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Schools

Hall Booters Could Vault to Prominence with Experience, Speed and Depth

With speedster Brandon Thompson as their primary force, the Warriors look to win CCC West and get beyond the Class LL semifinals.

Editor's Note: This is part of a series of previews of fall teams at West Hartford's high schools.

boys soccer coach Zeke Seguro doesn’t need to hear that old quip, "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride."

Over the last 12 seasons, Seguro has guided the Warriors to the Class LL semifinals five times but they have never advanced to the finals. In soccer more than other team sports, Dame Fortune has plenty to do with the end result and as far as Hall is concerned, she hasn’t been a bride either.

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Last year, the Warriors stormed out of the 17th seed to dump No. 16 Pomperaug and top-seeded E.O. Smith. They beat Cheshire in the quarterfinals before hitting the wall against Staples in a curious 8-2 semifinal match.

“We use that as motivation, but the bottom line is we are senior dominant,” Seguro said. “This is the largest class of seniors I’ve had in my 17 years and having said that, a lot of these kids are going to play.”

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Hall used team speed, most notably the flashing feet of Brandon Thompson, to alter the course of matches last year. Seguro believes that another year of bonding, deep penetration into last fall’s tournament and pure determination will forge the kind of chemistry that belies championship teams.

“We have some speed, and that’s why we got as far as we did,” Seguro said. “We were on the fast side and we didn’t lose anyone. We’re pretty athletic and we have pace.

“We have some depth, too. We can go 15 or 16 deep without losing much.”

Thompson had team highs of nine goals and 11 assists last year. Seguro sees him as a mid-level Division I player. The University of Richmond, for example, will be watching closely.

Eduardo Sebastiao, Eli Shakun and Zach Carreira will be among those who benefit from opposing defenses concentrating on Thompson.

Seguro has a wealth of experience and talent to create space in the midfield. David Abunaw, Conor Scalise, Sam Sloan and first-year junior Bilal N’Kofi will all have that opportunity.

“Bilal is one of our more technical players,” Seguro said.

Veteran Chib Uche will be a central defender surrounded by Kristian Prestachi, Zach Becker, Ryan Carreira and others. William Cook and Eric Singer are battling for the starting goalkeeper slot.

Another goal that has eluded Seguro that last four years is a CCC West championship. Such achievements can prove elusive in one of Connecticut’s best divisions, but Seguro feels this could be the year.

“We‘re hoping we can compete for the West title this year,” he said. “We haven’t won it [since 2006] and it’s one of our goals.”

Defending Class LL champion Farmington, always-powerful Simsbury, crosstown rival Conard, unpredictable New Britain and perhaps Southington will have plenty to say about that.

A preseason scrimmage against New England prep power Hotchkiss was a good omen.

“The played in the New England final last year and won the year before. We played them to 1-1. They’re very good and I thought we competed. It gave me a good gauge as to where we’re at,” Seguro said.

Seguro repeated the word potential. The talent level, camaraderie and experience is plentiful enough to convert potential to prominence.

HALL

Coach: Zeke Seguro (17th year, 174-72-43)

Last Year: 12-5-3 (8-3-3, CCC West, 3rd); Lost to Staples in ‘LL’ semifinal

Key Losses: Michael Dwyer, Alexander Nee, John Kelly, Jonathan Colon, Eric Salm, Jose Chaparro

Players: Brandon Thompson (sr. capt., F), Sam Sloan (sr. capt., D/MF), Kristian Pretashi (sr. capt., D), Eli Shakun (sr. capt., F), Chib Uche (sr. CD), William Cook (jr. GK), Eric Singer (sr. GK), Zach Becker (sr. D), Zach Carreira (sr. F), Conor Scalise (sr. MF), Eduardo Sebastiao (sr. F), David Abunaw III (jr. MF), Ryan Carreira (sr. D), Daniel Gomez (jr. MF), Kevin Contreras (jr. MF), Bilal N’Kofi (jr. MF)

Of Note: The season is dedicated to Colin Leroy, a 2006 Hall graduate and soccer captain who died on July 4 from colon cancer … The Warriors advanced to ‘LL’ semis from the 17th seed … Warriors have been semifinalists 5 times in last 12 years … They won consecutive CCC West titles from 2004-06 … 

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