Following the conclusion of this week’s tryouts, Ryle coach Stephen Collins is gearing up for the boys’ first soccer practice of the season on Monday at Borland Stadium in Union. The team, a two-time defending 9th Region champion, is setting its sights on a fourth regional title in five years. The program boasts over 70 players across three levels: varsity, junior varsity and freshman.
We had the opportunity to speak with Collins as he readies himself for his 24th season as a high school head soccer coach. Here are some key points from our conversation.
Denigan Departs
Brice Denigan, one of the top goal scorers from last season, informed coach Collins on Monday that he will not be returning for his junior season at Ryle. Last year, as a sophomore, Denigan netted 25 goals, tying with Diego Hoenderkamp for team leadership. Denigan’s ability to stretch the field was a crucial component of the Raiders’ strategy during their two-year regional dominance.
“You can only play with the guys that are there. We have to focus on that so we can best utilize their talents and meet our goals,” Collins said. “As much as Brice is a great soccer player, we have to focus on using the guys we have.”
Denigan, a cousin of local 2024 U.S. Olympian Mariah Denigan, is still enrolled at Ryle. He did not provide specific reasons to Collins for his departure from the team, and the coach prefers not to speculate publicly. It is believed that Denigan might be concentrating on select club soccer during the 2024 high school season.
Denigan’s sister, Summer Denigan, a soccer player at the University of Georgia, opted to play club soccer instead of high school soccer while attending Ryle. There is a chance that Brice Denigan might rejoin the Raiders before his high school graduation in 2026, but it’s not something the coach is banking on.
Opportunity Arises
Denigan’s ability to stretch the field, powered by his speed and overall skillset, enabled the Raiders to establish a swift offensive rhythm, preventing opponents from concentrating on the middle of the field. This will be challenging to replace.
However, the Raiders have potential candidates to fill this role, including senior midfielder Diego Lakkis and junior midfielder Peyton Ingalls. Both are relatively inexperienced at the varsity level, but each possesses a strong enough skillset to potentially make significant strides this season. Gaining game experience is crucial. Last season, Ingalls scored twice and added an assist while Lakkis did not score.
Seniors Made History
Northern Kentucky University has recruited three Class of 2024 soccer players from Ryle. Midfielder Diego Hoenderkamp, midfielder/forward Josh Line and goalkeeper Landon Barth have joined the Norse.
“It’s kind of unusual in the area,” Collins said. “NKU hasn’t taken a lot of local soccer players recently so taking three from the same school in one year is very rare.”
Hoenderkamp, Denigan, Line and their fellow graduated senior Anes Smajlovic collectively scored 73 of Ryle’s 96 goals, accounting for approximately 76% of the offense.
“We need guys to step up this season,” Collins said. “We’ve got the talent to do it.”
One of eight new seniors helping the 2024 cause is defender/midfielder Chris Maradiaga. He scored a goal in last season’s KHSAA state tournament semifinals against Louisville St. Xavier and totaled three on the season.
Rising Sophomores
Last season, the Raiders welcomed a record 34 freshmen across the program’s three levels, the largest freshman class Collins has ever seen at Ryle. The Raiders have had a class of 27 freshmen with 20 of them remaining four years later, including 15 on the varsity. But they have never had more than 30 until last year. Those 27 players were a joy to watch, and coach Collins is observing similar potential in last season’s freshman class.
Midfielder Chase McCarthy is already making significant contributions to the varsity team. He had four goals and two assists last season as a freshman. With the departure of 10 seniors and Denigan’s decision, Collins is eager to see more of last season’s freshmen take a step up.
“Last year, we had a lot of freshmen, but we won’t have near that many this season,” Collins said. “Big class years are cyclical. Usually when you have a really big class, the classes on either side of that are smaller. They aren’t as big the year before and the year after, and that’s what we have this season. We do expect a lot from those players.”
Collins’ Career
Coach Collins is about to embark on his 21st season at Ryle. He has secured 316 victories with the Raiders, who finished last season with a 22-3 record. Collins began his career as a head coach at Villa Madonna in 2001, where he won 33 games in three seasons. His 349 career wins place him fifth on the KHSAA all-time victory list for boys soccer coaches. He ranks second in northern Kentucky, trailing only Covington Catholic’s John Horton, who won 433 games in 28 seasons.
Collins, a 54-year-old University of Dayton graduate, has reduced Horton’s lead to 84 wins in his quest for the area’s all-time victory record. Over the past 20 years at Ryle, he has averaged nearly 16 wins per season and almost 18 wins per season over the last decade. If he maintains this recent pace, Collins could surpass Horton in five seasons, potentially becoming the area’s most successful boys soccer coach before the end of the decade and before his 60th birthday.
Collins has led Ryle to eight regional championships. These eight state tournament appearances resulted in six semifinal appearances and two in the state championship game. The Raiders have fallen in the state semis in each of the past two seasons, three times in the last four years and four times in seven years. No other local boys soccer team this decade has achieved such consistently deep postseason advancement.
Challenging Opener
The Raiders’ opening day is on Aug. 13 against Dixie Heights, a formidable opponent which has won two of its last three games against Ryle. The Raiders defeated the Colonels 3-0 last year, following two consecutive victories by Dixie Heights in 2021 and 2022. Prior to that, the Raiders had an 18-game winning streak against the Colonels dating back to 2006, Collins’ third year in Union.