Ten players to watch and five teams to consider

Rasmus Schlutter, sr., forward, Iowa City City High, He is the last member of squad to have played on both state runner-up teams and had 6 goals and 6 assists for the LittleHawks last season.

Danny Peak, junior, midfielder, Linn-Mar. Had 11 goals and 13 assists for the Lions in 2015. Also netted 3 game-winning goals on for his squad, which finished with a 16-5 record.

Luke Duball, sr., forward, C.R. Xavier. A first-team all-state and MVC player, he scored 15 goals and registered 20 assists in just 20 games. One of the most dominate players in the Metro area.

Ian Bootsmiller, sr., keeper, Mount Vernon. Had a good season for the Mustangs last year registering 6 shutouts, had 188 saves and allowed only 28 goals. As a result, he was named first-team All-Wamac for his performance in the net.

Ryan Harapat, senior, midfielder, Mid-Prairie. A Class 1A first-team all-state player, Harapat will look to once again continue to move his squad in the right direction. Also scored two goals and had three assists on 12 shots on goal last season.

Emmanuel Hidalgo-Wohlleben, sr., forward, C.R. Washington. Had an excellent junior year and was named first-team all-metro, second-team all-MVC. He also played well once the Warriors got to the state tournament and was named to the all-State Tournament Team. He finished the year with 10 goals and 4 assists.

Patrick Michael, sr., forward, Benton Community. First-team all-Wamac. Had 27 goals and 7 assists. An incredibly dangerous player, he took 113 shots last season and likely will take a good deal more this year.

Trey Godbolt, sr., defender, Clear Creek Amana. First-team all-Wamac. Helped team to 13-5 record, a two-win improvement over 2015. Still managed to net four goals from his spot at defender.

Sam Tomek, sr., keeper, I.C. High, Class 3A second-team All-State, allowed just 7 goals in 21 games, registered 16 shutouts. An excellent defender in the net, Tomek was an important part of the LittleHawks getting to their second-ever state title game.

Alex Andersen, sr., midfielder, Iowa City West, A Drake commit, he had 10 goals and 4 assists while starting 12 games as a junior. Looks to make even more of an impact for West this season.

Five teams to watch:

Iowa City City High: While the LittleHawks did lose quite a bit off their roster, returning a goalie to the net is absolutely huge. There seems to be a good vibe around this team and why not? City High is coming off a runner-up finish last season and perhaps has the pieces to do it once again.

Linn-Mar: There are some new faces on Linn-Mar's squad, but there is a reason they came in at No. 7 on the (IAHSSCA) coaches poll. The Lions won the state crown in 2015 and made the tournament for the third time in a row last year. There's no reason to think they won't have a shot at doing that again.

Xavier: Led by Luke Duball, the Saints should be a fun team to watch again this year. Incredibly, Xavier has missed the state tournament exactly once since 2001 and it doesn't seem like this is a year they will again. The Saints are a good team and very well could challenge for the 2A state title.

Regina: After finishing fourth at state last year, the Regals will once again be in the conversation throughout most of the season. After winning five titles in six years from 2009-14, last years fourth place finish is the closest they've been to that.

Mount Vernon: Returning five starters, a number of the core pieces from the 12-6 Mustang squad. There's no reason to believe they might not be able to take the leap this year.