All-to-play-for-time is here in Cincinnati high school soccer. The Ohio High School Athletic Association boys soccer tournament begins this week. Some brackets begin Oct. 16, with the big-school slates, Divisions I and II, starting next week.
Here is a look at some of the top teams and storylines in the postseason. The full brackets are linked in the first paragraph of each division
Who leads the OHSAA Division I boys soccer districts?
Moeller has controlled the region in recent years, but this year it is more tightly contested with the Crusaders still in the mix. The top five seeds in order, are Mason, St. Xavier, Lakota West, Moeller and Sycamore.
Springboro is the No. 3 seed in the North bracket despite winning the Greater Western Ohio Conference by a narrow margin over top two seeds Centerville and Beavercreek. The Panthers have won four straight and have one of the region’s top scorers in senior Rowen Arnold (26 goals, 14 assists).
Lakota West (11-2-4) and Moeller are on a collision course for a district championship. They are bracketed to play in Region 4 with Columbus teams and likely Centerville. The teams drew 1-1 on Sept. 20. The Firebirds have one of the best offenses in the city behind seniors Sam Dragon, Ryan Boyd and Garret Marchand. Moeller (7-7-3) has battled injuries and a tough schedule but still has the tournament pedigree, plus one of the region’s top players in senior midfielder Karson Lang. Centerville is the favorite in a bracket that also includes Fairfield and West Clermont.
Mason is unbeaten at 13-0-3 and won the Greater Miami Conference this year despite losing their top two players from last season to club ball. Senior John Harris (12 goals) and sophomore Landon Miller (10 goals) pace the offense, but the Comets ride behind a defense that has allowed only seven goals all season.
Sycamore (10-4-2) finished a game behind Mason for first in the league after drawing the Comets 1-1 this week. Senior Maxim Rozenfeld leads a balanced offense with seven goals and seven assists. If seeds hold, the Aviators would have to contend with Beavercreek in a district final. Sycamore would have to get past Milford (7-4-6) from the deep Eastern Cincinnati Conference first.
St. Xavier has struggled lately but has done well with a brutal schedule, with a draw against Mason and Moeller, and losses to Centerville and Moeller. They could have a GCL rematch against Elder in a district final, which the Bombers won 4-0 earlier.
If seeds hold, the Region 3 semifinal matchups would be St. Xavier vs. Springboro and Mason vs. Beavercreek.
Who leads the OHSAA Division II boys soccer districts?
The local bracket has few local teams but they are strong at the top, as the top four seeds are Kings, Anderson, Loveland and Harrison. The Knights (9-2-5) won their first-ever Eastern Cincinnati Conference championship, sharing it with Walnut Hills. Loveland (10-3-3) and Anderson (9-3-4) finished a game behind.
Kings has only scored 21 goals for the season, seven in one game (Winton Woods) but has allowed only five goals. They have 12 clean sheets, including the last five games. That includes powerhouse non-league foes Mariemont, Madeira and Summit Country Day. Kings also beat Harrison 1-0 on Oct. 13. Kings plays No. 6 Edgewood, with a win likely setting up a district final against Troy, the No. 1 seed in the North bracket.
Loveland enters the playoffs with four shutouts in a row. Blake Hatfield leads the offense with eight goals. Loveland has scored 27 and conceded nine. Anderson had five straight before conceding four to Springboro in a 4-3 loss Oct. 14. Junior Brady Dorko leads the Raptors with 11 goals out of their 29, and they have nine shutouts. Harrison (9-4-4) has scored 36 goals and allowed 16. Loveland and Harrison play in the first round, with the winner facing either No. 3 seed Northmont or No. 4 Fairborn.
Anderson faces Winton Woods and with a win would face No. 2 seed Miamisburg or No. 5 Sidney, with the district champion playing a Northwest District team in the regional semis.
Who leads the OHSAA Division III boys soccer districts?
Most games start October 18 in the bracket with the district finals Oct. 25. The top seeds in order, are Turpin, Badin, Indian Hill, Monroe and McNicholas.
If seeds hold, the district finals will be No. 3 Indian Hill vs. No. 3 Bellbrook, No. 1 Turpin vs. No. 4 Butler, No. 5 McNicholas vs. No. 1 Carroll, No. 2 Badin vs. No. 2 Tippecanoe.
Turpin (12-1-4) finished a game out of first in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference due to four draws in league play, including a tough 0-0 game at co-champ Kings Oct. 9. Turpin won five straight leading into that, all against bigger schools. Mitchell Iles leads the offense with nine goals, and Kai Keubler has six goals and 15 assists. Turpin has seven shutouts.
Badin (12-3-3) struggled in league play, including a recent 1-0 loss to McNick, but is 11-1-1 outside the GCL-Coed. Tanner Questa has 12 goals and 10 assists, and the Rams have only allowed six goals. McNick (8-8-2) finished 3-2 in league play and is led by senior Aiden Beverly with 12 goals.
Indian Hill, the 2024 DIV state champion, has struggled at times with a younger team, but was 4-2-1 in the Cincinnati Hills League. The Braves have lost to regional foes McNick, Tippecanoe and Carroll, but beat potential district final opponent Bellbrook, and recently beat reigning DV state champ Summit Country Day, 1-0.
Monroe (14-3-2) won the SWBL-Southwestern with a 9-0-1 record, and is bracketed with Badin in a semifinal match. Senior Caden Gronostaj has 15 goals and 14 assists, and senior Zachary Oborne 11 and 11. The Hornets drew 1-1 with Indian Hill this season.
Who leads the OHSAA Division IV boys soccer districts?
The top four seeds are Wyoming, Mariemont, CHCA and Madeira.
Wyoming (13-1-4) edged Mariemont (14-2-1) to win the Cincinnati Hills League with a 6-0-1 record, a half-game ahead of the Warriors. Madeira (9-5-3) was fifth.
Wyoming’s only loss was to potential district final opponent Alter, 4-1, on Sept. 13. The Cowboys have won six of eight since, and have allowed only six goals in their other 17 games. Senior Eli Yunker leads a potent offense with 14 goals and eight assists, and junior Everett Johnson has nine goals.
Mariemont’s only losses are to Wyoming and Dayton power Oakwood, the No. 2 seed in the North. Junior Aidan Gross has 11 goals and 11 assists, and junior Santino Serger 11 goals, 7 assists. The Warriors have conceded eight all season.
Madeira is led by senior Jake Hoffman with 13 goals, and have allowed 12 for the season. The Mustangs have struggled down the stretch with one win since Sept. 9 against a tough schedule.
CHCA (11-2-2) hopes to break up the CHL party. The Eagles shared the MVC-Scarlet title with Summit Country Day. They also have a 2-0 win over Madeira. Royce McKenzie leads the offense with 13 goals, and the Eagles have allowed 16.
Waynesville, the No. 4 seed in the North, (10-7) finished second to Oakwood in the SWBL-Buckeye but have a recent 5-0 loss to Wyoming. Junior Ross Barrett leads a balanced offense with 10 goals. Waynesville would likely face No. 3 seed Tipp City Bethel in the semis.
If seeds hold, the district finals are No. 1 Wyoming vs. No. 1 Alter, No. 2 Mariemont vs. No. 3 Tipp City Bethel, No. 2 Oakwood vs. No. 3 CHCA.
Who leads the boys Division V district tournament?
The top seeds, in order, are Summit Country Day, Seven Hills, Cincinnati Christian and Fayetteville-Perry.
If seeds hold, the district finals are No. 1 SCD vs. No. 6 Preble Shawnee, No. 2 Seven Hills vs. No. 3 Dayton Christian, and No. 3 Cincinnati Christian vs. No. 2 Botkins.
Summit (5-6-6), the reigning state champs, does not have a great record but does have a lot of draws and defeats to Division I and II programs and could make another title run. They beat Seven Hills, 3-0, Sept. 11.
Seven Hills (11-5-1) is led by three double-figure scorers on offense: Seniors Davion Washington and Harrison Zhang, and freshman James Levesque.
Cincinnati Christian (12-3) won the MVC-Gray and is on a six-match winning streak. Junior Paxton Ball leads the offense with 13 goals. Steven Burton has 10 and Jacob Sheridan eight. Fayetteville (15-1-1) was co-champions of the Southern Hills Athletic Conference. Senior Ryder Luncan has 19 goals, senior Keegan Craycraft 11 and freshman Levi Espinoza 13.
Botkins (13-2-2) would be a tough out in the district final and has a 2-1 win over Madeira.
