The high school boys soccer season is about to start rolling in Lexington County, and many teams entering the season are worth keeping an eye on. 

Three area boys teams enter the season ranked in their classifications’ top 10 coaches poll. Gray Collegiate is the highest-ranked team in the county, coming in at No. 2 in the 2A poll. River Bluff and Chapin are ranked in the 5A poll, sitting at No. 3 and No. 5. 

The War Eagles have their sights set on the 2A title after losing the championship game the past two seasons. This is the team’s last shot at a 2A championship with the program set to jump to 4A starting next season. 

Gray is led by head coach and newly named athletic director Kevin Heise. He is entering his 34th year of coaching and boasts a 555-204-33 career record. 

The team returns 21 players from last season’s group, including two of its top four goal-scorers, Ben Richards and Ethan Mohundro. Heise said Richards is one of the players to watch on his team this season. 

Other notable pieces on this year’s squad include senior forward Carlos Vasquez and junior goalie Joey Sullivan. Vasquez saw limited action last season but is expected to make major contributions this year. 

Sullivan is a three-year starter on the team and has been very productive in the net. Last season, he had a goals-against average of .98 and 102 saves in 23 games played. 

The War Eagles finished with a 21-7-1 record last season and dominated their way to the championship game, winning its first three playoff games by a combined score of 16-0. The team’s 2-0 loss to Oceanside Collegiate in the title game was the team’s third shutout loss of the year. 

Gray Collegiate is already at an advantage entering the season, having clinched their region championship after all their opponents told the school they would forfeit their matches. The team has replaced those games with “quality opposition,” Heise said. 

River Bluff is preparing for a season that will go down as the last in head coach Phil Savitz’s 44-year coaching career. This will be Savitz’s 11th season at River Bluff after spending over 30 years at Irmo. 

The Gators hope to return to the 5A playoffs and advance further in the state tournament this year after losing in the third round last season. 

The team is bringing back two of the team’s largest points contributors from last season, JJ Burns and Logan Watchinski. Both players scored over 20 points for the Gators in 2023. 

River Bluff begins action this weekend with tournament games against Carolina Forest and Wando as part of the Capital City Cup. 

Staying in the same region, Chapin is another team entering the season ranked and looking to make a deep playoff run. 

The Eagles finished 17-4 in 2023 but lost to Stall in the second round of the 5A playoffs. The team has a mix of under and upperclassmen that will play large roles on the team. 

Sophomore forward Jalen Tucker was a 2023 All-State selection as a freshman. He is back this season after leading the team in goals and points after earning 14 goals and nine assists. 

The starting goalie, Will Robinson, is also back after a solid year in net. 

The fight for the 5A Region-4 championship was highly competitive last season with three teams having identical 6-2 records. Lexington, Chapin and River Bluff had identical records and all split their season series. The tiebreaker led to a Lexington title, with Chapin second and River Bluff third. 

Lexington lost some of its top producers from last year’s team including United Soccer Coaches All-American Franklin Spires. Don’t count the Wildcats out of the region race before it begins though. 

At the 4A level, Irmo begins 2024 seeking to take another step towards returning to its golden days. The team has a history of success, winning over 20 state soccer titles, but the last came 10 years ago. 

The Yellow Jackets finished second in their region last season and advanced to the second round of the playoffs after beating South Florence in round one. 

The team lost three players from that squad but will begin 2024 with an experienced group of 14 seniors, four juniors and a sophomore. Many of those players will be expected to play a significant role. 

Midfielder Gaines Roberts and Josue Reyes, last season’s leading scorers, will lead the team. Seniors Isaiah Brown and Jacob Sawyer will play key roles in defense and attack. Seniors Quincy Funk, Logan Wall and Peter Khaing will anchor the back line, according to head coach Matthew McCloghry. 

Airport soccer will try to move on from last year’s struggles and focus on this season. The Eagles went 1-13 and 0-8 in their region in 2023. 

The county’s 3A schools, Brookland-Cayce, Gilbert and Swansea, will look to improve on mediocre seasons in 2024. 

Brookland-Cayce performed the best last year, going 14-8 overall and 9-2 against region competition. The team lost in the first round of the playoffs though, falling 2-1 to Hanahan. 

The Bearcats are one of the few teams to already start competition, sitting at 1-2 on the year after participating in the Milltown Classic in Fort Mill. 

Batesburg-Leesville will look to go back-to-back region champions in the 2A Region 3 conference. The Panthers went 5-1 against region foes in 2023 but were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs. 

No team can be counted out before play starts, and for most teams, play doesn’t start until this week. There is a major event taking place in Lexington County with teams from all over the state traveling to participate. 

The Capital City Cup is set to run from Feb. 20-25 with games being played every day at Gray Collegiate, River Bluff and Chapin. The championship games are Sunday at 2 and 4 p.m. at Gray Collegiate.