By Michael Adams
madams@onthesidelinessports.com

Here is a look ahead at the upcoming boys high school soccer playoff with teams to watch, storylines and prediction as bi-district matches begin Monday.

More soccer playoff coverage

• 2024 boys soccer playoff schedule
• 2024 girls soccer playoff preview
• 2024 girls soccer bi-district schedule

Top Storylines

Where is Austin’s best shot at reaching the state tournament?

The Austin area is strongest in Class 5A with two heavy contenders. Unbeatens Glenn (23-0-1) and Connally (20-1-2) are both favorites to win their respective regions. The Cougars reached the state tournament last year and lost to eventual 5A champion Frisco Lone Star in the semifinals. Connally is one of the favorites in Class 5A to win the state championship, along with five-time state champion Frisco Wakeland.

Who has is the toughest region to get through?

Weiss (16-2-2) and Hutto (6-3-6) have the toughest path to Georgetown. Both teams are placed in a section of the bracket with Mesquite Horn and Wylie, two heavy favorites to win Class 6A Region II. Weiss would likely play Wylie in the second round should the Wolves get past Duncanville. Hutto drew a really good Waxahachie team in the first round, and the winner of that game gets Mesquite Horn in the second round.

The good news is this region is always full of surprises and should Weiss or Hutto get to the regional tournament, they have a good shot of winning the region and reaching the state tournament.

Who are the sleeper teams?

Westlake is a team no one should be sleeping on. With a little momentum, the Chaparrals (16-3-3) could make a deep run in Region IV the way Dripping Springs did in 2023. Should the Chaps get past San Antonio Johnson in the regional quarterfinals, they would be a real threat to Vandegrift and Bowie’s hopes of getting to Birkelbach Stadium in April.

Another team to watch might be LASA, but the luck of the draw wasn’t to kind to the Raptors. LASA faces a potential second round matchup with College Station and a potential regional quarterfinal match with Connally.

Teams to watch

Glenn

The Grizzlies are the favorite to win Class 5A Region IV and only has one tie separating them from a perfect regular season. Goalkeepers Mason Settler and Keller Marchant have given up a total of 13 goals and only allowed more than one goal in a game twice. A potential third-round matchup with San Antonio Pieper will be a Glenn’s biggest roadblock to the state tournament.

Connally

The Cougars are one of the favorites to win the Class 5A state championship but suffered their first loss of the season in a playoff warmup with Vandegrift on March 21. Connally will have to get out of a region that features two good teams out of Aggieland – College Station and A&M Consolidated. A rematch of last year’s regional final with College Station may likely happen in the third round, and A&M Consolidated most likely will be waiting in the regional final.

Bowie

The Bulldogs (20-0-2) will be looking to avenge last year’s first-round loss to Stony Point on in a bi-district rematch Tuesday at Kelly Reeves Stadium. If Bowie can avoid another first-round hiccup, the Bulldogs could make a pretty good run. Bowie has one of the more potent offenses in the Austin area. Senior Griffin Crawley leads the team with 23 goals. Bowie also has one of the stingiest defenses in the area, led by senior  goalkeeper Blaze Hatchett, who as allowed just 12 goals in 22 matches.

Vandegrift

The Vipers (16-2-2) flexed their muscles after losing a 2-1 decision to Round Rock on Feb. 27. Since that loss, Vandegrift has outscored opponents 17-3 in the last five games, including the aforementioned 3-2 win over Class 5A favorite Connally. The Vipers are a lot of people’s favorites to win Region IV. In Lethal Enforcer’s latest bracketology, the all-things Texas high school soccer website predicts Vandegrift to win the region.

Predictions

Class 6A

Region II final: Mesquite over Wylie

Region IV final: Vandegrift over San Antonio Johnson

State championship game: Allen over Katy Seven Lakes

Class 5A

Region III final: Connally over Waco University

Region IV final: Glenn over Smithson Valley

State championship game: Glenn over Frisco Wakeland

Class 4A

Region III final: Lumberton over Waco La Vega

Region IV final: Boerne over Davenport

State championship game: Boerne over Lumberton