Juan Manosalva is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover Gilbert Christian High School for AZPreps365.com

After winning the first state championship in the program’s history, the Gilbert Christian boys soccer team now enters the new season carrying both a championship trophy and the weight that comes with it.

The Knights finished last year undefeated (16-0) and claimed the 3A state title — just one season after falling short in the 2024 final. Now, as they prepare to defend their crown, they face a new challenge: replacing the two midfielders who were the heartbeat of their system.

“We lost two hard-nosed midfielders,” Knights  coach Devon Dickinson said. “We could count on them every match.”

Dickinson doesn’t hide the fact that losing seniors Caleb Barnett and Brody Moore changes everything. They were the core of the Knights’ 3-5-2 formation by being the box-to-box ball-winning midfielders who connected the backline to the attack and covered more ground than anyone.

“They were big-time ball-winners,” Dickinson said. “We could count on them to play hard-nosed defense, and that’s what it takes in a 3-5-2. Those positions were the most central part of our team.”

Dickinson compares each new season to raising a different child.

“Every team needs something different,” he said. “I can’t coach this team like last year’s team. I spend preseason figuring out who we are and what we need.”

Replacing the legs, grit and leadership of Barnett and Moore will require more than just plugging new players into their spots. It will change how Gilbert Christian plays.

“Last year we were very direct because we had the horses to do it,” Dickinson said. “This year we’re probably more technical than we’ve ever been. That means we have to evolve.”

What the team needs most is a new identity in the center of the field and the willingness to defend in ways last year’s group didn’t have to.

“We’re not as defense-minded in the midfield,” Dickinson said. “So the seven guys in front of our backline have to be committed defensively. That’s the biggest question for us this season.”

Even with the midfield turnover, the Knights return eight starters and a core that carried them through last year’s run. Senior center back Lief Littlefield, last year’s 3A Defensive Player of the Year, returns to anchor the backline. Senior defender TK Reesing, one of the most physical players in the region, returns as the enforcer, and senior striker Noah Cooper, last year’s Player of the Year, returns as the leader of the attack.

Last season, Gilbert Christian bullied teams with their press, physicality, and speed. This year, they’ll still be dangerous, just in a different way.

“We have the talent and the soccer IQ to play real build-up soccer,” senior striker Noah Cooper said. “You’ll see more fast combinations, more possession, more creation. We’re not just sprinting down the field anymore.”

Reesing anchors the right side of the backline and has played varsity all four years. He said last season’s defensive identity was built on physicality and discipline, but with the midfield changing, his responsibilities will, too.

“It was just hard-nosed defense, get behind the ball no matter who you are,” Reesing said. “Now we’re going to try to play a more offensive style, we’ll have to build out of the back more because we don’t have the same midfield defense we had last year. It’s going to be different, but we’ll be fine.”

Littlefield echoed that message.

“We’re technical and we’re physical,” he said. “We’re calm, and we don’t let the chaos of the game get to us. But this year everybody needs to work. We can’t rely on just one or two guys.”

His job now is not only defending but shaping the structure of a team that will rely on buildup play more than before.

“I’m always talking,” Littlefield said. “Communicating, giving them what I’m seeing. That’s how we stay locked in.”

Cooper, Reesing and Littlefield will be not only the spine of the Knights’ game this season but also the captains who set the tone. They step into the role knowing they’re expected to be more than top performers, they’re responsible for being the leaders, guiding the younger players forward.

“My goal is to bring everyone together,” Cooper said. “If you feel like a family off the pitch, you’ll play like a family on the pitch.”

For  Dickinson, that unity reflects the deeper purpose of the program. He said his coaching goes beyond tactics and believes the lessons his players experience on the field mirror the ones they’ll face in life: uncertainty, pressure, setbacks and success.

“Soccer is a picture of life that God uses to grow us,” Dickinson said. “What they experience on the field prepares them for what they’ll experience outside of it.”

That philosophy guides how he leads, when to build confidence and when to challenge.

“When you coach good teams, you have to humble them when they need humbling,” Dickinson said. “Sometimes that means building confidence. Sometimes that means checking ego at the door.”

Dickinson and his players also understand that the program’s current success didn’t begin with them. It comes from years of work by the players who came before and it’s now their responsibility to elevate that standard.

“We want to build a legacy, a dynasty,” Dickinson said. “This is a program, not just a team. We’re building on the shoulders of those who came before us and the goal is to do it better every year.”

Last year, Gilbert Christian won the region, won the state title, earned Player of the Year and Defender of the Year honors and collected multiple All-State selections. This year, the expectations remain just as high.

“There’s a proper amount of expectation,” Dickinson said. “It would be foolish to act like it’s not there. Now it’s about whether we’re good enough to fulfill it.”

The team knows defending a title is as hard as winning it and that every opponent will come at them with an extra motivation: to beat the champs.

“We’re going to have a huge target on our backs,” Reesing said. “Every team is going to give us their best game. But we’re not worried about who we play but how we play.”

Gilbert Christian opens its season Monday against the Yuma Catholic Shamrocks (18-6), the very team they beat 2–1 in last year’s state final.

This fixture isn’t just an opening season game, it’s a reboot of last February’s showdown. For Gilbert Christian, it’s proof they remain Arizona’s team to beat. For Yuma Catholic, it’s early season redemption: a chance to turn last year’s heartbreak into motivation.

With returning stars, a retooled midfield, and championship pressure already building, the Knights know what’s at stake and senior captain Noah Cooper didn't hesitate: “Whatever team sees us on the field should be scared, because we’re ready to defend our championship.”