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The 2024 Coaches All-Western New York boys soccer first team is selected by a panel of coaches. Grand Island’s Owen Redfern has been selected Player of the Year.
Owen Redfern, 12, D, Grand Island: Finished with 16 clean sheets, eight goals and an assist. Redern was named the Niagara Frontier League Player of the Year after leading the Vikings to a Section VI Class A1 championship. His favorite game was beating Lewiston-Porter in the Class A crossover game in double overtime to advance to the Far West Regional. His vote for the best player he faced went to Joey Mullen of the Lancers. Redfern’s favorite pre-game song is “Virgil” by Manny Laurenko and OT7 Quanny.
The All-WNY boys soccer first team, front row, from left: Connor Young (Southwestern), Cooper Wilczewski (Allegany-Limestone), Ethan Manley (Canisius), Nick Leardini (Lewiston-Porter), Nico Buscaglia (Williamsville East), Steven Varallo (St. Joe’s) and Roland Wenk (Lancaster). Back row, from left: Zachary Bonuito (Canisius), Ian Burgos (St. Joe’s), Cemal Aydar (Williamsville North), Patrick Krough (Clarence), Dylan Stellrecht (Clarence), Owen Redfern (Grand Island), Jack Pachla (Grand Island) and Ivan Wangue (Lafayette). Not pictured: Nathan Bernys (East Aurora).
Cemal Aydar, 12, F, Williamsville North: Had 18 goals and 10 assists. His favorite game was against Clarence in the Section VI Class AA semifinals. Aydar typically listened to Gunna’s “on one tonight” before each game and believes Lancaster’s Roland Wenk is the best player he competed against this season.
Patrick Krough, 12, F, Clarence: In his first varsity season, he led Clarence to the state Class AA final. Krough had 28 goals and eight assists and was named the ECIC I Player of the Year. In the Section VI Class AA final versus Hamburg, he scored five times, setting what’s believed to be a record in a Section VI championship game. His favorite memory was scoring the game-winning goal in the section semifinals versus Williamsville North and being piled on by his teammates. Krough will continue his career at SUNY Geneseo.
Ethan Manley, 12, F, Canisius: Led Canisius to the Monsignor Martin championship and Catholic state final. Manley was the only Crusaders player with double-digit goals (15) and chipped in 10 assists. He is a member of the National Honor Society and made the honor roll during the first quarter. Manley also plays tennis.
Jack Pachla, 11, F, Grand Island: A true scorer and playmaker, Pachla had 21 goals and 24 assists. He was named to the Niagara Frontier League first team. His most fun on the field was beating Lewiston-Porter 4-1 during the regular season and winning the league championship. Listening to “GANG” by Kairo Keyz got him ready for games. Pachla credits Lewiston-Porter’s Joey Mullen as being the best player he faced.
Roland Wenk, 11, F, Lancaster: Set the program record for goals (28) and points (42) in a season. Wenk also had 14 assists. His favorite game of the season was scoring twice against Williamsville North because of their rivalry. Wenk was named to the ECIC first team and has been his team’s leading scorer in four of his five seasons. The best player he faced this season was Clarence’s Patrick Krough. “I just love playing soccer,” Wenk said.
Connor Young, 12, F, Southwestern: Scored 41 times and had 19 assists. Young led Southwestern to its second straight Section VI Class B2 championship. He’s a two-time CCAA West Player of the Year and a recipient of the league’s Offensive Player of the Year. Young ends his high school career as Chautauqua County’s all-time leader in goals with 121, which is fourth all-time in Section VI history.
Noah Bernys, 10, M, East Aurora: The sophomore captain had eight goals and seven assists. Bernys’ play on the pitch helped the Blue Devils win their second straight Section VI Class B1 championship. His favorite moments from the season are beating Lafayette to win the B1 final and defeating Southwestern in the Class B crossover. Bernys helped coach Kevin Beale become the section’s winningest boys soccer coach with 437 wins.
Zachary Bonuito, 12, M, Canisius: Named to the All-Catholic first team after leading Canisius with 15 assists. He also had eight goals. He was second on the team with 31 points. Bonuito is a two-time All-WNY first-team selection and was named the Monsignor Martin Division A Co-Player of the Year last season. He also was named the United Soccer Coaches High School All-American Team.
Nico Buscaglia, 11, M, Williamsville East: A two-time ECIC II Player of the Year and All-WNY first-team selection, Buscaglia had 18 goals and 17 assists. With him in the lineup, Williamsville East was able to advance to the Section VI Class A1 final. The Flames beat Williamsville North to win the Williamsville Shield.
Nick Leardini, 12, M, Lewiston-Porter: The ultimate playmaker, Leardini had 24 assists with 11 goals. He led the Niagara Frontier League in assists and helped the Lancers reach the Section VI Class A2 championship game. His favorite game of the season was the crossover matchup against Grand Island, which went to double overtime. In three varsity seasons, his career includes three Section VI titles, a state semifinal appearance and a league championship.
Dylan Stellrecht, 12, M, Clarence: Selected to the ECIC I first team as a senior captain, Stellrecht had 11 goals and nine assists. He led the Red Devils to the state Class AA final and his favorite game was beating Spencerport in the Far West Regional.
Steven Varallo, 12, M, St. Joe’s: The All-Catholic Player of the Year was one of the finest playmakers in Western New York with 24 assists and he scored seven goals. Varallo was key to St. Joe’s advancing to the league final. As a sophomore, Varallo led the state with 27 assists and as a junior, he led St. Joe’s to the Catholic state final. Varallo has been a member of the National Honor Society for four years.
Ivan Wangue, 12, M, Lafayette: He said he cherished being on varsity, making the team and becoming a starter while making his coach, teachers and fans proud. Wangue had 11 goals and 16 assists in his final season. His favorite moments from his career were becoming the program’s all-time leader in assists with 46 and winning a section title in 2022.
Cooper Wilczewski, 11, M, Allegany-Limestone: The four-year varsity player had 15 goals and six goals in his final season. He helped Allegany-Limestone advance to the state final. The team’s run to the state final was a joy for him, especially beating Tully in the state semifinals. Wilczewski was named to the CCAA West first team and he was selected as the league’s Offensive Player of the Year.
Ian Burgos, 12, GK, St. Joe’s: An All-Catholic first-team selection, Burgos had 72 saves, averaging four per game. His goals against average was 0.832. He played 18 games and a total of 1,154 minutes. Burgos is a two-time All-WNY first-team selection and he helped the Marauders reached the Catholic state final as a junior. He has 21 career shutouts and 30 wins. He’s a two-time Monsignor Martin playoff champion and two-time All-Catholic selection.
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