VOORHEESVILLE — The players on the Voorheesville boys’ soccer team have gotten used to winning.

So much so, this year’s Blackbirds are gunning to be one the top teams in Section II’s Class B and they are looking for a spot in the state tournament.
"We want to keep one eye on a sectional title," said Voorheesville Coach Mike Young. "We had a good shot at it last year but we ended up losing to a good Chatham team. You win the Colonial Council, it gives you a good seed in sectionals. And that can help you.
"We also want to test the waters in the state," Young added. "We want to see what we can do against the best in the state. It is hard to get out of Section II in any of the classes. It’s a major accomplishment, if you get out of the section."

Most of the 20 players on the roster, have experienced the success the Blackbirds have had the last two years. Voorheesville won the Colonial Council last year and the Class B Section II championship the year before that.
"It was difficult to decide on varsity and junior varsity — who to keep," Young said. "We have a lot of talented kids. It’s a great problem."

Experienced team

There are eight seniors on the team, six having experience with the Blackbirds. Three players — Rob DiBlasi, Matt Miller, and Dominic Venditti — have been on the varsity since they were freshmen.
"We are still fortunate to have a core group of seniors," Young said. "There are six that we still have this year. We have a lot of young players but they have high-level club experience and are ready to play varsity."

The Blackbirds also have six juniors and six sophomores.
"We have a talented group of sophomores," Young said. "A few more had to play j.v. because we have seniors playing in the positions that they normally play. We have 10 to 12 sophomores that can play on the varsity level."

Young will also get a couple of new seniors who have experience.
"We have a transfer from Ballston Spa who also plays for the Clifton Park Premier club," Young said. "He’s a senior goalkeeper. We also have an exchange student from Ghana. It was a great surprise. He’s nice to have. He’s a little new to organized soccer but he has good technical ability."

Young will have to fill in the slot vacated by Section II All-Star forward Greg Klopfer. The Birds also graduated key players Matt Belgiovine, Tom Cavanaugh, Greg Jones, Jeff Bode, and Kyle Hatch.

Young said they are great players, but it won’t be that difficult.
"The system we play is for a lot for people to score goals," he said. "Klopfer was a great target to score goals. We had 10 players that scored two or more goals. We can still score. We have Matt Miller and Dominic Venditti for their senior year and Kevin Van Der Wende who started as a sophomore and has improved technically and physically."

Lee Fenner will be in goal for the Blackbirds this season. The sophomore saw action on the varsity last year and is a regional pool player in the Olympic Development Program.

Classmate Ryan Dimmitt also saw a lot of action last year and will get more minutes this year.

Building

Junior Kevin Klembczyk was a top defender last year as a sophomore and will be a leader on defense this season.

Senior Josh Handen will also be a big part of the defense after getting some playing time last year.

But Young said it is more than just having a strong varsity this year. He wants to make sure the junior-varsity team and the younger levels are strong.
"We want to emulate Maple Hill and Shenendehowa," Young said of powerful Section II programs. "We want to be the Shen of the league. We want to reload rather than rebuild."

The program is having success because the players are taking the sport seriously.
"We have a lot of kids that have experience," Young said. "They have won a sectional title and been in the state playoffs. It’s not just that this group has confidence. A lot of the kids are playing high-level soccer in the off-season. They have gotten experience and good coaching. They have good ball skills.
"But it isn’t just clubs," Young added. "We get a lot of local participation in New Scotland town club. We have some eighth-graders that are on the New Scotland team that are phenomenal. It’s more than this group. It’s making sure the program keeps performing. It’s building from the youth levels up. The success of the group a few years ago is carried onto the youth levels. The seniors and the older players pass on how they got better and that helps the program."

The junior-varsity team, coached by Jorge Seimann, will have a lot of talent that should keep the program stocked for a few years.
"They have a solid mix of eighth-, ninth-, and 10th-graders," Young said. "They will be a very successful group."

But the varsity team is looking for success this year and is ready to compete in the tough Colonial Council.
"The defense is further advanced than I thought we were," Young said. "Speed-wise, we are much faster. We have a different team dynamic. Last year, we had a lot of great individuals and they put it together and we learned to put the team concept together and did what we had to do to be successful.
"This year," Young added, "we have a total team commitment here. They are much easier to coach. They play year-round and that translates to success on the field."