Way Too Early Kentucky Teams to Track in 2026

Yesterday, we took a way too early look at some of the potential contenders to take home the state title crown in the Bluegrass in 2026. Now, let's step down a tier and look at those teams who maybe aren't contenders but should be on your radar, and could certainly make some noise, next spring.   Frederick Douglass Broncos   While not even a decade into the schools existence, Frederick Douglass has gained prominence quickly as one of the best athletic programs in Lexington. Lacrosse is no exception as the Broncos have only gotten better year over year. Last spring, the Broncos went 13-5 overall and won the seventh region. They saw their season come to an end with a 16-6 loss versus Woodford County in the state quarterfinals.   Allowing just 6.2 goals per game in 2025, Frederick Douglass displayed one of the best and most efficient defenses in Kentucky. Headlining that group was goalie [player_tooltip player_id='24850' first='Will' last='Hart'] who has been one of the most impressive goalies in the state over the past few seasons. He made 172 stops with a 67% save percentage in 2025. Lockdown defenseman [player_tooltip player_id='20784' first='Landon' last='Davis'] also played a big role in that defensive success, tallying 43 caused turnovers and 43 ground balls this past spring. Hart will be a senior and Davis a junior in 2026. Both are expected to be faces of this program once more.   The Broncos also return four of their top five scorers from last spring, which includes leading scorer Jimmy Hooks who tallied 89 points off 46 goals and 43 assists in 2025. With as much talent as the Broncos return, this team is expected to be dangerous once more.   Henry Clay Blue Devils   A traditional Lexington power out of the seventh region, the Blue Devils seem to always be in the conversation and expectations shouldn't be any different heading into 2026. That is especially true considering some of the young talent returning from a squad that went 13-5 overall. The Blue Devils were regional runner-ups to the aforementioned Broncos.   [player_tooltip player_id='124709' first='Max' last='Thayer'] is one of the best young scorers in the Commonwealth. A strong dodger who took on a large workload as a sophomore this past spring, Thayer ended 2025 as one of the top scorers in the state with 92 points off 55 goals and 37 assists. Thayer's classmate Zach Hoellein also made a big jump over this past spring as he rose to be the primary option at the faceoff dot for a Blue Devils squad that entered the year with a big hole at the position. Hoellein went 219-for-297 (73%) at the dot while also scoring five goals and dishing out two assists.   North Oldham Mustangs   Runner-up in the sixth region to a South Oldham squad who advanced to the title game, the Mustangs had an up and down season in 2025. North Oldham was 3-7 entering the last month of the season but went 6-5 in that final stretch to end the year with a 9-12 record. Close losses to Henry Clay and Ballard, as well as wins over Christian Academy (Lou.) and Collins headlined the Mustangs' final stretch of the season. A loss to Dixie Heights in the state second round ended their 2025 campaign.   North Oldham featured a squad this past spring that included just two seniors. That factor puts the Mustangs in good graces when talking about returning production entering 2025. North Oldham will return each of their 10 scores from a year ago. That includes six double-digit goal-scorers and nine double-digit point-getters. Evan Smith led the way for the Mustangs with 40 goals and 19 assists for 59 points this past spring. Levi Gay and Dillon Halfrace each tallied over 20 points. Gay was just a freshman.   The immediate future could be bright in Goshen.   South Warren   The Spartans were a surprise team this past spring as they broke though and made the final four. And they did so with a 24-man roster that featured just five seniors and one junior. Among the key returners from this past seasons' squad includes freshman phenom [player_tooltip player_id='129402' first='Brendan' last='Bird'] at the faceoff dot, goalie Cody Woods, and midfielder Austin Kitchens. Both Woods and Kitchens were just sophomores.

Yesterday, we took a way too early look at some of the potential contenders to take home the state title crown in the Bluegrass in 2026. Now, let's step down a tier and look at those teams who maybe aren't contenders but should be on your radar, and could certainly make some noise, next spring.