There are 16 teams left in the GHSA boys soccer playoffs, and those storied programs account for 37 combined state championships.
Those teams will add eight championship trophies to their collections Tuesday to Friday.
Leading the boys title-holders, Class 4A finalist Westminster previously has won 14 championships, and 5A finalist McIntosh has won eight titles. Westminster’s boys won championships in 1966, 1967, 1976, 1982-83, 2001, 2006-07, 2011-13 and 2017-19. McIntosh won in 1992, 2000 and 2007, but since 2013, the team has won five titles.
Other boys champions trying to add to the collection are Paideia (A Division I) with five titles (2013-14, 2016, 2018 and 2023), Decatur (5A) with three (1977, 2003 and 2016), Johnson-Gainesville (4A) with three (2018, 2022 and 2023) Atlanta International (A Division I) with two (2015 and 2022) and Georgia Military (A Division II) with two (2019 and 2021).
There are two defending champions left in the field. Johnson-Gainesville (4A) returns after winning the program’s third championship last season. In Class A Division I, Paideia is back to try for the team’s sixth title after winning the fifth last year.
Campbell (7A), Kennesaw Mountain (7A), Sprayberry (6A), River Ridge (6A), Hebron Christian (3A), Columbus (3A), Toombs County (2A), Model (2A) and Atkinson County (A Division II) will try for first championships.
State finals schedule
Tuesday
Class A Division II
At Mercer
Boys: Atkinson County vs. Georgia Military, 7 p.m.
Notable: Georgia Military is led by senior Brian Sherwood (24 goals, 10 assists), sophomore Tommy Carty (23 goals, seven assists), senior Owen McCabe (13 goals, 17 assists), freshman James Portwood (11 goals, four assists). Atkinson County earned its championship berth after moving past Atlanta Classical 4-2 in the semifinals.
Class A Division I
At McEachern
Boys: Paideia at Atlanta International, 7:30 p.m.
Notable: Senior Finn Jacobsen has led Paideia with 51 goals and 15 assists, and sophomore Val Kristensen has scored nine goals and 13 assists. Junior Alex Dubois has seven goals with three assists, and senior Nico Decoufle has scored seven goals with 12 assists. Atlanta International is led by junior Noah Armour (18 goals, seven assists) and senior Sawyer Northrup (10 goals, two assists).
Wednesday
Class 2A
At Mercer
Boys: Toombs County vs. Model, 7:30 p.m.
Notable: Senior Yovanny Zamorano leads Toombs with 23 goals and nine assists; senior Braylen Dietrich has 18 goals and four assists; Angel Morales has scored eight goals and four assists, and sophomore Osvaldo Tinoco has eight goals and eight assists. Model has moved past North Cobb Christian 7-0, Union County 1-0, Pierce County 2-1 and Providence Christian 2-1 in the semifinals.
Class 3A
At McEachern
Boys: Hebron Christian vs. Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
Notable: Hebron Christian’s star freshman Benji Gunji leads with 23 goals and 11 assists. Junior Sam Carlson has tallied 18 goals with 10 assists; junior Aidan Kanclerz has scored 17 goals with seven assists, and senior Mason Luke has scored 10 goals with 12 assists. Columbus has moved past Hephzibah 10-0, Mary Persons 3-0, defending champion Coahulla Creek 2-0 and Oconee County 1-0 in the semis.
Class 4A
At Duluth
Boys: Johnson-Gainesville vs. Westminster, 7:30 p.m.
Notable: Defending-champion Johnson-Gainesville upended Westminster 4-2 in last year’s championship match. On the way back to the title match, Johnson defeated Stockbridge 2-1, Druid Hills 3-0, Whitewater 3-2 and Northwest Whitfield 1-0 in the semis. Westminster is back after playoff victories against Heritage-Catoosa 4-0, Lovett 2-0, Bainbridge 2-0 and Holy Innocents’ 2-1 in the semis.
Thursday
Class 5A
At Duluth
Boys: McIntosh at Decatur, 7:30 p.m.
Notable: McIntosh lost out in the quarterfinals last season to runner-up Midtown 2-0, and since, the Chiefs have had one goal --- another title. Through the bracket, McIntosh defeated Dutchtown 6-0, Cross Keys 2-1, defending-champion Dalton 1-0 and Midtown 2-1 in the semis. Decatur suffered a 3-2 loss to Northgate in the first round last season, but this year, the Bulldogs entered the playoffs as the No. 4 seed from Area 4 and beat Greenbrier 5-1, Harris County 3-2, Chattahoochee 2-1 and Cass 2-1.
Class 6A
At McEachern
Boys: Sprayberry vs. River Ridge, 7:30 p.m.
Notable: River Ridge suffered a 3-2 loss to Lassiter in last year’s championship match and now has a shot at the program’s first. The Knights are led by senior Kingston Courts (15 goals, eight assists), junior Nolan McLure (15 goals, three assists) and junior Chris Asbridge (13 goals, nine assists). Junior Eric Cruz leads Sprayberry with 20 goals and 15 assists; senior Soren Bednar adds 11 goals with five assists, and junior Jean-Marcel Sylvain has 10 goals with eight assists.
Friday
Class 7A
Boys: Campbell vs. Kennesaw Mountain, 7:30 p.m.
Notable: Kennesaw Mountain lost to South Forsyth 3-1 in the first round last season while Campbell fell 2-0 to Collins Hill in the quarterfinals. This season, the Mustangs defeated Central Gwinnett 3-2, North Gwinnett 2-1, Colquitt County 2-1 and Discovery 1-0 in the semis. Campbell is in the championship match after beating North Paulding 2-1, South Gwinnett 4-2, defending-champion Lambert 3-2 and Archer 2-1 in the semifinals.
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