2025 Butler County boys soccer top storylines: Freeport eyes WPIAL return, Karns City, Seneca Valley searching for new pieces
Butler County’s boys soccer scene is typically pretty strong. This season should be no different, though some teams might take some time to find themselves.
Heading into this campaign, some teams are rebuilding, while others have a solid core in place. Here’s what to watch as the season gets under way:
The Yellowjackets, who went 8-8-2 last season, have barely missed out on the postseason in coach Brad Walker’s first two seasons at the helm. He doesn’t have to remind his guys of that.
“They know,” Walker said. “They’re hungry to compete and do better. I think they know themselves, how narrow those margins have been in games.”
With those disappointments as fuel, Freeport is hoping to break the trend with what Walker describes as an experienced grouping, led by junior Xavier DeWitt and senior Ryan Sutara.
The Gremlins went 7-10-1 in 2024 and return Mason Bell — who also doubles as a starter on the football team — and an experienced goalkeeper in Brock Dittman. Other than that, there are a lot of unknowns. They’ll look for someone to step up.
“Who is going to be the player that is going to light up the stat sheet?” Karns City coach RJ Carson said. “We have a lot of new players coming in.”
Third-year Trojans coach Scott Schlegel considered last season successful in a lot of ways. North Catholic set a program record for goals in a season as it went 15-5 and reached the WPIAL Class 2A quarterfinals.
“But at the same time, you’ve got a goal with this team of getting deeper into WPIAL playoffs and trying to earn a state tournament berth,” Schlegel said. “And that’s where our goals are set this year.”
Except goalkeeper, the Trojans return their full starting lineup, including junior midfielder Arthur Mendonca and senior Justin Garvey.
Kyle Hopkins’ Rockets enter the campaign with question marks. If they wind up at the same spot late in the season as they did last year, the 14th-year coach will be quite pleased.
Slippery Rock won its region last season before falling in the quarterfinals of the District 9 tournament. Hopkins is hoping the benefits of those experiences will carry over.
“There are some pieces that we need to fit and find as we go through this August, but ultimately, I’m looking (for us) hopefully to get back where we were last year – and hopefully even get a little bit further,” Hopkins said.
George Williams' Raiders have entered past campaigns with lots of experience. That might not be the same in 2025, as they aim to replace Butler County player of the year Tyler Prex. There might growing pains, the coach said, but he hopes the team can stay in the mix and "surprise some people in the end."
"I think with us, this year, (it's) a little bit of the unknown," Williams said. "We're hoping we can surprise in the positive way, in terms of success, but I think there may be some times where we're maybe taking some lumps."
