior attackman Gabe Garcia was a first-team All-EBAL pick as a sophomore, and he leads a strong group highlighted by senior defenseman Jason Koth, junior goalie Ben Krebs, senior middie Michael Lambrecht, senior attackman Broc Schall and junior middie Colin Kacinski. Senior defenseman Ross Porter and senior middie Seth Bensen will be back after sitting out most of 2009 injured, and they will give the Falcons a major boost.

San Ramon Valley had a down year in 2009. But with eight returning starters, things are going to be much different this season. The Wolves bring back all three first-line middies, all three starting defensemen and their goalie, as well as one attackman. Cornell-bound senior middie Ross Rudow, who was a named U.S. Lacrosse High School All-American as a junior, will lead a group of talented middies that includes junior Chase Miller and sophomores Michael Tagliaferri, Patrick Worstell and Jordan Weiss.

Defending champion De La Salle has some rebuilding to do after it graduated 15 seniors. But don’t ever count out the Spartans, who have reached the North Coast Section title game four straight seasons. De La Salle has a likely future Division I player back in senior middie Sean Mullin, and senior attackman Nick Colletti, senior middie Chris Pereira, senior long-stick middie Garrett Garcia, junior middie Charlie Evans, junior defenseman Connor Hunt and Mesa State-bound senior defenseman Giuliano Sanchez will all make big contributions.

Coming off a semifinal appearance in last year’s NCS tournament, Amador Valley will be right back in the thick of it. The Dons will have another extremely strong team this season, led by first-team All-EBAL defenseman Matt Hettwer, junior attackman Mitchell Flaherty and middie Carson Ewanich.

Sleeper: Berkeley

Very few people expect the Yellow Jackets to repeat their surprising 2009 run to the NCS semifinals, especially after Berkeley graduated its top player from that overachieving team. But this year’s group shouldn’t be taken lightly. The Yellow Jackets return five starters and 17 players from a varsity roster that posted an 18-2 record, so they will be an experienced group. And they’ll have to be, because Berkeley plans to play a far more challenging schedule in 2010.

NCAA Division I Recruits: Niko Dutra, G, Danville Monte Vista (Bryant); Ross Rudow, MF, San Ramon Valley (Cornell); Cody Soberanes, MF, Danville Monte Vista (Canisius).

Rudow is the North Coast Section’s only returning U.S. Lacrosse High School All-American.

Other Top Players: Harrison Bagdan, G, Acalanes; Aaron Barker, Att., Clayton Valley; Seth Bensen, MF, Foothill-Pleasanton; Max Brier, G, Novato; Curtis Bowden, MF, Las Lomas; Ryan Bullen, Def., Acalanes; Conrad Carlson, G, Clayton Valley; Sam Carpenter, Att., Berkeley; Cole Cheney, Def., Acalanes; Nick Colletti, Att., De La Salle; Foster Cunningham, MF, Sir Francis Drake; Charlie Evans, MF, De La Salle; Carson Ewanich, MF, Amador Valley; Mitchell Flaherty, Att., Amador Valley; Jinil Fleischman, G, Terra Linda; Gabe Garcia, Att., Foothill-Pleasanton; Garrett Garcia, LSM, De La Salle; Jarret Hassfeld, MF, Danville Monte Vista; Matt Hettwer, Def., Amador Valley; Casey Hock, Att., Danville Monte Vista; Connor Hunt, Def., De La Salle; Colin Kacinski, MF, Foothill-Pleasanton; Andre Nave Kilpatrick, Att., Novato; Patrick Konttinen, MF, Redwood; Jason Koth, Def., Foothill-Pleasanton; Ben Krebs, G, Foothill-Pleasanton; Michael Lambrecht, MF, Foothill-Pleasanton; Ryan Lieber, Att., Danville Monte Vista; Nick Massa, G, San Francisco University; Kevin McGovern, Def., Branson; Carson Mead, Def., Miramonte; Chase Miller, MF, San Ramon Valley; Barrett Mistele, MF, San Francisco University; Sean Mullin, MF, De La Salle; Andrew Musser, Def., Acalanes; Jordan Myers, Att., Miramonte; J.J. Nathan, Def., Cardinal Newman; Travis Parker, Def., Tamalpais; Chris Pereira, MF, De La Salle; C.P. Perrella, Att., Campolindo; Ross Porter, Def., Foothill-Pleasanton; Logan Quinn, MF, Acalanes (Arizona State); Brian Raaka, Def., Miramonte; John Rosa, Def., Marin Catholic; Adam Rosenthal, Def., Redwood; Ben Rosenthal, MF, Redwood; Matti Ruetman, LSM, Danville Monte Vista; Alex Rutan, MF, Las Lomas; Giuliano Sanchez, Def., De La Salle (Mesa State); Broc Schall, Att., Foothill-Pleasanton (Arizona State); Austin Shea, Att., San Francisco University; Ryan Slee, Def., San Ramon Valley; Sommer Stein, Def., Marin Academy; Michael Tagliaferri, MF, San Ramon Valley; Grant Theobald, MF, California (Limestone); James Torrey, Att., California (Arizona State); John Triebsch, Def., Campolindo; Jordan Wallace, Def., Danville Monte Vista (Fontbonne); Jordan Weiss, MF, San Ramon Valley; Jared Welker, Att., Danville Monte Vista; Trevor Wolf, MF, Berkeley; Patrick Worstell, MF, San Ramon Valley; Jung Yoon, Att., Dougherty Valley; Sebastian Zorn, Def., Berkeley.

Preseason Top 10: 1. Danville Monte Vista, 2. Foothill-Pleasanton, 3. San Ramon Valley, 4. De La Salle, 5. Amador Valley, 6. Berkeley, 7. Redwood, 8. Acalanes, 9. San Francisco University, 10. California.

Notes: Acalanes had seven players selected first-team All-DFAL last season, but five of them were seniors. The two returners are senior middie Logan Quinn and junior goalie Harrison Bagdan. They will lead a team that brings back four starters, including one at every position....Miramonte had eight players named to the All-DFAL first or second team last season, and of those seven graduated. The only returner from that group will be junior defenseman Brian Raaka.