IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT—Royal High's Moises Flores, left, and Uriel Orozco battle for control of the ball during a workout session at RHS on Monday. League play begins next week. The race for a boys' soccer title in the Marmonte League should be thrilling, but the feeling among coaches is that the league is missing something.

For the second straight season, some of the Marmonte's finest decided to play for academy and club teams instead of their local high schools.

The league has lost big names, such as last year's leading goalscorer Sam Myerson, who previously played for Agoura High, and Jonathan Decker of Royal.

"A lot of players want to play for club and academy teams because they feel they can get more exposure that way," Royal head coach Will Beard said. "They also get to travel more with those teams."

Thousand Oaks head coach Mark Tietjen, who also coaches the Eagles Soccer Club based in Camarillo, said he understands the players' reasons for leaving.

"It is what it is, I guess," Tietjen said. "As a whole, the level of soccer goes down in the league, but I still believe the players are making the right decision most of the time.

"This year, as coaches, we were more prepared for it than last season. A year ago we were all blindsided with some mixed information on if a player could compete for a club team and a high school team at the same time."

Not everyone feels bad about the loss of talent.

Newbury Park head coach Guy Sanford is thrilled with the team he has. Last season the Panthers fell to Santa Margarita 1-0 in the CIFSouthern Section Division I championship game.

"I can't speak for teams like Agoura and Thousand Oaks, but I feel our talent is better than ever," Sanford said. "We were in the finals last year, so I feel the players we have are pretty good."

Despite losing 13 seniors, reigning league champion Newbury Park is looked at as the favorite.

"It's their crown, and until someone takes it away from them, they have to be viewed as the favorite," Tietjen said.

The Panthers return junior sweeper Phillip Muscarella, senior forward Nick Harrison and senior midfielder Kevin Staley.

Senior midfielder Mario Montes, junior defender Eric Mueller and junior midfielder Corey Leroy are other key players for NPHS.

Senior Steven Bradley will be the squad's goalkeeper. Bradley replaces Troy Williams, who graduated and is serving as an assistant coach.

Calabasas could easily challenge for the top spot after making the playoffs a year ago.

Coyote head coach Kurt Millet said the team's growth is ahead of schedule.

Calabasas lost one of the league's top players, Daniel Steres, to graduation but returns a solid nucleus, including senior forward Harrison Doyle.

Other players that will contribute for CHS include sophomore midfielder Nathan Schnitman, junior goalkeeper Jason Bryman, junior center Gil Jacobs and sophomore forward Easton Fier.

Sophomore Scott Cohen, a transfer from Buckley High, will be a force for the Coyotes.

Royal should also be in the hunt, thanks to returnees such as senior forward Uriel Orozco and senior midfielder Eddie Melgarejo. Beard has been impressed with Melgarejo.

"This is Melgarejo's third year on the varsity team, and he's been on our playoff teams the last two seasons," Beard said. "He's a key component and a natural leader."

Look for junior defenders Kyle Matthews and Colt Reichl, junior forward Hayden Nicholson and senior center Cheyne Austin to lead Royal.

Thousand Oaks will also give Newbury Park a run for its money. Tietjen believes for the Lancers to take the crown, they have to be more consistent.

"At times we play some really good soccer, and at times we have played some very poor soccer," Tietjen said.

TOHS returns junior center Nathan Jasperse and junior midfielder Alexis Cespedes.

Senior midfielder Danny Kuntz and freshman Daniel Dannas should be offensive threats, while the defense is led by seniors Patrick Frawley, Irvin Martinez, Jose Garcia and Eric Garcia (no relation).

Junior Dominic Bateman will be the Lancers' goalkeeper. Senior Brian Sidenberg was injured in Thousand Oaks' first game, but Tietjen is hoping to have him back at some point.

Agoura took a big hit in losing Myerson. Luckily the Chargers get back Michael Uyeheia, who played last year on an academy team.

Other offensive weapons for the Chargers include junior forward Tyler Buron and sophomore Zach Bernstein. Junior Brian Felberg will be the goalkeeper.

Simi Valley missed the playoffs and is fairly young this season, according to head coach Mike Popp.

Popp said the team needs to improve its passing, but he likes the chemistry thus far.

"The team seems to have a good sense of camaraderie," Popp said. "They support each other on the field and off it."

Top players for SVHS include midfielder Diego Fontes, defenders Joe Membrila and Andrew Vu, as well as striker Andri Herrera and goalkeeper Shawn Bailey.

"Our goal is to get to the playoffs since we haven't been there in many, many years," Popp said. "The other night we tied Ventura, a very good team, so that boosts our confidence a lot."

Westlake is another young team. Head coach Bill Propster said he's having a rough time figuring out how his squad will do in league because he hasn't determined a starting lineup yet.

"In two games we've tried four different formations," Propster said. "Some have looked good while some have looked disjointed."

For Westlake to get back into the postseason, the Warriors will need players such as seniors Ben Hubbard, Austin Hall, Justin Edwards and Jordan Ylavan to be at the top of their games.

Forwards Sam Ball and Angelo Russo, midfielder Cory Miller and goalkeeper Andrew Singer will play critical roles for WHS.

Several calls were made to Moorpark head coach Juan Barron, but they were not returned as of press time.