Coming off its third winning season in four years, the Bonner Springs boys soccer team enters the 2026 season facing a significant rebuilding effort.
The Braves went 8-6-2 last season but graduated 16 seniors, leaving coach Kevin Riley and his team with plenty of new pieces to work into the lineup. Riley’s program will look to a pair of returning standouts to provide stability as Bonner Springs moves forward.
“This is the start of a rebuild,” Riley said.
One of the biggest pieces will be midfielder Drew Bragg, a second-team All-Frontier League selection who returns after a strong sophomore season. Bragg is expected to anchor the midfield while providing leadership both on and off the field.
Bragg’s ability to control the pace of a match makes him a key part of the Braves’ plans.
“He controls the tempo of the game and reads the field as good as anyone in the state,” Riley said.
Bonner Springs also returns a standout in goal with Jose Vazquez-Torres. The freshman goalkeeper earned first-team All-Frontier League honors and honorable mention All-State recognition last season, giving the Braves an experienced presence despite his youth.
Vazquez-Torres will be one of the team’s players to watch as Bonner Springs begins the process of replacing a large senior class.
The combination of Bragg’s leadership in the midfield and Vazquez-Torres’ presence in goal gives the Braves a foundation to build around as they look to develop the next group of players.
Riley said the challenge will be finding the right pieces and building chemistry after the departure of so many seniors.
For Bonner Springs, the 2026 season will be about more than replacing last year’s players. It will be an opportunity for a younger group to establish its identity and continue the winning tradition the Braves have built in recent seasons.
With Bragg directing the midfield and Vazquez-Torres protecting the goal, Bonner Springs will have two key pieces in place as it begins that process.
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