Meet the Top 11 boys soccer players to watch in Butler County ahead of 2024 PIAA season
Every Butler County high school boys soccer team was in the mix for a playoff spot a year ago. All but one squad in the area made the postseason, with Butler reaching the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals and Karns City reaching the District 9 Class 1A final.
Here are some Butler County players to watch, listed alphabetically by school, as the new high school season unfolds on the pitch:
The Yellowjackets missed out on the postseason by a whisker last fall. They sport a balanced, young group this time around, and coach Brad Walker sees Porco, a senior forward, as a headliner.
Porco netted 19 goals and added six assists in 2023. The senior forward will likely be a team captain and spearhead the attack, as well.
“He’s a good finisher, he’s a good leader (and) he’s a big body for high school sports,” Walker said of the senior forward. “He’s been playing soccer all his life so he’s just saavy.”
The Gremlins graduated 10 from last year’s District 9 Class 1A finalist — most of whom were starters. Sherwin and Rottman, now seniors, were waiting in the wings.
“Those two have just been kind of in that shadow,” Karns City coach RJ Carson said. “Now this is their time to shine and lead.”
Carson predicts a breakout year for the tandem as the Gremlins aim for their fourth district crown in five tries. Both have taken part in a summer league that includes college players and Carson has noticed an uptick in confidence.
Sherwin, a center back, fractured his ankle early in the schedule and played in just one game in 2023. Rottman is composed in the midfield and will play a big part in helping develop the offense.
The Knights lost two of their leading goal-scorers from the previous schedule. They’re looking for others to step up, but there’s a familiar duo in another phase that will be just as important.
Knoch coach Malcolm Cook described Welsh as a “tough, hard-nosed sort of player who’s also very skillful.” Having been a captain for a pair of seasons, the gritty senior defender/midfielder has battled through injuries to remain on the pitch.
LaJevic, an on-the-ball, attacking junior midfielder, provides a different touch. He’s been playing alongside Welsh for more than a half-decade.
“These two should have good years this year together,” Cook said.
Angoff, who Mars coach Chris Knauff described as a defender by trade, is deployed as an attacking midfielder for his high school team. He found the back of the net nine times as a junior and added eight helpers on the way to an All-WPIAL nod.
“He’s able to transition, and he’s just very quick,” Knauff said of the senior. “A lot of our game will run through him.”
Osterman, also a senior, will lead and organize from his center back position. He was included on the Butler Eagle’s Honor Roll a year ago.
“He’s an imposing figure,” Knauff said. “He’s known to put in a tackle and make his presence known. He’s also just a very skillful player building out of the back.”
A returning All-WPIAL Section 1 Class 3A honoree, Schedlbauer played virtually every minute for the Trojans as a junior and was a consistent presence behind a young back line.
Schedlbauer averaged 4.2 saves and 1.3 goals allowed per game last go-round. He notched five clean sheets and permitted one goal or less in six of his team’s final seven outings.
“We will have a junior-laden team,” North Catholic coach Scott Schlegel said. “His experience having started for three years now will be invaluable to us with a still-young back line.”
The Raiders have somewhat of a yin and yang with a pair of senior midfielders expected to be anchors.
The playmaking Prex, who reigns as the Butler Eagle’s Butler County Boys Soccer Player of the Year, can work with any sort of pass and has a noticeable sense for the game. He put away 12 goals and helped on 17 others last season, an effort that garnered him All-WPIAL and Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association All-State honors.
Malkamaki, on the other hand, was a reserve last year and brings a different sort of skill.
“Sami’s more of a defensive midfielder,” Seneca Valley coach George Williams said. “He’s someone we’re hoping will be strong and be a ball-winner in the midfield for us.”
