The Class A and B boys state soccer tournaments begin this week at Morrison Stadium on the campus of Creighton University in Omaha. It’s an eight-day event that kicks off with a 10 a.m. Class A quarterfinal between No. 2 seed Omaha South and No. 7 Millard West on Tuesday.

Here are players to watch for both tournaments. 

Class A boys

Braden Lackey, Senior, Lincoln Southwest: Braden Lackey is the leading goal- and point-scorer for the unbeaten and No. 1-seeded Lincoln Southwest Silver Hawks (15-0). He’s netted 14 goals and nine assists for 37 points this season. In a 7-0 thrashing of Fremont on April 5, Lackey recorded a hat trick.

Eli Rhodes, Senior, Lincoln Southwest: Another senior that’s having a great season for Southwest is Eli Rhodes, who enters the tournament with 36 points, which ranks second on the team. Rhodes has 13 goals and 10 assists.

Kevin Becerril Sanchez, Senior, Omaha South: One of the top goal scorers in the state belongs to the Omaha South Packers (17-1), who come into the tournament as the No. 2 seed. Kevin Becerril Sanchez has a team-high 24 goals to go along with four assists. He’s scored two or more goals in eight games this season, and has four hat tricks.

Edwin Cisneros Garcia, Junior, Omaha South: The leading assister for Omaha South is junior Edwin Cisneros Garcia with 10. Cisneros Garcia came up clutch in a 3-2 win over Grand Island back on March 27 when he assisted on all three Packer goals.

Carter Hinman, Senior, Gretna: The No. 3-seeded Gretna Dragons (15-3) are led in scoring by senior Carter Hinman, who has 11 goals and four assists. He’s scored three goals in four contests this season. 

Cedar Moyer, Senior, Gretna: Tying for most points on Gretna’s club with Hinman is senior Cedar Moyer, who has nine goals and a team-high eight assists. Hinman’s scored two goals in two matches this season while recording a couple assists in two as well.

Max Matthies, Sophomore, Creighton Prep: Leading the No. 4-seeded Creighton Prep Bluejays (12-5) is the young goal-scorer Max Matthies, a sophomore. Matthies has six goals and three assists for the Bluejays, who are the only ones to beat Omaha South this season.

Ryan Lee, Junior, Millard South: Leading the Millard South Patriots () into the tournament is their top point-scorer Ryan Lee, a junior. Lee has a team-best 22 points while scoring seven goals with eight assists. While Lee can flash his scoring skill, he’s just as good finding his teammates. In a 6-0 win against Columbus Scotus on April 17, Lee dished out three assists.

Tyson Klein, Sophomore, Lincoln Southeast: Dynamic sophomore Tyson Klein is tied for the team lead in points for the No. 6-seeded Lincoln Southeast Knights (11-4) with 15. He’s scored seven goals — most on the squad — with one assist. 

Will Peterson, Junior, Lincoln Southeast: Another young member of Lincoln Southeast’s team who’s had a strong season is Will Peterson. The junior has 15 points this year six goals and three assists.

Caden Tubaugh, Senior, Millard West: The top point-getter for the No. 7-seeded Millard West Wildcats (10-7) is senior Caden Tubaugh with 32. Tubaugh is racked up 10 goals and 12 assists in 2021. He’s had two matches this season where he netted two goals.

Johnson Lu, Junior, Millard West: The second-leading scorer for Millard West is the junior Johnson Lu with 25. He’s found the back of the net 10 times this season, which ties Tubaugh for the team lead, while notching five assists.

Javier Baide Perez, Junior, Grand Island: A high-volume scorer, Javier Baide Perez leads the No. 8-seeded Grand Island Islanders (10-5) into the state tournament with a team-best 24 goals to go along with 10 assists. According to MaxPreps.com, Baide Perez has scored four goals in three games — wins against Lincoln Pius X, Lincoln North Star and Lincoln Northeast.

Diego Salas, Senior, Grand Island: Racking up double-digit scoring in both goals and assists is Grand Island senior Diego Salas. Salas has 10 goals and 12 assists this season. 

Class B boys

Kyle Hansen, Senior, Skutt Catholic: The top goal-scorer for the Class B state tournament No. 1-seeded Omaha Skutt Catholic SkyHawks (18-1) is senior Kyle Hansen with 17. His 37 points are tops on the team. He’s also chipped in with three assists on the season. 

Andrew Davidson, Senior, Skutt Catholic: The leading assist man for the SkyHawks is senior Andrew Davidson. Davidson is second on the team in points with 27 and his 15 helpers are most the squad. He’s also chipped in offensively with six goals.

Caleb Vos, Senior, Skutt Catholic: Another senior who is having a strong season for Skutt is Caleb Vos. Vos has 25 points, which is tied for third on the team. He’s got eight goals, too.

Yoskar Galvan, Senior, Lexington: The top point-scorer for the No. 2-seeded Lexington Minutemen (18-1) is Yoskar Galvan with 55. Galvan has 17 goals, but he’s especially dangerous when he’s looking to feed his teammates. His 21 assists leads the team. 

Diego Martinez, Senior, Lexington: With 18 goals so far this season, Diego Martinez presents quite the challenge for opposing defenses. Martinez is second on the team in points with 43. He’s handed out seven assists as well. 

Harper Held, Sophomore, Mount Michael Benedictine: The leading goal-scorer for Mount Michael (11-5), the No. 3 seed of the Class B tournament, is sophomore Harper Held. Held has nine goals and is tied for the team lead in points with 20.

Joe Chouinard, Senior, Mount Michael Benedictine: One of Mount Michael’s top seniors this season has been Joe Chouinard, who’s 20 points are tied with Held for the most on the team. Chouinard has eight goals and four assists this season. 

Oliver Benson, Junior, Bennington: The Bennington Badgers (16-3) are the No. 4 seed of the Class B tournament, and their top player is junior Oliver Benson. Benson has recorded a team-best 20 goals while dishing out 13 assists. Benson’s best match may have come against Omaha North, where he netted four goals and had three assists in a 11-1 blowout win. 

Kai Olbrich, Sophomore, Bennington: A second strong and young player for Bennington is its 44-point sophomore Kai Olbrich. Olbrich has 17 goals and 10 assists this season. 

Parker Janky, Senior, Grand Island Northwest: The Grand Island Northwest Vikings (13-3) are state-bound. The Vikings are the No. 5 seed of the Class B state tournament and are led by senior Parker Janky, who has a team-best 58 points with 26 goals and six assists. In a win over Gering on March 20, Janky racked up six goals. 

Frank Fehringer, Freshman, Columbus Scotus: The No. 6-seeded Columbus Scotus Shamrocks (12-6) have a freshman scorer leading the way as Frank Fehringer had 17 goals. Fehringer is also a capable passer as he comes into the tournament with nine assists. 

Chance Bailey, Junior, Columbus Scotus: A player who’s in double digits in both scoring and assisting for Columbus Scotus is junior Chance Bailey. Bailey has 13 goals and 11 assists for head coach PJ Miller. 

Nathan Karnes, Junior, South Sioux City: The South Sioux City Cardinals (10-9) are the No. 7 seed and get to take on top-seed Omaha Skutt Catholic. If the Cardinals have an upset in them, Nathan Karnes is going to be involved. Karnes leads South Sioux City in goals with 13.  

Connor Cargile, Senior, Platteview: The top point-scorer for the No. 8-seeded Platteview Trojans (12-6) is senior Connor Cargile with 53. Cargile has 23 goals and seven assists on the season.

Jackson Fluckey, Senior, Platteview: With double-digit numbers in goals and assists, Platteview senior Jackson Fluckey is the one of the best team’s do-everything players. Fluckey has 18 goals and 14 assists for head coach Mark McLaughlin’s team.