Ohio
A look at the Southwest Ohio boys soccer district tournaments
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.
Ohio
Is another team ready to take over the top of the Big Ten from Indiana and Ohio State?
After years of unchecked dominance from the SEC, the Big Ten Conference cemented its place as the best in college football in the 2025-2026 season.
The Indiana Hoosiers completed a remarkable 16-0 season by winning a National Championship, beating Ohio State in the conference championship game, dominating Alabama in the Rose Bowl, then blowing out Oregon in the College Football Playoff semifinal.
That completed a Big Ten trifecta, with the Michigan Wolverines winning a championship in 2024, then the Buckeyes following it up by beating Notre Dame to win the title in 2025. While the SEC might have better depth overall, it’s no question that the top of the Big Ten is as good or better than anyone.
SEC, BIG TEN ARE DOMINATING COLLEGE FOOTBALL THANKS TO MASSIVE ADVANTAGES OVER OTHER CONFERENCES
Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti after defeating the Miami Hurricanes in the College Football Playoff National Championship game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on Jan. 19, 2026. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
And a new program might be ready to take their turn at the top of the Big Ten: those same Oregon Ducks.
One of the most predictive measures of a team’s strength from year to year is how much production they return from the previous season. It makes sense; the more key players that stay with the team, the better it is for continuity and development.
The Big Ten, oddly enough, has several teams that return much of their production on both sides of the ball. ESPN’s Bill Connelly ran the numbers, finding that teams like Maryland, Nebraska, Minnesota and UCLA all ranked in the top 10 nationally in returning value. Though given how these teams played in 2025, that’s less important. Number 12, though? The Oregon Ducks.
And that carryover production is coming from a team that lost just two games all season, both to Indiana. They handled a very good USC team, 42-27, overcame miserable conditions to outlast the Iowa Hawkeyes on the road, beat the rival Washington Huskies, and most impressively, shut out an elite Texas Tech team 23-0 in the College Football Playoff. And they bring back the players responsible for 66% of their overall production, including star quarterback Dante Moore.
Oregon Ducks quarterback Dante Moore (5) warms up prior to the 2025 Orange Bowl and College Football Playoff quarterfinal against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla. (Sam Navarro / Imagn Images)
Just behind them at 65%? USC, heading into a pivotal season under Lincoln Riley.
Here’s where Oregon has the advantage, however. They bring that percentage back from a team that was significantly better than USC. It’s no surprise then, that per Connelly’s SP+ projections, Oregon is expected to be the No. 2 team in the country, by efficiency on offense, defense and special teams.
IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A BIG 12 WINNER NOT NAMED TEXAS TECH OR BYU, CONSIDER THE HOUSTON COUGARS
What about the other Big Ten schools, though?
USC is the biggest wildcard. They sit at No. 13 in the SP+ projections, thanks to an elite offense and a defense that’s expected to be solid, if unspectacular. But their special teams projections are all the way down at No. 100 in the country, thanks to a series of disastrous mistakes in 2025. Special teams, though, should be the easiest area to improve upon. So if the Trojans can make some adjustments, they could exceed the eight game win expectancy.
Ohio State and Indiana, the two most recent champions, have a bit of a tougher hill to climb, though their roster composition is far from disastrous. The Buckeyes bring back 60% of their production, while Indiana is at 56%, even with several huge departures. That ranks at No. 31 and No. 52, respectively. Important, but not enough to push either team out of the top 5 in the national projections. And Ohio State sits at No. 1, thanks to consistently elite recruiting and key players like Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith returning.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning attends Oregon Pro Day on March 17, 2026, at the Moshofsky Center in Eugene, Oregon. (Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
But if there is an upset brewing at the top of the conference, Oregon might be the place to look. The question then becomes, can they put it all together against a difficult schedule? The Ducks play USC on the road, host Nebraska, travel to Illinois, play Ohio State on the road, host Michigan and have their rivalry game against Washington at Autzen.
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It won’t be easy, but don’t be surprised if at the end of the season, Dan Lanning and the Ducks are right back in the mix.
Ohio
Woman missing for more than 2 weeks found dead in Ohio
A Kentucky woman who had been missing for more than two weeks was found dead in her vehicle in Ohio, authorities said.
The body of Debra Wireman was found in her vehicle on July 3 in Clermont County, Ohio, the Flemingsburg Police Department in Kentucky said on Facebook on Wednesday. Investigators were called to the scene after a report identifying the vehicle as belonging to a missing person, police said. The remains were identified as Wireman’s by the Clermont County Coroner’s Office on July 7, according to law enforcement.
Police in Kentucky said the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio is investigating the woman’s death. No additional information will be released by Flemingsburg police “out of respect for Debra’s family and the integrity of that investigation.”
“While this is not the outcome any of us hoped and prayed for, we are thankful that Debra has been found and that her family can now begin to receive the closure they deserve,” police added on Facebook.
Wireman, according to police, was last seen on June 17 at around 4:30 p.m. in Aberdeen, Ohio, while traveling toward Maysville, Kentucky. She was driving a white 2020 Kia Forte with front-end damage. Police said family and friends were “concerned for her welfare.”
“The overwhelming response from our community, neighboring agencies, the media, and countless individuals across the region demonstrated the very best of people coming together in the hope of bringing someone home safely,” Flemingsburg police said.
Ohio
Jeff’s Donuts opens first Ohio location, open 24 hours
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Central Ohio has a new option for late-night sweets.
Jeff’s Donuts opened its first Ohio location Wednesday morning at 5717 N. Hamilton Road, between Gahanna and New Albany.
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The shop will be open 24 hours.
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