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MICHIGAN SOCCER NETWORK: MSN NEWS: www.michigansoccernetwork.com/msnnews
BY DAN STICKRADT
WEB AND CONTENT EDITOR | DIRECTOR OF NEWS
Michigan Soccer Network | Premier Media Group and affiliates
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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Few boys soccer teams in Michigan can say they lost more talent following the 2023 season than Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern.
Few soccer teams in the state can also say they’ve had the type of season the Huskies have enjoyed in 2024.
Forest Hills Northern graduated nine full-time starters, two part-time starters and 15 total players. Yet, instead of going through a dreaded rebuilding campaign and taking some hits this season, the Huskies have maintained their stature as a powerhouse program besides the mass loss of varsity players to graduation. They have simply reloaded the cannon.
“You always hope to be good after losing that many players. But we were cautiously optimistic at the beginning of the season,” admitted fourth-year head coach Juan Torres.
“When you lose that many players you just never know. We only really returned two players that saw a lot of minutes last year, plus a few guys that did not play that much.”
Ranked 10th in the MIHSSCA Division 2 state rankings entering the state tournament, Forest Hills Northern will play for its second state title in six seasons when it faces second-ranked and five-time state champion Warren De La Salle at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Grand Ledge High School. This is on the big stage, as the matchup in on the final day of the season.
Not bad for a team tabbed as a major rebuilding job entering the 2024 campaign.
Forest Hills Northern (19-4-3) has a lot of history in soccer, although a lot of that success has occurred since 2000. The Huskies made their fifth appearance in the Final four this season – all since 2025 – and previously had three state finals appearances, including state runner-up showings in 2015 and 2018 and the school’s lone state championship coming in Division 2 in 2019.
That state title team featured a bevy of highly-experienced players on both the high school and club levels and had huge expectations after losing in the finals the previous year and returning several college prospects, including two NCAA Division I recruits and the 2019 Mr. Soccer winner Aidan O’Connor.
This team has talent, but perhaps not the preseason expectations of being a state title contender. That’s understandable with the amount of turnover since last season, where the Huskies finished a fine 16-2-0 and were up in Division 1 for the state tournament.
The Huskies are one win away from the ultimate goal, perhaps a year earlier than expected. There are just four seniors on the entire roster, and the Huskies still won one of the toughest conferences and districts in the state and have run the gauntlet this season in terms of a tough schedules. They have done so with a youthful roster.
Of the teams that were ranked or listed as honorable mention for at least one week this season, Forest Hills Northern is 8-4-2 against those teams.
“I don’t know that (other teams) believed that we would have the type of season that we’ve had. But this is a credit to these guys. They have worked well together,” added Torres, who noted that his team is represented by several club soccer programs. “Again, we were (cautiously optimistic) at the beginning of the season.”
The Huskies own a 73-31 scoring edge this season with nine shutouts and have only been blanked three times. Forest Hills Northern captured the loaded Ottawa Kent Conference-White Division title, then went on a brutally tough postseason run through the state tournament to reach the state finals for the fourth time in school history.
The only two players that received substantial minutes or even started a couple of games last year were junior center midfielder Almadin Hoxha and junior forward/midfielder Beau Lincoln.
Sophomore goalkeeper Luka Darling was a reserve last year but was thrusted into the starting role and has thrived this season. Seniors Henry Lincolnhol (M/OB), Ben Pease (OB) and Carter Mackson (M), junior Dylan Van Skiver (CB) and sophomore Drin Mandija (M/F), the team’s second leading goal scorer, all saw scattered minutes last season. There are just eight returning letterwinners on a roster of 25 players.
Amongst the key newcomers are junior Luca Enrico (CB), who came back from the Midwest United MLS Next Academy, sophomore Liam Tilly (F), juniors Zachary Schafer (D), Malachi McWilliams (D), Jaxon Byl (F) and Sam Garrett (D), senior Tyler Shin (M) and freshman Willem Baar (M).
Almedin leads the way with 14 goals and six assists in a balanced effort where 18 different players have scored goals for the Huskies. Mandija contributed 12 goals and six assists, while Lincoln has seven goals and 14 assists.
“We don’t have that one great player. But we have a lot of players that have done a good job this season,” noted Torres. “A lot of these guys have stepped up since last season. We only had eight guys back from last year, and most of them didn’t necessarily play a lot. But they had the opportunity this year and they have stepped up.”
The Huskies have knocked off four state-ranked teams during their tournament run – top-ranked Fruitport (2-1), 12th-ranked Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central (4-3) and eighth-ranked Bay City John Glenn (3-1), plus defending state champion Grand Rapids Christian (2-1), East Grand Rapids (2-1) and Greenville (8-0).
Forest Hills Northern has outscored the postseason opposition 21-7, but four of those wins came by just one goal and three of those games ended in a shootout victory (Forest Hills Central, Fruitport and Grand Rapids Christian).
“We just keep taking it one game at a time,” added Torres.
So far, that is working just ine.
Grand Rapids Forest Hills Northern
State Champions – 2019
State Runner-Up – 2015, 2018
Final Four Appearances – 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024
Final Four Losses – 2022
Regional Champions – 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2024
Regional Finals Losses – 2001, 2013, 2016
(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the Michigan Soccer Network regarding club soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with Michigan ties, contact Communications Specialist/Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com or dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com, or call 248-884-1051 or 248-525-2349. Dan Stickradt is a 31-year veteran of the Michigan Media circles and recently joined the staff full time in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/MSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@michigansoccernetwork.com and jonathan@thepremiermediagrp.com.)
Courtesy Photo | Alex Kim, Rochester Adams Soccer
Rochester Adams senior Alex Rosin strikes a pose with the MHSAA Division 1 regional championship trophy the Highlanders captured back on Oct. 24. The Highlanders captured their eighth in school history with a 1-0 victory over Romeo.
WATCH ON THE MICHIGAN SOCCER NETWORK:
ALEX ROSIN SCORES:
An asterisk * denotes the season came in the old Michigan Suburban Coaches Association state tournament prior to the MHSAA state being contested.
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(Have a story suggestion for the Premier Media Group and the Michigan Soccer Network regarding club soccer, high school varsity, amateur soccer, collegiate soccer or professional soccer involving teams, players or coaches with Michigan ties, contact Communications Specialist/Web and Content Editor/Director of News Dan Stickradt via email at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com or dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com, or call 248-884-1051 or 248-525-2349. Dan Stickradt is a 31-year veteran of the Michigan Media circles and recently joined the staff full time in March of 2024. Want to schedule a broadcast game or live show, contact PMG/MSN Director of Broadcasting Jonathan Turner for availability and pricing at jonathan@michigansoccernetwork.com and jonathan@thepremiermediagrp.com.)
(MSN will compile a random sampling of game results from around the state each day. To send in results from high school varsity, club, amateur, pre-pro, semi-pro or professional soccer, email all pertinent details to Communications Specialist / Web and Content Editor / Director of News Dan Stickradt at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com and dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com or submit information right on the correct link on the MSN website at https://www.michigansoccernetwork.com/reportascore. Please submit the competing teams, location and date of game, final score, overall and league records, goals, assists, goalkeepers and saves, standout defenders, players of the match, and any other pertinent details of the game. If there are courtesy action photos available, feel free to submit them at the above-listed emails.)
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(Have photos to go with this story? Email pics to Web and Content Editor / Director of News Dan Stickradt at stickradt@michigansoccernetwork.com and dstickradt@thepremiermediagrp.com and also list photo credit as well.)
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BOYS SOCCER: MSN SUPER 50 TEAMS POSITIONS 31-40: https://www.michigansoccernetwork.com/post/boys-soccer-msn-super-50-teams-positions-31-40
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