‘26
The Indian Hills Boys Soccer team, coached by Coach Mayor, finished with a 10-9-2 record, earning the 11th seed in the Section 1, Group 2 Big North county tournament. The team’s first opponent, Glen Rock, gave them a good fight, as they were down most of the game 1-0 until Steve VanDyke hit an outstanding bicycle kick goal to tie the game at 1. In overtime, Dylan Biernacki came up big and headed a ball into the net, making the final score 2-1. Indian Hills was moving on to the quarterfinal round.
Their next opponent was a similar face, Pascack Hills, who they have already beaten twice earlier in the year. With the help of home field advantage and goals from Dylan Biernacki, Michael Caso, and Steve VanDyke, Indian Hills cruised past Pascack Hills 5-1 and moved on to the semi-final round against Pascack Valley. Their next game against Pascack Valley was a tough one. This game ended up sending the Braves home in a 2-1 close finish game.
Along the way, many moments made this a memorable season for the team. Both of the Braves’ captains, Dylan Biernacki and Caden Concepcion had well played seasons. On October 23rd, Junior Dylan Biernacki broke the school record with 23 goals in a single season. He broke this record by a wide margin, as the previous record for most goals in a season was 19. On October 28th, Dylan also broke the school record for most points in a single season with 31, which is goals and assists combined. Dylan was recognized on News12 New Jersey with footage of his record breaking goal and was named NorthJersey.com’s Soccer Player of the week for October 23rd – 29th. Dylan remarks “Breaking the record was a dream come true, I remember looking at the record board as a freshman and it was definitely something I set as a goal to accomplish in my career. Thankfully I had a very great team around me this year and a great coaching staff making it possible for me to have the success I had this season…” Dylan made first team All League, second team All County, and could potentially be named an honorable mention for All State. Dylan continues “….achieving Second Team All County is a great honor and it is an amazing feeling to be selected considering how many talented players we have in this county”.
Senior Caden Concepcion had a season that was more on the unnoticed side. He was one of the most important parts of the team that helped the Braves turn it around. Caden was honored with the “Unsung Hero” award from Bergen County Soccer Coaches. This is given to a player that is not particularly given high praise, but to the player that goes unnoticed. Caden says, “Whether it was leading the team’s winter sessions, setting up captains practices in the summer, or even just getting food after practice, I was never alone in my efforts of creating a real family of teammates that would die for each other on the field. I’m proud to accept the award, but it was the bond of the whole team that motivated me every day to get better and continue leading my teammates throughout the season and during the states run.”
Other seniors including Michael Caso and Dennis Karakash also had great finishes to their high school soccer careers. Dennis structured the defense as their lead centerback and Michael was one of their strikers who could also dominate on the defensive side in a tight game. Dennis was named second team All League and was nominated by Bergen County Soccer Coaches for a Big North Patriot Division’s Scholar Athlete award. This award recognizes a student athlete who has shown great excellence in school while being committed to a sport. Dennis comments, “During my years at Indian Hills, we had never reached such a spot in the state tournament. The playoffs themselves were also during quarterlies, so having to leave school early and play away at every state game became pretty overwhelming, but I was able to overcome that struggle, and ultimately this award shows that triumph. I am very appreciative that this feat was noticed by the coaches in the Big North Patriot League and believe that the team/coaching staff was the reason behind all of this success.”
Michael Caso ended his season with 14 goals and was named first team All League. Michael was also invited to the Bergen County All-Star game in Fort Lee.
Junior Ashton Kant was also named an honorable mention for all county as the Braves’ other center back alongside Dennis.
With the Braves’ season in the books, it is safe to say that they had a very memorable season, and there will be high hopes for more to come.
