2025 Shore Conference Boys Soccer Preview: Class C South
Within the new status quo of Shore Conference soccer, there will always be a power divisions and lower divisions. For the teams that either repeat a season in one of the lower divisions or drop into them, there is major opportunity. That is especially true in this year’s Class C South.
Only one team in the C South field this season won more than four games in 2024, but every team in the field that won four games or fewer brings back the vast majority of its starters from a year ago.
The merger of the two high schools in Jackson also took away Jackson Liberty from the division, so there will be only five teams competing for the C South title. Pinelands last won an official division championship in 2019 (and an unofficial one in the COVID-shortened 2020 season) and it has been 12 years since Donovan Catholic claimed a division championship. For Brick, the wait has been decades, and Barnegat and New Egypt will be seeking their first division championship.
In predicted order of finish
1. Brick
Although Brick won only four games last year, the Green Dragons enter 2024 with optimism thanks to an experienced roster and a division slate comprised almost exclusively of teams Brick beat last season. New Egypt is the only 2025 division opponent Brick did not face last year, and the Green Dragons scored victories over Barnegat, Donovan Catholic and Pinelands by an aggregate score of 11-3.
Brick returns more starters and more production than any Class C South team, led by fourth-year starter and 2024 All-County selection Karl Loffredo. Fellow senior Gianno Godenzi emerged as the co-headliner along with Loffredo, nearly matching him in scoring production and giving Brick a duo that combined for 16 goals and 13 assists.
Seniors Matt Rodas, Gabe Walters and Anthony Martone also return to the midfield for Brick, while Luis Lenor leads a defense that has slightly less experience than the attack – partially due to a season-ending injury to junior and 2024 starter Jhon Yllahuaman. Junior Diego Aldana brings some experience to the back line and Devin Baldwin is set for his fourth season as the starting goalkeeper, rounding out a balanced Green Dragons lineup that has the ability to both put goals on the board and keep them off of it.
Brick at a Glance
Head Coach: Tom Frazzitta, 11th season
2024 Record: 4-13-1 (3-2, third in Class C South)
SCT Group: 2 (Colts Neck, Shore, Freehold Twp., Monmouth)
Key Losses: Santiago Valencia (Defense), Tristan Napolitano (Defense), Hunter Bailey (Defense)
Potential Starters (2024 Stats)
Returning Starters in Bold
Gianno Godenzi, Sr., Forward (8 goals, 5 assists)
Nana Boakye-Yiadom, Jr., Forward; Richard Thompson, Sr., Forward
Karl Loffredo, Sr., Midfield/Forward (8 goals, 6 assists)
Matt Rodas, Sr., Midfield/Forward
Gabe Walters, Sr., Midfield (2 assists)
Anthony Martone, Sr., Midfield (2 goals)
Luis Lenor, Sr., Defense (1 goal, 2 assists)
Diego Aldana, Jr., Defense
Jack DeMan, Jr., Defense
Ryan Paramonte, Sr., Defense
Devin Baldwin, Sr., Goalkeeper
Other Players
Sam Ortiz, Sr., Midfield
Isaac Gavidia, Jr., Midfield
Jacob Walters, So., Midfield
Jerry Leonor, Fr., Midfield
Jhon Yllahuaman, Jr., Defense – Injured; out for season (2 goals, 2 assists)
2. Barnegat
The only team in the Class C South division to finish .500, Barnegat won six games outside of the division, and five of the Bengals’ nine losses were by a margin of one goal. Barnegat also closed the season with a first-round road rout of Collingswood in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group II playoffs before bowing out to fourth-seeded Sterling in the sectional quarterfinals.
Barnegat will have to push forward while replacing more than half of last year’s starting lineup, including junior Nate Scisco, who is spending the season at a developmental academy in Spain after scoring 13 goals as a sophomore. On the bright side, senior Leo Chamurro is fully healthy after coming back from a knee injury that knocked out his sophomore season and will combine with classmates Ethan Yllanes, Aiden O’Halloran and Riley Stolte to lead the scoring effort.
Senior Pablo Tapia is the lone returning defender returning to the starting lineup, with senior goalkeeper Donovan Paul moving into the net full time after sharing duties with Kyle Wright in 2024. When Paul wasn’t in goal, he was manufacturing four goals and three assists in the field – production Barnegat could use in its chase for a division title if it were not for the need in goal.
Barnegat at a Glance
Head Coach: Kevin Peters, seventh season
2024 Record: 9-9 (2-3, fourth in Class C South)
SCT Group: 3 (CBA, Toms River East, Manchester, Matawan)
Key Losses: Joe Ficorilli (Midfield), Nick Ficorilli (Midfield), Christian Chamorro (Defense), Owen Scisco (Defense), Logan Ryan (Defense), Kyle Wright (Goalkeeper), Nate Scisco (Jr., Forward/Midfield)
Potential Starters (2024 Stats)
Returning Starters in Bold
Ethan Yllanes, Sr., Forward (4 goals, 2 assists)
Aiden O’Halloran, Sr., Forward (3 goals, 2 assists)
Leo Chamorro, Sr., Midfield/Forward (5 goals, 1 assist)
Junior Licona Romero, Sr., Midfield/Forward
Riley Stolte, Sr., Midfield (5 goals, 3 assists)
Jacob Yudman, Jr., Midfield (2 goals)
Matt Arbasetti, Jr., Midfield/Defense
Pablo Tapia, Sr., Defense/Midfield
Madiel Vargas Velasquez, Sr., Defense
Aiden Wallin, Jr., Defense
Donovan Paul, Sr., Goalkeeper
Other Players
Diego Hernandez, Jr., Midfield
Connor Glines, Jr., Midfield/Forward
Nelson Argueta Cedillos, Jr., Midfield/Forward
Christian Sarmieto, So., Defense/Midfield
Vinny Santos, So., Defense/Midfield
3. Pinelands
No team in the current Class C South division has as much recent Shore Conference success as Pinelands, although in this case, “recent” means four years ago. That is the last time Pinelands had a winning season, and despite graduating leading scorer Dan DeMilio (11 goals), this season has the makings of a return to winning for a program that won four straight division championships from 2017 to 2020.
All-division midfielder Peyton Auermuller leads a group of eight returning starters who will try to get the Wildcats back to the top of the division. Alexandros Kontogiannis and Max Taurgrasso are also back in the midfield, with a quartet of seniors – Alex Dudas, Lance Heuston, James Maleski and Jacob Soliman – forming the back line in front of all-division senior goalkeeper Jake Miller.
Michael DeMilio moves to the top of the formation as the top target on the attack along with sophomore Stevie Leek. With Leek the only underclassman in the starting lineup, the Wildcats have their most experienced team in four years.
Barnegat at a Glance
Head Coach: Jim Campbell, fourth season
2024 Record: 4-14-1 (1-4, tied fifth in Class C South)
SCT Group: 8 (Southern, Wall, Long Branch, Brick Memorial, Red Bank Catholic)
Key Losses: Dan DeMilio (Forward), Atticus Evinson-Behrman (Midfield), Max Ramos (Defense)
Potential Starters (2024 Stats)
Returning Starters in Bold
Michael DeMilio, Sr., Forward (4 goals)
Stevie Leek, So., Forward
Peyton Auermuller, Sr., Midfield (3 goals, 2 assists)
Alexandros Kontogiannis, Sr., Midfield
Max Taurgrasso, Jr., Midfield (2 assists)
Acim Savich, Jr., Midfield
Alex Dudas, Sr., Defense
Lance Heuston, Sr., Defense (4 goals, 3 assists)
James Maleski, Sr., Defense
Jacob Soliman, Sr., Defense
Jake Miller, Sr., Goalkeeper
Other Players
Steven Amato, Fr., Forward
Peyton Simonici, Sr., Defense
Matt Martin, Sr., Defense
Michael Quintenz, Jr., Goalkeeper
Kuelvin Valencia, Sr., Defense
Tomas Rojas, Sr., Forward
4. Donovan Catholic
With proven scoring back in the formation and its third head coach in four years, Donovan Catholic is in for a pivotal season in a Class C South division that is there for the taking. Max Durazzo was 12th in the Shore Conference in scoring in 2024 and seventh among players back for 2025, while fellow senior Charlie Yuro is also back as the team’s second-leading scorer from a year ago.
Junior Dan Zaic and senior Demitri Maugeri are returning starters in the midfield to go with a pair of juniors, Jack McAteer and Hunter McDonald. Christian Dzialowski is the lone senior on the back line, and sophomores Andrew Schafer and Conner Ryan will play key roles – Schafer as a defender and Ryan as the goalkeeper. A more balanced operation is the next step forward for Donovan Catholic under new head coach Michael Benson, and the presence of Durazzo gives the Griffins a unique weapon against most of the division.
Donovan Catholic at a Glance
Head Coach: Michael Benson, first season
2024 Record: 3-16-1 (1-4, tied fifth in Class C South)
SCT Group: 4 (Central, Rumson-Fair Haven, Middletown North, St. Rose)
Key Losses: Brody Levy (Defense), Nick Carrara (Forward/Midfield), Sal Reynoso (Midfield)
Potential Starters (2024 Stats)
Returning Starters in Bold
Max Durazzo, Sr., Forward (16 goals, 7 assists)
Charlie Yuro, Sr., Forward (5 goals, 2 assists)
Dan Zaic, Jr., Midfield (1 goal, 2 assists)
Jack McAteer, Jr., Midfield
Demitri Maugeri, Sr., Midfield
Hunter McDonald, Jr., Midfield
Christian Dzialowski, Sr., Defense
Matt Logan, Jr., Defense
Nick Leone, Jr., Defense
Andrew Schafer, So., Defense
Conner Ryan, So., Goalkeeper
Other Players
Santi Reynoso, Fr., Forward
Harrison Langella, Jr., Defense
Matias Tabares, So., Midfield
Mateo Alvarez, Jr., Midfield
Henry Rezai, Jr., Midfield – Injured (1 goal, 1 assist)
Jack Lauder, Jr., Defense/Midfield – Injured
5. New Egypt
A team heavy on juniors and sophomores in 2024 is now a roster of upperclassmen hoping to make a huge leap forward, one year removed from a 1-16 season and just three removed from a 14-3 campaign. A move from Class B South to Class C South will provide more opportunities for wins. New coach Pat Snyder arrives with experience at Hamilton West and Trenton Catholic, although the rest of the competition in the division appears to be improved as well.
Seniors Dylan Harper, Bryce Giordano and Braeden Fischer are the top returning scorers from a year ago, with juniors Dylan Rotundo and Nico Ferriolo also back in the midfield. Senior Ryan Reynolds will lead the defense along with fellow returnees Wyatt Burgos and Nick Pizzolongo, while Cameron Cassandra returns in goal along with promising freshman Caden Adelung. With New Egypt’s flaws fully exposed in year one as a Shore Conference team, the Warriors are ready for a better showing in year two.
New Egypt at a Glance
Head Coach: Pat Snyder, first season (fourth overall).
2024 Record: 1-16 (0-5, sixth in Class B South)
Key Losses: Jesus Madrigal (Forward/Midfield), Alex Rojas (Forward/Midfield), Logan Cerniglia (Defense)
Potential Starters (2024 Stats)
Returning Starters in Bold
Dylan Harper, Sr., Forward (2 goals, 4 assists)
Bryce Giordano, Sr., Forward (3 goals, 1 assist)
Braeden Fischer, Sr., Midfield (1 goal, 3 assists)
Caden Stillson, Jr., Midfield
Dylan Rotundo, Jr., Midfield
Nico Ferriolo, Jr., Midfield
Jahir Mendoza, Sr., Midfield
Wyatt Burgess, Jr., Defense
Nick Pizzolongo, Jr., Defense
Ryan Reynolds, Sr., Defense
Cameron Cassandra, Sr., Goalkeeper; Caden Adelung, Fr., Goalkeeper
Other Players
Mark Voorhees, Sr., Forward
Tyler Marotta, Fr., Midfield
Pablo Milan, Jr., Midfield
Chris Perez Gomez, So., Midfield
Corby Johnson, So., Midfield
Class C South Starting XI
Max Durazzo, Donovan Catholic
Leo Chamurro, Barnegat
Gianno Godenzi, Brick
Ethan Yllanes, Barnegat
Charlie Yuro, Donovan Catholic
Karl Loffredo, Brick
Peyton Auermuller, Pinelands
Riley Stolte, Barnegat
Christian Dzialowski, Donovan Catholic
Luis Lenor, Brick
Jake Miller, Pinelands (Goalkeeper)
