Recapping the 2026 AHSAA state soccer championships and highlighting top performances

Another AHSAA soccer season came to a close at Huntsville’s John Hunt Park. Saturday’s action brought the final four champions in Class 6A and 7A action, with Auburn’s girls and boys earning the sweep in 7A. Northridge’s girls knocked off Homewood 2-1 for the program’s first state championship in Class 6A, while Briarwood Christian won the final game of the season on a wild, double-overtime goal against Gadsden City for the 6A boys championship. Here’s a recap of the AHSAA state soccer championships and some notable performances: STATE CHAMPIONSHIP SCOREBOARD Class 1A-3A girls: Lee-Scott Academy 1, Whitesburg Christian 0 Class 1A-3A boys: Susan Moore 4, Altamont 2 Class 4A girls: St. Luke’s 5, St. John Paul II 0 Class 4A boys: Westminster-Oak Mountain 1, Mars Hill Bible 0 Class 5A girls: Indian Springs 1, Guntersville 0 Class 5A boys: St. Michael 5, Springville 1 Class 6A girls: Northridge 2, Homewood 1 Class 6A boys: Briarwood Christian 1, Gadsden City 0 (2OT) Class 7A girls: Auburn 1, Oak Mountain 0 Class 7A boys: Auburn 1, Bob Jones 0 FIRST-TIME CHAMPIONS Of the 10 state champions in Huntsville, four of those brought home a state soccer title for the first time. Susan Moore’s boys knocked off Altamont 4-2 for the program’s first championship, while St. Michael powered past Springville for its first title. Also, St. Luke’s girls beat defending Class 4A champion St. John Paul II 5-0 to avenge last season’s championship loss, while Northridge downed Homewood 2-1 for its first championship. The victories for Susan Moore, St. Michael and Northridge also mark the first soccer championships for the school regardless of gender. NOTABLE PERFORMANCES Kiley Hawarah, St. Luke’s girls Hawarah scored four goals and racked up 10 shots on goal as St. Luke’s beat St. John Paul II 5-0 for the Class 4A state championship. Sam Carter, Westminster-Oak Mountain boys Carter recorded a shutout at goalkeeper and earned tournament MVP honors to lift Westminster-Oak Mountain to a 1-0 win over Mars Hill in the Class 4A state championship. He also recorded five saves and had the game-sealing shot in a penalty kick shootout to lift Westminster to a 2-1 semifinal win over Saint James. Lulabelle Hammer, Auburn girls The Class 7A tournament MVP recorded three goals in Auburn’s 4-1 semifinal victory over Dothan and had the lone score in a 1-0 win against Oak Mountain to clinch the Class 7A title. Coleson Gooch, Briarwood Christian boys Gooch was named Class 6A tournament MVP after scoring the game-winning goal with 1:48 left in double overtime to lift the Lions past Gadsden City 1-0 for the 6A title. Ashna Mehra, Indian Springs girls Mehra recorded three goals and three assists in a dominant 7-0 victory over St. Michael in the Class 5A state semifinals. Braulio Zavala, Susan Moore boys Zavala scored two goals for Susan Moore in the Bulldogs’ 4-2 in over Altamont to win the Class 1A-3A soccer championship. Kiley Brewer, Northridge girls The Class 6A girls tournament MVP recorded 11 saves between wins over St. Paul’s (2-1) and Homewood (2-1) to lead the program to its first state championship. A LOOK AHEAD With the split between public and private schools in championship play, the state soccer semifinals will look different next season as Class 6A becomes the state’s largest public classification and two private-school titles are awarded. Six of the 10 titles awarded in 2026 were won by private schools, with half of the 20 teams playing for a championship private schools. AHSAA executive director Heath Harmon told AL.com that despite the addition of an extra championship, it doesn’t look like a day will have to be added to accommodate the addition of three games.