'Burg, Minford girls; Minford, 'Burg, SW, Valley boys hold serve in state soccer rankings
· Yahoo Sports
The same six programs who have appeared in MaxPreps' boys and girls soccer state rankings continue to do so heading into the middle of September, as the Minford and Wheelersburg boys soccer programs sit first and fourth respectively in the OHSAA Division IV state rankings while the South Webster and Valley boys soccer programs sit fifth and ninth in the OHSAA Division V state rankings, respectively.
\nAdditionally, the Wheelersburg girls soccer program sits fourth in the OHSAA Division IV state rankings, while the Minford girls soccer program stands 16th in the OHSAA Division V state rankings.
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\nBOYS SOCCER
\nMinford (8-1, 4-1 SOC II as of press time)
\nRolling right along, the Minford Falcons' boys soccer program continued to carry with it a No. 1 overall state ranking heading into the middle of the month.
\nMinford, who presently sits first in the state in Division IV, sat 8-1 overall as of Tuesday with seven wins coming by multiple-goal margins. This included impressive 13-0 and 6-0 victories over SOC II foes West and Northwest.
\nThe Falcons, who have outscored their opposition 50-9, are led by Colby Mullins (18 goals, five assists, 41 points) and Ashton Reeder (11 goals, 13 assists, 34 points), while Gavin Akers (six goals, two assists, 14 points), Tyce Cron (four goals, assist, nine points, Bryson Culbertson (three goals, assist, seven points), and Walker Colley and Martin Rodriguez (three goals each) have all produced offensively.
\nMiles Conn (goal, assist), James Pollard (goal, assist), Tate Johnson (three assists), Zack Fankell (two assists), Gabe Turner (two assists) and Owen Meadows (assist) have also contributed points-wise offensively in Minford’s 8-1 start.
\nMinford sophomore Trevor Born has 60 saves in nine matches to lead the Falcons’ defense.
\nFactoring in all divisions, Minford ranks fifth statewide.
\nWheelersburg (6-0-3, 4-0-2 SOC II as of press time)
\nFollowing a week where the Wheelersburg Pirates' boys soccer program went 1-0-2, Jon Estep's boys group held serve inside the top-five statewide in Division IV, posting a fourth-place showing in the latest rankings with a 6-0-3 record as of Tuesday at press time.
\nAlong with 0-0 and 3-3 home ties against South Webster and Fairfield Union, Wheelersburg defeated West, 8-1.
\nZander Conn leads the Pirates with 11 goals, two assists and 22 points, while Coleton Schwamburger has added in seven goals, five assists and 19 points. Carson Estep has five goals, five assists and 15 points while Corban Stratton has notched four goals and an assist for nine markers himself.
\nGilberto Duarte (two goals) and Lincoln Etterling (assist) have also reached the points column in 2026.
\nOutside of a 1-1 tie against Valley to open the season at home, Wheelersburg remains unblemished. The Pirates have two one-goal victories in road contests at Minford and Russell (Ky.), and have three multi-goal wins at home against Waverly (6-2) as well as in road triumphs at Ashland, Ky. (4-0) and Northwest (3-0).
\nAmongst all divisions, Wheelersburg ranks 10th statewide.
\nSouth Webster (5-1-1, 3-1-1 SOC II as of press time)
\nDespite heavy losses to graduation, the OHSAA Division V Jeeps have yet again been stout under the direction of longtime head coach Corey Claxon, as South Webster has scored 23 goals while only giving up six in achieving its own strong start with a 5-1-1 record as of press time.
\nLast week, South Webster battled OHSAA Division IV No. 4 Wheelersburg to a 0-0 tie on the road, then defended home with another shutout by claiming a 4-0 triumph over Waverly to stay very much alive alongside the Falcons and Pirates in the SOC II boys soccer title race.
\nCole Belford leads South Webster with seven goals in 2026, while Kelvyn Purcell had a hat trick against Ironton St. Joseph. Brady Hamilton has three goals in 2026 as well.
\nValley (5-1-2, 4-0 SOC I as of press time)
\nMaking the largest jump of any team in Scioto County, the Valley Indians' boys soccer program vaulted from 15th place in the OHSAA Division V boys soccer state rankings all the way to ninth after going 2-0 last week and improving its overall record to 5-1-2 in 2026 as of press time.
\nValley's latest victories came at the expense of Ironton St. Joseph and Clay, whom the Indians dispatched by 4-1 and 10-1 margins. Valley has outscored its SOC I opposition by a 33-3 margin in 2026.
\nCaysen Zieber (10 goals, four assists, 24 points) leads Valley’s scoring while Jaxsyn Bender (five goals, seven assists, 17 points), Elijah Keller (seven goals, 14 points), Elliot Franke (four goals, five assists, 13 points), Malachi Keller (two goals, five assists, nine points) and Rydan Romanello (three goals, assist, seven points) have been primary facilitators in the Valley offense.
\nLandon Cunningham, Elijah Keller, Parker Robinson, Layn Porginski and Tyce Williams have each scored two goals apiece, while Aidan Burchett (goal, two assists, four points) and Luke Fleeman and JR Redoutey (assist each) have contributed to the Indians’ scoring.
\nHunter Sparks has made 22 saves to lead Valley’s defense.
\nGIRLS SOCCER
\nWheelersburg (8-0, 5-0 SOC as of press time)
\nContinuing to roll right along, the Wheelersburg Pirates' girls soccer program sits third overall in the OHSAA Division IV state soccer rankings with a perfect 8-0 mark on the year as of press time.
\nFollowing 8-0 and 6-0 triumphs over Valley and Athens, respectively, Wheelersburg has outscored its opponents by a combined 57-3. The Lady Pirates have won every game by multiple goals, and six of its eight wins have come by multiple goals in 2026.
\nMinford (5-2-1, 2-1 SOC as of press time)
\nWith a younger roster, the Minford Falcons’ girls soccer program has remained highly competitive, and sits inside the top-20 statewide in the Division V realm. Minford moved up a spot from No. 17 in last week's rankings to No. 16 as of press time.
\nMinford, who was leading 3-0 against Waterloo Atwater on Sunday evening in a match that was held at Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, saw that match discontinued after heavy rains made the field unplayable.
\nThe match is currently unfinished with the hope that it will be made up prior to the end of the regular season. A makeup date hasn't been announced.