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It’s an all-KCII area battle tonight in Kalona when the Highland soccer team travels to meet Hillcrest Academy. This is the first official match of the season for the Ravens. They scrimmaged Fort Madison on Saturday and head coach Marcus Miller tells KCII sports that it was a valuable experience for his players and staff in the early season. Hillcrest was a state qualifier in 2019, finishing with a 12-5 record. They will have to replace leading scorers Louis Etienne and Jacob Boller who combined for 35 goals. They will also need to replace Blake Bontrager in goal, who led a Raven defense that gave up just 24 goals in 17 matches. Returning pieces from two years ago for the Ravens include Eli Ours, John Hughes, Will Kolck, Dominic Bouse and Colby Harris as seniors along with juniors Noah Miller, Gabe Bruns, Jorge Canchola, Collin Miller, Aiden Krabill, AJ Staley and Titus Neuschwander.

Highland is 0-1 on the season, opening with a 9-1 loss to Washington Thursday. The Huskies trailed 2-0 at half. The Ravens have won the last three games in the series by a combined 29-1 score including a 9-1 win in 2019. Action starts tonight at 5p.m. On the campus of Hillcrest Academy.