Boys Soccer / Kingco 4A City Teams -- Garfield, Roosevelt And Franklin: Strength Lies In Ability To Surprise

The three city members of the 4A KingCo Conference find themselves in a league with two-time state soccer champion Eastlake and the Gatorade and Parade Magazine national player of the year, Nick Downing of Eastlake.

To no one's surprise, Garfield, Roosevelt and Franklin aren't expected to contend for the conference title. Still, they could pull some surprises.

A look at the three city 4A teams:

FRANKLIN EARTHQUAKE

Coach - Jimmy Theofelis, first year.

1997 results - 0-10-2 overall, third in Metro AAA.

Returning starters - D Jeff Bresslour, jr.; D James Ciecko, sr.; D Nick Bauer, sr.; MF Mark Siefert, so.; MF Trevor Tsuchikawa, so.

Impact newcomers - GK Jeremy Kaplan-Lyman, fr.; F Garrett Bell, fr.; F Jacob Magraw-Mickelson, so.

Outlook - Freshmen and sophomores abound in Earthquake program, which means lots of enthusiasm and playing time but doesn't translate into many victories. The three seniors are solid and Kaplan-Lyman has strong potential and debuted with a 0-0 tie against Garfield. Team then lost 12-0 to Eastlake. Goal is to lay the foundation for future. Their best player, Gabe Provenza, who signed at Fresno State, has decided not to play this season.

GARFIELD BULLDOGS

Coach - Alex Zahajko, 13th year.

1997 results - 12-3-1 league, lost to Roosevelt in Metro AAA championship game.

Returning starters - Ryan Hake, sr; Ian Weinberg, jr.; Joel Sanders, sr.; Nadi Barash, sr.; GK Rogan Carr, so.

Impact newcomers - Casey Crammon, so.; Ben Gowen, so.; Andrew McIntyre, so.; Jeff Roberts, jr.

Outlook - Bulldogs appear to be best of the city schools. Their ball-possession ability should equal that of many teams and Zahajko thinks team chemistry is good. They could compete for a playoff spot, but probably won't challenge the league's elite.

ROOSEVELT ROUGHRIDERS

Coach - Gary Hunter, second year.

1997 results - 9-7 overall, won Metro tournament, lost to Inglemoor in winner-to-state, loser-out game.

Returning starters - GK Eliot Harris, sr.; S Jesse Ramos, so.; MF Brian Chaffin, sr.; MF Aleco Lilly, so.; MF Manuel Paguada, sr.; D Scott Morton, sr.; F Kyle Uno, sr.

Impact newcomers - D Brian Redecker, sr.; D Sam Kirchman, sr.; D Mark Lassman, sr.; F Julio Oritz, sr.; MF Carl Olson, jr.; D Nick Baker, sr.

Outlook - Teds are 0-2 in league and don't figure to compete for a playoff spot. They could win a few games, however. Harris is an excellent keeper and Uno a talented striker. Five other starters return from last year's Metro champions. Good speed up front makes them a dangerous counterattacking team.

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. KingCo forecast .

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. Predicted order of finish based on input from league coaches .

. KingCo 4A KingCo 3A .

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1. Eastlake 1. Newport .

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2. Lake Washington 2. Mount Si .

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3. Inglemoor 3. Sammamish .

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4. Woodinville 4. Issaquah .

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5. Bothell 5. Liberty .

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6. Garfield 6. Mercer Island .

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7. Juanita 7. Bellevue .

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8. Redmond 8. Cedarcrest .

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9. Roosevelt 9. Skyline .

. 10. Franklin 10. Interlake .