NTL BOYS SOCCER: ATHENS' REYNARD SEES TEAM PLAY, DEPTH AS KEYS FOR EVEN MORE SUCCESS IN 2026 (September 3, 2026)

Valley Sports Report
ATHENS — Second-year Athens boys soccer coach Travis Reynard is looking for his team's depth and team play to lead to an even more successful season in 2026.

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LAST YEAR: 11-6-2. ... Lost 1-0 to Shikellamy in Class 3A championship game. ... OPENER: Athens opens at Wyalusing Thursday afternoon.

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"I think there is a lot of confidence and momentum coming into this season, especially after the success we had, but we all know and understand that last year's success doesn't guarantee anything this year," said Reynard. 

"The boys along with the coaching staff came into this season ready to go and set our goal of working hard and improving everyday to hopefully put ourselves in a position to not just protect the NTL title, but also secure a district championship.

"I think our biggest strength is the way we play as a complete team," noted Reynard. "We have a lot of individual talent, but our players understand that we are at our best when everyone is committed to doing their job and putting the team first. 

"We have a very technical group that is comfortable with the ball, and I think our ability to possess, move the ball, and control the midfield can be a big advantage for us. 

"We also have a lot of experience throughout the lineup, which should help us in big moments," said Reynard. "Defensively, we have the players and organization to make it difficult for teams to score, but we know we have to be disciplined and avoid the mistakes that can change a game. 

"On top of that, I really like the depth we have this year, and having players we can bring off the bench who can make an impact is going to be important throughout the season," Reynard added.

Junior Patrick Umber will start at forward with sophomores Chase Gombocz and Rory Smart, senior Kamdyn Wheeler, and sophomore Caden Brennan in the midfield, along with senior Zach Blackman, who returns after missing last season with an injury.

Seniors Brycen Wood and Alex Arcesi return as defensive starters, and will likely be joined by seniors Holden McKeever and Noah Thompson.

Senior Zach Fisher will start in goal for the Wildcats.

"Zach is coming off an amazing season and he will be looking to finish out his high school career strong and will be a large factor in games for us," said Reynard.

"In terms of varsity depth, we have so many options and lots of talent off the bench," said Reynard. "We will see familiar faces such as senior Abram Steinfelt, who also is coming back from injury get some time on the back line, as well as junior Hunter Brennan, who decided to come out for soccer again. 

"Sophomore Bryan Roof is a returner and has been looking good and we hope to see him out there as well.

"In terms of the midfield, we have returners juniors Riley Patterson and Ben Krissler who will give us good minutes, as well as sophomore Shayan Ankam, who filled in at striker for us occasionally last season," noted Reynard. 

"I’d love to have our core group put teams away early so I can get a lot of our talented returners and younger players in the game and give them experience at the varsity level," he added.

Reynard also has some newcomers who could see time.

"We have some talent both in freshman players and newcomers to the team. 

"Senior Jake Gorsline and sophomore Gage Hubbard will give us valuable minutes off the bench in the midfield as they are both new to the program," said Reynard.

"In terms of freshmen, we have a large group that brings a lot of energy and talent," he noted. "Bryce Gombocz and Nico Rossettie are two of the many freshmen to watch out for. They will be on the varsity field in the midfield and they will be dangerous as they are very technical players."

Reynard said last year's success could be a drawback as well.

"I think one of my biggest concerns is handling the expectations that come with the success we had last season," he said. "We know teams are going to come after us and give us their best, so we have to understand that what we accomplished last year doesn't mean anything once this season starts. 

"We have to be ready to compete every night and earn everything we get. 

"Another area I want to see us improve in is how we respond when things don't go our way," noted Reynard. "If we fall behind or face adversity, we need to stay composed, trust each other, and not let one mistake or bad stretch affect the rest of the game. 

"We also have a lot of players who can make an impact, so finding the right combinations and making sure everyone understands and embraces their role will be important as the season progresses," Reynard added.

Reynard's expectations are simple.

"We want to put ourselves in a position to compete for another NTL title and make another deep run in the postseason, but we also know that none of that is going to happen without putting in the work every day," he said. 

"More than anything, I want us to continue growing as a team, play with confidence, and be consistent in the way we compete.

"We have a talented and experienced group, so the expectation is that we challenge ourselves to be better than we were last year and see how far this group can take us," added Reynard.

AROUND THE NTL
"We need to take every team seriously," said Reynard. "Anything can happen on any given night as we learned last season, but there are three teams I mainly have my eyes on.

"The team to beat is Wellsboro," he noted. "They are always the rival when it comes to boys soccer. They have a history of great coaching and have a lot of talent on the field. Beating them last year was a great feeling, but I know they are going to want redemption and are going to come at us with full force. 

"I also think Northeast Bradford can be sneaky this season. They lost some key guys, but Scott always finds a way to make the game competitive and we have to work extra hard to pull out the win. 

"The other team is Williamson," added Reynard. "They have been progressing every year and will be very competitive."

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IN PHOTO: Athens senior Zach Fisher. ... VSR STOCK PHOTO.

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