With the boys and girls Fall Soccer State Championships set to get underway Thursday, there are several teams to watch in the tournament who may hoist the title trophy when it’s all said and done.

The state finals are scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31, at Winslow High School. The boys will play at 3:30 p.m. and the girls will kickoff at 1 p.m.

GIRLS

ST. JOHNS

The undefeated Redskins (18-0-2, 6-0 East) aim to repeat as state champions after unseating the dominant Northland Prep club a season ago in a thrilling contest that needed penalty kicks to settle the score.

It was the fourth state championship in program history for St. Johns, but their first since 2010. Coach Shayla Udall said that this fall, the players have been focused.

“This group of girls shows up every day and works hard. They haven’t been frazzled by setbacks with weather, injuries, or other frustrations out of their control,” Udall said. “They are building on last year’s success.”

No. 1-seeded St. Johns is the favorite going into the 2026 playoffs as the same four teams have reached the semifinals from a season ago. The Redskins beat Payson twice this year (3-1 on Aug. 21; 5-0 on Sept. 10), which is who they host in the semifinals Oct. 29 at 4:30 p.m.

St. Johns tied with Snowflake (1-1) on Aug. 21, then beat them 2-0 on Sept. 8, then turned around and tied (3-3) with Northland Prep. on Sept. 23 before beating them 3-2 on Sept. 26.

“We will just need to do what we’ve been doing and stay consistent and resilient when we make mistakes,” Udall said about what her club needs to do repeat as champs.

Avie Udall leads the group with 30 goals while Alyvia Richardson netted 17 this year. Udall also leads the club in assists with 14, and Karlee Smith has 33 saves in goal this year.

The Northland Prep. girls soccer team aims to not only get back to the state championship this week, but win the program's eighth title. The Spartans lost an overtime thriller to St. Johns in the title match a season ago. The Fall Soccer State Championships conclude Saturday, Oct. 31, 2027, at Winslow High School. The girls finale is scheduled for 1 p.m.NORTHLAND PREP

The Spartans will be searching for their eighth state championship in program history this week as they look to win their third title in four seasons after losing to St. Johns in an overtime thriller last October.

Northland Prep. (15-2-2, 4-0 Central) has won six straight after losing to that very same Redskins club in a tight 3-2 contest back in late September.

Paired with No. 3-seeded Snowflake to open the fall state semifinals on Thursday, Northland Prep. went 2-0 against the Lobos this season, but it’s always tough to beat a team three times in one season in any sport.

Co-head coach Michael Blair said their 15-2 season this year is attributed to the strong culture the program has built over the years.

“We have a group of players who work hard, hold each other accountable and genuinely enjoy playing the game together,” Blair said. “We’ve established high expectations in our program, and our returning players do a great job of passing those expectations along to the younger girls.”

A few of those returning players include Emery Blair, Ellysia Martinez and Reece Kellar. Blair scored 23 goals this season to go along with her 17 assists, while Martinez has similar numbers with 22 goals and 12 assists.

Kellar leads the club with 21 assists.

As for senior captain Wren Gutt-Ohly, if you get ball past her in between the posts, keep it! She has an impressive 88 saves on goal this season in 104 opportunities.

“Wren has grown tremendously as a player and leader,” Michael Blair said, adding that she suffered an injury during the Las Vegas tournament that required her to be transported to the hospital via ambulance, but her recovery has been truly remarkable.

“She’s now playing the best soccer of her career at exactly the right time heading into the state playoffs,” Blair said.

Co-head coach Keith Hovis said that he expects a rematch of last year’s state championship.

“We had two highly competitive matches with them this year and would love to meet them at the final again,” Hovis said.

Northland Prep will face Snowflake in the semifinals on Thursday at Northern Arizona University’s Lumberjack Field, just outside the Walkup Skydome. Official start time is set for 6 p.m.

BOYS

ST. JOHNS

The No. 1-seeded Redskins (12-4-3, 4-0-2 East) barely escaped No. 8-seeded Pima in a 4-3 thriller Tuesday, setting them up with what is surely to be another stellar semifinal at home against No. 4-seeded Snowflake on Thursday night.

St. Johns missed the state playoffs a season ago and have not even been to a state championship game, much less getting a chance to hoist the title, so this week will surely be one of the biggest in program history.

“I think a lot of our success can be attributed to these boys who have been playing together since sixth grade and almost all of them play one or two other sports in high school,” coach T.J. Hendriksen said. “Our team culture is very good.”

Against the remaining field (Snowflake, Show Low, Blue Ridge), St. Johns is 2-2-1 overall, including a solid 3-1 win over rival Blue Ridge on Oct. 22. The Yellow Jackets were a state semifinalist a season go, losing to Sedona 3-2.

Hendriksen said the field is fairly even this season with a lot of strong teams who are evenly matched.

“I don’t think there is a clear favorite. There are a number of strong teams that can take the title,” Hendriksen said.

In what is likely the first state playoff game St. Johns has hosted in program history, the Redskins will welcome No. 4-seeded Snowflake on Thursday. Official start time is set for 7 p.m.

The St. Johns boys soccer team finished with a No. 1 seed heading into the Fall Soccer State Championships, which will conclude Saturday, Oct. 31, 2027, at Winslow High School. The boys state title match is set for 1 p.m. (St. Johns Athletics/Courtesy)WHITE MOUNTAIN MATCHUP

In the other state semifinal, No. 2-seeded Blue Ridge will host No. 3-seeded Show Low on Thursday at 6 p.m.

The Yellow Jackets (17-1-2, 3-1-1 East) had either won or tied 16 straight matches until losing to St. Johns 3-1 on Oct. 22 and their only matchup with Show Low this season was a 1-1 tie.

Blue Ridge offensively has five players in double figures scoring, but are led by Adrian Diaz Ramriez, a senior who netted an impressive 31 goals this fall.

As for Show Low (16-2-2, 2-1-2 East), the Cougars tied with St. Johns 0-0 after two overtimes on Oct. 13.

Show Low also has a tough offense to stop with five players in double figures scoring, including Porter Patton with 21 goals and Jacob Scott with 20.

Brian M. Bergner Jr. has covered professional, collegiate and high school sports for more than 20 years. Follow him on X and Instagram at @AzPreps365Brian or on Facebook at @Five2MediaWorks. Have a story idea? Email Brian at bbergner@azpreps365.com.