Sep 6, 2016 4 min read

Though they were WPIAL boys soccer champions last season, the Canon-McMillan Big Macs are not thinking about defending their title, yet.

“That is not on our radar at this point in time and hasn’t been mentioned at all,” said C-M head coach Larry Fingers. “We collectively feel that if we do the small things the right way, use our soccer brains, are good teammates and work hard, that some of the targets and accolades that normally come with a successful season may fall into place.

“Our focus is game-to-game. Hopefully, we can get into the playoffs, and then put all of our cards on the table and see where we end up when the dust settles. A lot of things must go right for any team to win a WPIAL or PIAA title.”

Any team surviving the WPIAL’s newly formed Section 2 in Class AAAA certainly will be a deserving champion. The section features Canon-McMillan’s perennial rivals, Peters Township and Upper St. Clair, along with Baldwin, Bethel Park and Mt. Lebanon. C-M won two of the past four WPIAL titles, Peters Township has five since 2003 to go along with a state championship in 2007, and USC has three, and a handful of PIAA crowns since 2000. Mt. Lebanon won WPIAL titles in 2002 and 2009, and Bethel Park earned back-to-back trophies in 2006 and 2007.

“The new realignment is just another challenge in our season that we must overcome,” Fingers said. “Already having the strongest section, we have now added three additional programs that can win on any given night. Our schedule poses no easy matches and-or nights off and we must always be prepared to play at our best.”

Fingers, however, sees the pros and cons of the new section.

“Playing in our section certainly prepares you for the playoffs, and you welcome the opportunity to be involved in high-level games night in and night out,” he said. “The negative certainly would be not performing well and being on the outside looking in come playoff time. In the past, there have been teams that have not made the playoffs in our section that would have made the playoffs if they were in other sections.”

Last season, the Big Macs were highly competitive, thanks to such talents as Christian Snatchko, Nick Sodini, Luke Maher and Alex Ablak. But those four are off to college, playing at Robert Morris, Slippery Rock, Marietta and Penn State, respectively. Sodini supplied the firepower last fall, scoring 32 goals and adding 10 assists, while Snatchko excelled in the net.

The Big Macs return eight starters, including Brandon Byer and Jonah Moore. A forward, Byer scored seven goals and collected nine assists. Moore, a defender, contributed six goals and six assists. Both are juniors, as is veteran forward Nathan Cathell.

Seniors with experience include cornerback Ryan Burke, forward Andrew Balog, goalie Nick Frediani, and midfielders Noah French and Zach Russo.

The Big Macs also will rely on Mackeyan Martin and Rob Lawrence, returning players who should help in the attack; Tyler Rothka, a senior who will solidify the back four; and Billy Baron, a versatile junior who can play several positions.

Several newcomers are pushing for minutes and have had a strong preseason. Among them are Austin McColpin, Jeff Harbaugh, Luke Gladden, Tommy Samosky, and Ben Popko. Additionally, Jeff Kim is returning from an injury and should contribute when healed.

“We have a nice core of players returning and have a lot of players in contention for minutes with the varsity team,” Fingers said. “When the dust settles, we are expecting that we will have a group of players that can contribute on the varsity.

“It will be interesting to see how this team develops as the season progresses and players get acclimated to our system. There are certainly others who are developing quickly that we will keep an eye on to help as the season progresses.”

That development is important in such a competitive section.

“In this section, you can never plan too far ahead, especially with the new teams that were added. We are taking it one day at a time and are just trying to do things the right way,” Fingers said.

“The coaches and player leaders are focused on the themes and functions of how we want players to play in this program. Over the years, we have tried to be very explicit with how our team wants to act, look, and perform. As a whole, we are working together to get those pillars refined and ingrained in the players so that we can continue to live up to the expectations we collectively all have for this program.”