By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal
The 2026 Texas high school boys soccer regular season ends this week with most districts concluding play on Tuesday, while some will play their final matches on Friday. The playoffs begin on March 19.
Playoff outlook
There are 28 area teams that have already punched their ticket to the playoffs, which begin March 19. There are 10 more that will be decided this week as nearly every district has 1-2 playoff spots available. Here’s the three we’re watching:
District 25-4A
Defending Class 4A Division II state champion Austin Achieve is in a race with Lago Vista for the final playoff spot. The Polar Bears and Vikings are separated by one point.
Austin Achieve might have the advantage with two games remaining, while Lago Vista plays its season finale on Wednesday. If the Polar Bears win both games, they’re in. However, if Austin Achieve loses to Legacy Ranch Tuesday or East View on Friday and the Vikings beat Legacy Ranch Thursday, the Vikings are in.
District 25-5A
Rouse, Liberty Hill and Cedar Park area in, but three teams are in the hunt for the final playoff spot. It will all be determined on Tuesday.
Leander helped itself in a big way with its win over Rouse and hold a two-point advantage over Hays and Glenn. The Lions play Glenn Tuesday night and a win or a tie clinches the fourth playoff spot. However, if Leander loses to the Grizzlies and Hays beats Lehman, Glenn and the Hawks are tied with 20 points. Those are must win for Glenn and Hays because ties in either game won’t be enough to overcome Leander if the Lions tie with Glenn of the Hawks tie Lehman.
District 26-6A
Westlake, Bowie and Lake Travis have all secured playoff berths. Del Valle and Akins are tied with 13 points and will determine the fourth team on Tuesday when the two teams face off at Burger Stadium. However, the outcome will impact the Chaps. If Akins wins, Westlake will be in the Division I bracket. If Del Valle wins, the Chaps will be in Division II. If the game results in a tie, then Del Valle will win the tiebreaker due to goal differential.
Week 8 rankings
East View has taken over the top spot in Class 5A after Rouse’s loss to Leander last week. Comal Pieper jumped to No. 3 and Anderson returns to the rankings at No. 4.
Westlake maintained its hold on the top spot in Class 6A, which went unchanged from last week.
Marble Falls jumped to No. 3 in Class 4A, shuffling the top five teams from a week ago.
We’ll take another look at the rankings after the playoffs, but for now, here are our final area rankings for boys soccer:
Class 6A
| RK | TEAM | RECORD | LW |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Westlake | 18-1-2 | 1 |
| 2. | Westwood | 16-2-2 | 2 |
| 3. | Vandegrift | 13-3-4 | 3 |
| 4. | Round Rock | 15-2-4 | 4 |
| 5. | Lake Travis | 13-3-3 | 5 |
Dropped out: None
Others: Bowie (14-4-3), New Braunfels Canyon (12-3-6), Buda Johnson (8-6-2)
Class 5A
| RK | TEAM | RECORD | LW |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | East View | 13-2-6 | 3 |
| 2. | Rouse | 14-2-3 | 1 |
| 3. | Comal Pieper | 14-2-3 | 5 |
| 4. | Anderson | 13-3-4 | NR |
| 5. | LASA | 13-4-2 | 4 |
Dropped out: Connally
Others: Liberty Hill (12-7-3), Bastrop (13-4-4), Connally (11-5-5), New Braunfels (10-7-3)
Class 4A
| RK | TEAM | RECORD | LW |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Salado | 21-0-1 | 1 |
| 2. | Northeast | 14-4-2 | 2 |
| 3. | Marble Falls | 12-3-5 | 5 |
| 4. | Jarrell | 14-5-2 | 4 |
| 5. | Manor New Tech | 15-5-1 | 3 |
Dropped out: None
Others: LBJ (10-4-1), Lago Vista (14-9-1), Rockdale (13-8-1), La Grange (13-7-0)
Game of the Week
Vandegrift (13-3-4) at Westwood (16-2-2), 7:30 p.m., Tuesday
For more to watch
Glennjj (10-8-4) at Leander (11-9-4), 7:15 p.m., Tuesday
Bastrop (13-4-4) at McCallum (7-5-4), 7:45 p.m., Wednesday
Round Rock (15-2-4) at Vandegrift (13-3-4), 7:30 p.m., Friday
Bowie (12-1-2) at Lake Travis (8-3-3), 7:30 p.m., Tuesday
New Braunfels (10-7-3) at Boerne (9-6-2), 12:30 p.m., Friday
