Boys soccer playoffs: Top teams and players heading into district tournaments

At times this season, Henry Clay’s boys soccer team has looked dominant with emphatic wins against 11th Region rivals Paul Laurence Dunbar and Frederick Douglass.

But on Sunday, the postseason begins with the 42nd and 43rd district tournaments in Lexington.

It has been since 2019 that the Blue Devils last won the 11th Region title and went on to the program’s third state championship.

Henry Clay coach Jason Behler knows his team’s past results and No. 5 MaxPreps ranking don’t matter in the weeks ahead.

“Everybody’s playing for their season not to end, so it’s desperation mode for 80 minutes,” Behler said.

Henry Clay (12-3-4) has stumbled slightly with two losses and two ties in its last five games, but those have come to some of the other best teams in the state and without one of their leading scorers, Marco Messerli. Behler said Messerli, who left the game during a 2-1 loss to undefeated No. 1 Bowling Green on Sept. 21, will be healthy for the playoffs.

Even without Messerli, the Blue Devils looked good in a 1-1 tie at home against No. 2 St. Xavier on Tuesday. A sensational free kick goal from outside the 18-yard box by TJ Kaskocsak with about 3 minutes left in the game helped the Rocks avoid defeat. Henry Clay’s leading scorer, Braden Cundiff, put Henry Clay up 1-0 midway through the second half.

No. 2 Trinity scored an early goal to defeat Henry Clay 1-0 on Thursday during the Blue Devils’ last tuneup before the 42nd District tournament. Henry Clay finished the last two weeks of the season by playing three top-10 teams. The Blue Devils tied No. 9 Woodford County 2-2.

Despite the setbacks, Behler said Henry Clay can accomplish its lofty goals.

“I think I know what they can do. The question is, ‘Do they know what they can do?’” Behler said. “You know, thinking and executing are two completely different things. So I hope that they understand that it’s going to require every bit of energy that this game (against St. X) did in the postseason, because that’s what the postseason is.”

Next man up for the defending champions

No. 11 Lafayette (12-2-3), the defending 43rd District and 11th Region champions, comes into this year’s district tournament as a No. 2 seed thanks to a 1-0 regular-season loss to No. 6 Paul Laurence Dunbar.

In a 0-0 tie with No. 18 Bryan Station on Thursday, the Generals played without leading scorer Max Jacobs and saw two other key players, Charlie Quinn and Layton Coughtry, go down with injuries.

Jacobs is serving a red card suspension that will keep him out of Tuesday’s district semifinal game against Tates Creek. The return of Quinn and Coughtry is uncertain, but Lafayette coach Chris Grimm expressed confidence his team will be ready for the Commodores (9-6-2).

“I think there’s some uncertainty, but we still feel confident,” Grimm said. “We’ve had a good season. We’ve been missing guys all throughout the year, and somebody else has stepped up in those situations. So next week is going to be no different.”

Last year Lafayette won its first 43rd District title since 2018 and its first region title since 1990 on the way to the state finals, where it lost 1-0 to St. X.

Dunbar battle-tested

Dunbar (14-5-2), led by senior Christian Delgado’s seven goals, defeated both Lafayette and Tates Creek 1-0 in the regular season.

That means either could prove a stumbling block to the six-time state champions, who lost both of their postseason games last year in penalty kick shootouts — to Lafayette for the district title and to Frederick Douglass in the region semifinals.

Dunbar topped Douglass 1-0 on Thursday in its regular-season finale.

It should be noted that three of Dunbar’s five losses this season were to Henry Clay, St. Xavier and Trinity. The other two defeats came to Ohio No. 2 New Albany and Indiana No. 12 Evansville Memorial.

Bryan Station looks to end postseason frustration

When Bryan Station (12-5-4) takes on Frederick Douglass (9-7-1) in Tuesday’s 42nd District semifinals, it will be the fifth such postseason meeting between the two in the last five years.

The Defenders lost the previous four. Three came in heartbreaking fashion — a penalty kick shootout in 2019, an overtime loss the next year and a double overtime loss the year after that.

But this season, Bryan Station ended a five-game losing streak to the Broncos by winning a regular-season penalty kick shootout on Sept. 12.

“We had a tough game with them the last time we played them,” first-year Bryan Station coach Alex Tungate said. “They’re going to come out ready to knock us off.

“We haven’t had a very good history with them the last few years. So it’s going to be on us to try and reverse that history.”

11th Region statistical leaders

Top scorers: Braeden Collett, Sayre, 20; Elias Chavez, Western Hills, 19; Braden Cundiff, Henry Clay, 18; Braden Howard, Scott County, 18; Daniel Stefan, Berea, 16; Max Jacobs, Lafayette, 15; Micah Whitaker, Madison Southern, 14; Bryson Cox, Frankfort, 14; Shukuru Hamisi, Henry Clay, 11; Cullen Calulot, Scott County, 11; Marco Messerli, Henry Clay, 10; James Lunsford, Berea, 10.

Assist leaders: Messerli, Henry Clay, 14; Hayden Shepard, Madison Southern, 13; Landon Turvey, Scott County, 13; Daniel Stefan, Berea, 12; Alexander Toro, Scott County, 12; Carson Thomas, Western Hills, 11; Sander Castillo, Western Hills, 9; Braeden Collett, Sayre, 8; Braden Cundiff, Henry Clay, 8.

Saves: Will Nguyen, Western Hills, 244; Benjamin Schrader, Frankfort, 176; Josiah Behnke, Lexington Christian, 167; Max Ruwett, Frankfort Christian, 108; Aaron Jenkins, Model, 101; Delfin Iteriteka, Douglass, 86; Tate Ashmun, Sayre, 72; Seth Tucker, Franklin County, 72; Peyton Guilbault, Madison Central, 51; Zahid Diaz, Dunbar, 49.

42nd District Boys Soccer Tournament

At Frederick Douglass High School

Monday, Oct. 7

6 p.m.: Scott County vs. Sayre

Tuesday, Oct. 8

6 p.m.: Frederick Douglass vs. Bryan Station

Wednesday, Oct. 9

6 p.m.: Scott County-Sayre winner vs. Henry Clay

Friday, Oct. 11

6 p.m.: Championship game

43rd District Boys Soccer Tournament

At Lafayette High School

Sunday, Oct. 6

6 p.m.: Lexington Christian vs. Lexington Catholic

Tuesday, Oct. 8

6 p.m.: Paul Laurence Dunbar vs. Lexington Christian-Lexington Catholic winner

8 p.m.: Lafayette vs. Tates Creek

Thursday, Oct. 10

7 p.m.: Championship game

Girls soccer playoffs: Top teams and players heading into district tournaments