KARNS CITY — Karns City's boys soccer program is no stranger to winning a district title. The Gremlins won their third crown last season, but have never been champions of District 9 in back-to-back years.

Head coach Jim Grenninger is hoping his 2015 squad can buck that trend.

He returns eight starters from a team that posted an 18-3-1 record last year. Included are forwards Conrad Snyder, Spenser Myers and Noah Pollock, a trio that combined to score 56 goals in 2014.

“From a leadership standpoint, all three are captains,” said Grenninger. “They all bring something different to the lineup. We're going to use a more direct attack with them this year and their numbers (goals) should be high.”

Jace Ebbitt and Ian McElroy return to the midfield while Caleb Garing, Noah Claypoole and Nolan Riley are back to shore up the defense.

The only area of the field in which the Gremlins do not return a regular starter is at goalkeeper where senior Nick Dodds replaces the graduated David Olszak, a four-year starter.

“Nick started a couple of games for us last season and he was quite adequate,” Grenninger said. “We have confidence in him.”

Following are preview capsules for the Butler County area boys soccer teams. Stats that appear with returning starters are from 2014.

Butler

Coach: Troy Mohney, 11th year

Last Season: The Golden Tornado were 12-8-2 overall and reached the WPIAL Class AAA semifinals.

Starters Returning: Forward — Paul James (Sr., 8 goals, 4 assists); Midfield — Josh Boyer (Sr., 3 assists), Roberto Pantoja (Sr., 1 goal), Jace Stutz (Jr., 1 goal, 3 assists) and Devin Goehring (So., 2 assists); Defense — Ty Savochka (Sr.), Joel Stutz (Jr., 3 goals) and Tyler Rankin (So.).

Outlook: “We have high hopes of returning to the playoffs this year,” said Mohney. “We have many returning starters, but we have a few big holes to fill. Hopefully, everything will come together for us.”

Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic

Coach: Jordan Weigand, second year

Last Season: The Trojans were 2-14 overall and 1-9 in Section 2-A.

Starters Returning: Forward — Luc Madonna (So., 6 goals); Midfield — Josh Rivetti (Jr.), Nick Milas (So.); Defense — Justin Koenig (So.), Danny Lynch (So.), Ryan Rathermel (So.) and Mike Drambel (So.).

Outlook: “I came here (last season) for one reason and that was to build the program,” Weigand said. “We've got bigger classes coming up. Our sophomore class is huge and our freshman class is massive.”

Freeport

Coach: Dave Teorsky, third year

Last Season: The Yellowjackets missed the WPIAL Class AA playoffs with an overall record of 10-8.

Starters Returning: Midfield — Mario Borino (Sr.), Patrick McNulty (Sr.), Robbie Reichenbaugh (Jr.) and Kevin Lynch (Jr.); Defense — Nathan Mattizi (Sr.), Vincenzo Pugliese (Sr.) and Adam Kvarta (So.); Goalkeeper — Austin Uric (Jr.).

Outlook: “Despite having a fair number of starters back, we are very young,” Teorsky said. “We play in a very tough section (2-AA with Mars and Knoch).”

Grove City

Coach: Matt Nichols, second year

Last Season: The Eagles were 9-7 and missed the District 10 Class AA playoffs.

Starters Returning: Caleb Stewart (Sr.), Nate Zimmerman (Sr.) and Wyatt Grimm (Jr.); Midfield — Andrew Conley (Sr.), Ryan Sagan (Jr.) and Esmael Sazy (So.); Defense — Tanner McKnight (Sr.), Matt Owrey (Sr.), Jeff Biddle (Jr.) and Bearkat Hoffman (So.); Goalkeeper — Shaun Flynn (Sr.).

Outlook: “I believe we're going to be one of the top teams in the region this season,” Nichols said. “Last year, we had a lot of guys stepping into starting positions.”

Karns City

Coach: Jim Grenninger, third year

Last Season: KC had an overall record of 18-3-1, won the District 9 Class A title and reached the first round of the state playoffs.

Starters Returning: Forward — Conrad Snyder (Sr., 10 goals), Noah Pollock (Jr., 20 goals) and Spenser Myers (Jr., 26 goals); Midfield — Jace Ebbitt (Jr., 5 goals) and Ian McElroy (Jr.); Defense — Caleb Garing (Jr.), Noah Claypoole (Jr.) and Nolan Riley (So.).

Outlook: “We have a lot of skill returning and I think we can compete for another (District 9) title,” said Grenninger.

Knoch

Coach: Malcolm Cook, fifth year

Last Season: Knoch went 13-6 overall and reached the WPIAL Class AA quarterfinals.

Starters Returning: Forward — Kris Matus (Sr.) and Caleb Robb (So.); Midfield — Val Panger (Sr.) and Matt Gore (So.); Defense — Jake Goldinger (So.) and Coleman Brands (So.); Goalkeeper — Stephen Grumski (Sr.).

Outlook: “We will be bringing two or three guys off the bench, but a lot of the teams that we'll be facing can bring five or more,” Cook said. “We're not very deep, but we have quality players.”

Mars

Coach: Chris Knauff, ninth year

Last Season: The Planets reached the WPIAL Class AA playoffs after going undefeated in Section 2. They finished 17-2 overall.

Starters Returning: Forward — Cole Ferguson (Sr.), Andrew Diefenbacher (Sr.); Midfield — Nick Cimini (Sr.); Defense — Justin Simakas (Sr.), Matthew McMahon (Sr.) and Caleb Brake (Jr.); Goalkeeper — Dale Glavin (Sr.).

Outlook: “Our goal is to improve on last year, when we had an excellent regular season, but didn't make it as far in the playoffs as we had hoped,” said Knauff. “We feel we have the talent to get there.”

Seneca Valley

Coach: George Williams, 21st year

Last Season: SV was 16-3 overall, won the Section 2-AAA title and made it to the WPIAL quarterfinals.

Starters Returning: Forward — Matt Saluga (Sr., 20 goals, 6 assists); Midfield — Adam Mascio (Sr.), Jorge Olan (Sr.), T.J. Turley (Sr., 8 goals, 6 assists) and Griffin Mathew (Sr.); Defense — Macen DiPaolo (Sr.).

Outlook: “Our returning starters are all seniors and they got a lot of experience last year,” Williams said. “Hopefully, we can capitalize on that.”

Slippery Rock

Coach: Kyle Hopkins, fifth year

Last Season: The Rockets finished 14-6 and reached the District 10 Class AA title game.

Starters Returning: Midfield — Chase Baxa (Jr., 7 goals); Defense — Matt Dempsey (Sr.), Zach Dublin (Sr.) and Nick Stutz (Jr.).

Outlook: “We're building for the future,” Hopkins said. “Hopefully, we'll get some minutes for the younger guys. With both age and experience, we are a young team.”