Chillicothe High School’s soccer Hornets booted up their second season Tuesday as they hosted Maur Hill-Mount Academy of Atchison, Kan.
Returning CHS head coach Bill Allison has 10 returning lettermen, including seven regular starters, back from the 2007 team which debuted the sport at CHS to the tune of a 4-11 overall record. The ’07 Hornets were 3-4 in the Midland Empire Conference.
The starters returning include goalkeeper Caleb Buckmaster, leading scorer Jacob Rockhold, Levi Barton, Colton Allen, Mahonri Reyes, Chase Bonderer and Brady Sensenich.
Part-time starters back include Colton Whiteside, Jarek Schmidt and Chris Kleinschmidt, who is returning from a broken leg suffered in the Platte County JV game.
Bringing additional experience will be Clayton Allen and Jarek Schmidt. Cl. Allen came on strong at the end of last year, Allison reports, while Schmidt should give the Hornets needed experience in the central midfield.
At season’s start, Allison has moved only one of the returning players to a new position, although additional changes may occur along the way.
“We are looking to switch Levi Barton to the defensive side as opposed to midfield where he put in considerable time last season,” the coach reports.
Rockhold scored a team-high 15 goals a year ago and had four assists. Buckmaster had one shutout and 123 saves in 14 games, according to Allison.
Colton Allen was a stable figure in the central part of the midfield and earned first-team all-district honors at the end of last season, the coach points out, while Sensenich logged the most minutes in 2007 and once again will be a big part on the defense and wherever else he is needed, the coach points out.
Whiteside will be up front alongside Rockhold to provide the main scoring threats. Barton’s midfield experience should help push the ball up from the back line, enabling quicker transitions from defense to offense. His position change also should allow him to log more minutes, Allison notes.
Among newcomers, the CHS coach has three he thinks could make a noticeable impact on the ’08 club.
“I think we will have great things coming from (sophomore) Laine Saunders, who is new to the soccer scene, but has come on strong and is one of the hardest working players we have,” Allison informed the C-T. “Connor Ruoff coming is as a freshman will get a lot of time and will be a major role player in the midfield.  Clark Allen, also a freshman, will get a lot of valuable time and add some experience from the club level to the mix.”
What does Allision feel are the keys to this year's team progressing from the level of last year's?
“Just a year under a lot of their belts and gaining that (2007) game time will be a major plus,” he anticipates. “The coaching staff will also come into the season knowing what to expect from the first season.”
Among areas of the game in which the head coach believes the team or individual players have made significant progress from a year ago, Allison remarks, “Several of them have worked on their individual ball skills, which helps them gain confidence on the field.
“Some have finally started seeing the whole field, instead of just looking for one player to drop the ball off to.”
As for team goals for this season, Allison is still keeping it simple.
“Go into every game with the right attitude and be able to walk off the field knowing that each individual and the team as a whole put out at least 100 percent,” he details. “Learn from our mistakes and build on our successes.”
Injuries already have impacted the 2008 Hornets kickers even before the season opener.
Zach Colvin, a would-be returning starter, sustained an injury while pole vaulting in last spring’s track and field season and is not available, the coach disclosed. Also, Luke Mendenhall, who will be playing mainly on the junior-varsity level, recently was diagnosed with a stress fracture to his leg, so he will be out for awhile.
“Other than that, just a few sore and aching muscles from the process of getting back into shape,” Allison summarized the health status of his team.
Should injury, illness, or other reason make Buckmaster unavailable, Allison is looking at freshman Allen or Austin Ireland to fill the important role of backup goalkeeper.
“These two players have been working hard the last week to gain some experience, if needed,” he notes.
Due to various factors, the Hornets coach says he doesn’t know what to expect from the other MEC teams.
“That is a hard one to call, as I know three schools will not be able to field a JV team, so that says a little about numbers,” reported Allison. “I am sure that Smithville will be a team to really have to adjust to.
“(St. Joseph:) Bishop LeBlond is a newcomer to the conference and a bit of an unknown. It had a good season last year, but I believe lost a good portion of their starters.  As far as the other teams, I am unsure what they lost as seniors last season.”
Following today’s season opener, the soccer Hornets are slated to play at home again Thursday, hosting Hannibal.
Allison has a new assistant coach this year, Lance Harvey.