By DAVID ERSOFF, Journal Sports
In the history of the boys LHSAA soccer state tournament, there have only been two champions from the Shreveport-Bossier area: Loyola in 1996 and Caddo Magnet in 2008.
Eight other times local teams have made the championship game but came up one win short, the most recent being Benton in 2021, Bossier in 2023, and Loyola in 2025. Is this the year a local team breaks through?
The following is a look at the top local teams’ upcoming season, mainly from the perspective of their own coaches. Teams are listed alphabetically with their 2026 playoff seeding and final result.
AIRLINE — Did not qualify for playoffs
Last year Airline played a very young, inexperienced team that had the typical inconsistencies of a young squad. In his second year as the boys head coach, Logan Kreyenbuhl will depend heavily on seniors Brady Parks and Dylan Cockerham with junior Dylan Johnson to step up as leaders for the sophomore and freshman-heavy squad.
Kreyenbuhl said, “We hope to take that next step by obtaining a playoff berth.” Airline has added many tough out-of-town opponents to this year’s schedule to get his Vikings battle-tested for postseason play.
BENTON – No. 24 seed; lost in the first round 4-0 to East Ascension
Benton graduated a few key contributors in 2026, but coach Benny Broadway believes he has several returning players hungry to step into the spotlight and show what they can do.
Broadway said, “Our goal is to continue raising the standard of Benton soccer. We want to compete for a district championship, make a run in the playoffs, and continue building a program our players, school, and community can be proud of.”
BOSSIER – No. 8 seed; lost in quarterfinals 5-0 to University Lab
The Bearkats graduated two of the program’s best players in the midfield, Bryan Tuyizere and Wilson Alvarado, about whom coach Gerado Martinez said, “They set a great standard for the program.” Of his returning squad, Martinez said, “Our team’s togetherness is looking really good. The chemistry is there and the entire group is really hungry.”
BYRD – No. 21 seed; lost in first round 5-1 to Fontainebleau
Byrd lost seven players to graduation from last year’s squad. Stepping into the leadership roles this year are Stefan Cosse and Berekat Rains. Coach Gary McCormick likes the depth his squad has while saying, “the question will be ‘can we cross the finish line’ this year. We have let ourselves down in big moments in recent years.”
CADDO MAGNET – No. 13 seed; lost in the second round 7-1 to Prairieville
Magnet only graduated three starters from last year; however, one was the district defensive MVP, keeper Ryan Clay. Coach Nick Flowers is optimistic about this year’s team stating, “We are returning a strong senior class and 15 players from last year’s varsity.” The top returner is John Wooden, who as a junior was on the All-State first team, along with many local recognitions. Other impact players returning are Seth Vale, Mason Evans, Thomas Awagu, Evan Dong, Hansen Wu and Ben Wooden.
CALVARY BAPTIST – No. 15 seed; lost in the second round 1-0 to Northlake Christian
The Cavaliers have had the unfortunate luck to meet the eventual state champion in the last two playoff brackets, with last year’s close loss giving the team confidence that they are close to breaking through. Calvary will be led by seniors Preston Walton (All-State team), Liam Smothers, Cooper Gray, and keeper Jacob Tibbett.
Coach Mark Miller stated, “Once again, I put us to a gauntlet of a schedule, with 27 games and playing top teams from the area and around the state.”
CAPTAIN SHREVE – No. 25 seed; lost in the first round 2-1 to Southside
The Gators welcome new head coach Francois Browne, who was last at Northwood. Browne said, “We are in a rebuilding year after graduating 12 seniors last year (and 17 in 2025). Our focus is on developing players, building team chemistry, and competing hard in every match.”
The Gators do have some experience coming back and a large freshman class joining the team. They also feature Italian exchange student Matteo Bellicini.
NORTHWOOD – No. 25 seed; lost in the first round 2-0 to Archbishop Rummel
Coach Matthew Willinger moves over from coaching the girls team to coaching the boys at Northwood. Willinger’s biggest challenge will be replacing district Offensive MVP Peyton Nichols. Fortunately, the Falcons have 10 seniors, so the overall level of experience on the roster is very good.
“We have three returning starters on the backline and a senior keeper in Joseph Barron,” said Willinger. “Senior Dustin Porter is back as our offensive leader.” Porter topped the team with 20 assists and was second with 12 goals.
LOYOLA COLLEGE PREP – No. 2 seed; Lost in semifinals 6-2 to St. Louis Catholic
The Flyers did not lose a lot of players to graduation, but one they will miss is Bishop Doege, who was the backbone of Loyola’s defense the last four years. That responsibility will now fall to junior Tomas Miranda.
Loyola returns three All-State first team players — seniors Holt Hamilton, Graham Kyle, and junior Whit Sample, all of whom are anchors for coach Wes Kyle. He is returning an experienced keeper in senior Dominic Rinaudo.
PROVIDENCE CLASSICAL – first year eligible for postseason play
Providence graduated 10 seniors, which included six starters, so this will be a fairly young squad starting the season. Coach Adam Hester said, “For our first year eligible for district honors and playoffs I tried to beef up our schedule despite losing so many players.” The defense will be completely revamped with the experienced players mainly on offense.
Contact David at dersoff@bellsouth.net