Eighty-eight players have received 2026 All-State Soccer honors from the South Dakota High School Soccer Coaches Association.
The honorees include 35 players who competed in state Class AA and A championship games on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Allen Mitchell Athletic Complex in Watertown.
Area all-state selections include seven players from Class AA Watertown, five from Class AA Aberdeen Central and three from Class A Groton Area.
2026 STATE SOCCER CHAMPIONSHIPS: Harrisburg, SF Christian & James Valley Christian also win state titles
Here's a breakdown by class:
Class AA Boys
- State Champion Sioux Falls Lincoln — Holden Hilmoe, Grant Oleson and Miles Rolfing (first team); Jacob Burchett and Opland Sonnichsen (second team) and Charles Krueger (honorable mention). Rolfing made the second team and Sonnichsen the first team in 2025.
- State Runner-up Watertown — Roger Carranza, Xane Fligge and Owen Muller (first team), Matthew Bertsch (second team) and Isaac Thorson (honorable mention). Fligge made the second team in 2025.
- Other First Team — Linus Johnson, Aberdeen Central; Oakley McMillen, Sioux Falls Jefferson; Miles Wright, Rapid City Stevens; Carson Johnson, Sioux Falls Washington and Evan Duncan, Spearfish. McMillen is a repeat first-team selection. Wright moved up after making the second team last fall.
- Other Second Team — Gus Bjerknes, Aberdeen Central; Liam Weide, Harrisburg; Caiden Ahartz and Jacob LaRoche, Pierre; Ravi Moreland, Rapid City Stevens; Trey Woods, Sioux Falls Jefferson; Carson Coulter, Sioux Falls Washington; and Antonio Guitron, Yankton.
- Other Honorable Mention — Paxton Sohn, O'Gorman; Ben Hewitt, Sioux Falls Jefferson; and Hudson Hadrick, Tea Area.
Class AA Girls
- State Champion Harrisburg — Bria Miller, Regan Schelske and Aubrey Zink (first team), Sidney DeJong and Taylor Syverson (second team) and Sophia Hulstein (Harrisburg). Miller made the second team in 2025.
- State Runner-up Pierre — Aubrey Fischer and Lexie Hillmer (first team) and Emlyn Swanson and Katelyn Taylor (second team). Hillmer received honorable mention in 2025.
- Other First Team — Brianna Fischer, Aberdeen Central; Lyndy Bortnem, O'Gorman; Ava Holzwarth and Vienna Reagan, Rapid City Stevens; Katie Fischer, Watertown; and Eden Wolfgram, Yankton. Bortnem, Holzwarth and Wolgram each made the first team, Reagan the second team and Hillmer honorable mention in 2025.
- Other Second Team — Jaxi Lozenski and Keyana Stillman, Aberdeen Central; Rylee Briggs, Brookings; Loretta Hillman, O'Gorman; Adelyn Ernster, Sioux Falls Jefferson; Gemma Oppenheimer, Sioux Falls Lincoln; and Iyana Becker, Yankton.
- Other Honorable Mention — Sam Stemwedel, Brandon Valley; Aubrey Gallipo, Sioux Falls Roosevelt and Sophia Gallardo, Watertown.
Class A Boys
- State Champion James Valley Christian — Noah Fast and Gavin Waldner (first team) and Isaac Fast (second team). Waldner also made the first team in 2024 and 2025 and received honorable mention in 2023. N. Fast also made the first team in 2025.
- State Runner-up Hot Springs — Nikolas Cruz and Thad Vande Stroet (first team).
- Other First Team — Keagan Walker, Belle Fourche; Lesther Rocha, Freeman-Marion-Parker/Viborg-Hurley; Ethan Kroll, Groton Area; Mason McIntosh and Brayden Stalley, St. Thomas More/Rapid City Christian; and Sam Nissen and Teagan Wells, Vermillion. Rocha also made the first team in 2025. Nissen received honorable mention last fall.
- Other Honorable Mention — Bryan Cardona, Dakota Valley; Domani Butler and Emma Tuschen, Freeman-Marion-Parker/Viborg-Hurley; Jer Williams, St. Thomas More-Rapid City Christian; and Ganon Lienhard, West Central.
Class A Girls
- State Champion Dakota Valley — Sophie Meyer, Izzy Mijangos and Lexi Stusse (first team) and Ava and Millie Squier (honorable mention). Meyer and Mijangos each repeated on the first team last fall. Stusse received honorable mention in 2025.
- State Runner-up Sioux Falls Christian — Kenley Anderson, Tori Gassen and Nealie Stanford (first team) and Jada Elgersma (honorable mention). Anderson repeated on the first team. Tietz, Stusse and Lupkes each received honorable mention last fall. Tietz was a first-team honoree in 2024.
- Other First Team — Lydia Frerk, Garretson; McKenna Tietz, Groton Area; Brianne Katzenstein, St. Thomas More-Rapid City Christian; and Teagan Lupkes and Baylee Poss, West Central.
- Other Honorable Mention — Tenley Neuharth, Belle Fourche; Sydney Locke, Groton Area; Adie McVey, Lennox; and Monica Moran, St. Thomas More-Rapid City Christian.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on X (formerly known as Twitter) @PO_Sports or email: rmerriam@thepublicopinion.com
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: State champion, runner-up teams spearhead SDHSSCA all-state teams