By CHRIS HAACK
Special to Daily News

(Third part)

The Blossomland Soccer League started its seventh season of adult premier play on Sunday.

Here are previews if the Second Divsion teams:

Michigan Diamonds FC
After finishing 9-2-1 just three seasons ago, the Diamonds’ slide has continued. After posting a 2-9-2 record in 2009 the Berrien Springs-based team has dropped from the first table into the second division.

The loss of 2008’s leading scorer David Wall was evident, as the squad managed to score only 17 goals while giving up 42. Other than Aden Kamala, who found the net six times, no other Diamond scored more than two goals on the season.  Kamala, the “Kenyan Prince” will return, along with Claston “Junior” Reid, Doug Pittman, and Isaac Thumbalamoto.

Diamonds’ mentor Octavio Latino also coaches the Southwest Michigan under-19 select team (as well as the Southwest Michigan Academy team and the  over-40 men’s team) and will expect double-duty from his youth players. Area prep stars Taylor Wilkinson, Andrew Kutzner, and  goalkeeper Jose Rangel will play for both Latino’s u19 and BSL squads.

Rangel claimed top senior honors at John Adams High School and was the South Bend Hispanic League’s most valuable goalkeeper. Latino also picked up Javier Orbe-Bernal, Jesus Sanches and Demetrio Aguilar from the South Bend league and added Carlos Morales and Juan Luis Sandoval from the 2009 Barcelona BSL contingent.

The Diamonds have an international flavor:  two-thirds of the team are foreign born, representing nine countries and four continents.

Coach Latino states that “the Diamonds should have a wide-open offense, but we will need to work on our defense. Our goalkeeping was very suspect last year as we gave up over three goals per game on average.  I think we now have security in that area.”

The team has changed its official name from Diamonds United to Michigan Diamonds FC but will once again play their home games at Andrews Academy in Berrien Springs, where they hosted the newly-minted Cyclones in the season opener on Sunday.

P&R FC
P&R FC quadrupled its win total in 2009 to finish with an 8-4-0 mark and fell short of promotion by just one win. Despite this disappointment, league president and P&R coach Dennis Ott believes that 2010 will be the last season the club will play in the second division.

“We have a solid collection of players from a variety of area high schools,” states Ott. “I think they will help us climb back up to the top.

P&R boasts a “who’s who” of southwest Michigan prep standouts from the last two decades, including standouts Lakeshore High School standouts T. J. and Alex Moneta, Terrence Wakefield, and Taylor Brushwyler. St. Joseph alumni Eric Buckleitner, Kevin Chaddock, and Casey Janick will figure prominently in P&R’s plans,, as will Bridgman’s Jason DelBosque and Buchanan’s T. J. Sater.

P&R allowed an average of two goals per game last year but should improve upon that number with the addition of Lakeshore High School goalkeeper Drew Kalinowski, who was named to the MHSAA Division II all-state first team.

Ott’s home field is unique, the full-sized pitch is located at the P&R coach’s home on Gast Rd. in Bridgman. P&R FC does not start their season until May 14 when they host the expansion Cyclones at 6:30 p.m.

Buchanan FC
Buchanan FC finished in fourth place in division two in 2009 with a respectable 6-4-2 mark. BFC allowed just 16 goals all season, but scored only 20 – a number due in part to the nearly season-long suspension of their 2008 leading scorer, Doug Summers.

Buchanan FC will have a new look this year as coach Heath Warmbein has been busy replacing and recruiting players during the off-season. Warmbein has added players from the defunct Red Arrow FC team and hopes the additions of Steve Petro, Adam Schmaltz, Josh Young and Mike Becktell will give Buchanan FC a boost on the field. Becktell formerly played for BFC and will be a very solid defender.

Buchanan High School alumnus Joe Scoggins will bring stability to the midfield, while current Buck teammates Zack Pierce and goalkeeper Steven Van Alstine will anchor the defense. Buchanan FC’s roster also features Grant Hemminger, Sean Jesse, Brandon Schmeling, Zach Powers, and Alex Gordon, who have all been with the team since their start in the league in 2006.

Buchanan FC opened the season on Sunday when they hosted the St. Joe Kickers Reserves at the Van Den Berg Sports Complex at Buchanan Middle School. The Red Bud City squad is sponsored by Buchanan Pallet Products.

Dowagiac Dawgs
The Dawgs are the only remaining original Blossomland Soccer League team composed primarily of high school-age players. And for a team of mostly 14-18 year olds they performed quite well in 2009, ending with a 4-7-1 record and a fifth place finish in division two. Dowagiac Union High School varsity coach Mike Williams believes that the league has helped his high school team improve fundamentally.

“We play in a very strong soccer conference [Wolverine], with the likes of Plainwell and South Haven, and the BSL has helped us develop a mental toughness that carries over to the fall prep season” states Williams.

Hazen McMeeken returns as forward for the Dawgs.  McMeeken scored an amazing 14 goals in 2009 and was runner-up for the second division’s “Golden Boot.”  Craig Zebell, Andrew Cripe, and Joey Pasternak will be back to help with the attack.

Dawgs’ coach Justin Rose will also appear on the field as one of the few Dowagiac post-graduates to wear the Orange and Black, and Williams will join his counterpart on the pitch when the Dowagiac school year closes.

The Dawgs will continue to hold their home games at the Dowagiac Union High School auxiliary field, which has been increased to 114 x 70 yards to enhance the speed of adult premier level play. The Dawgs will play host to division two-newcomer Michigan Diamonds FC on Thursday. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m.

St. Joe Kicker Reserves
The St. Joe Kickers Reserves have retooled yet again after a disastrous 0-12-0 season.

Coach Neil Harris’ 2009 collection of weekend warriors has been released and a cluster of youth players have been added to aide the reliable veterans who remain.

Homero Uribe and Frenchman Fabrice LeBlanc return for another season with the Reserves. Last year these two were responsible for almost half of the Reserves’ nine goals. The Kickers have released or repositioned their 2009 netminders – who gave up an average of over 5 goals per match last year – and brought in veteran Carl Spikner and the league’s youngest player, Christian Haack, as goalkeepers. Former Grace Christian standouts Levi Easton and Aaron Haack have been added, as well as former St. Stephens Villain Shane Bookwalter.

“After last season we realized that the Reserves should also include younger or less developed players who could help the Kickers’ Premier team some day” states Kickers Premier coach Craig Black.

Reserve coach Harris adds “We have been working more closely with our first division team and Coach Black to insure the continued success of the Kickers Club in the BSL for years to come.”

The Reserves will play their home games on the St. Joe Kickers newly renovated “A” Field. The Kickers’ clubroom will be open for all Thursday and most Sunday games and beverages will be available. The Arden-based club’s second team opened their 2010 season on Sunday when they travelled to Buchanan Middle School to take on Buchanan FC.

Cyclones
The Tornados have added a reserve team, the Cyclones, who will share a field with their parent squad at Niles Ballard Elementary School.

In addition to his coaching duties with the Cup champion Tornados, Tony Catanzarite will also mentor 2010’s lone BSL “expansion” team.

Like the Dawgs, the Cyclones also consist of mainly high-school age players. With seven Cassopolis residents, the Cyclones hearken back to the days when the BSL featured two teams from the Cass county seat, the Rangers and Vipers.

Agust Olafsson, son of Cassopolis High School’s varsity coach Oli Olafsson, will play a prominent role in the team’s offense, with support from the Samadder brothers, Alfred and George, who hail from Bangladesh.

The Cyclones do have a few veterans scattered throughout the roster that will help balance the team’s formation.

Coach Catanzarite candidly admits “I expect that we will start slow, but the enthusiasm and the chemistry of this team is great. Once the kids get their feet wet and know what it is like to play against adult premier players, they should become comfortable and incorporate the strategies we have been working on in practice.”