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2026 LebCo Boys Soccer Season Outlook
Buckle up. The 2026 boys soccer season has all the ingredients for an entertaining ride across Lebanon County.
There are veteran teams with big expectations, proven scorers back for another run, young groups hoping last year’s experience pays off, and programs looking to build upon postseason breakthroughs. Cedar Crest returns 15 seniors after reaching Districts for the first time in nearly two decades, while ELCO brings back a talented core from a 15-win season and District 3 run. Around them, Northern Lebanon, Lebanon, Palmyra, and Annville-Cleona each have reasons to believe they can take a step forward.
The games are already underway, and now comes the fun part: seeing which teams can turn that preseason optimism into results. Here’s a team-by-team look at Lebanon County boys soccer heading into the 2026 season.
Annville-Cleona Dutchmen
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4
Head Coach: Tucker Hull – 2nd season
Key Returners: Grayson Funk (Jr., D); Sajan Tamang (Jr., F); Sam Cantor (So., D); Ezra Lim (So., MF); Peter Meyers (So., D)
Season Outlook
There should be a little more familiarity surrounding Annville-Cleona in 2026. Tucker Hull enters his second season after taking over a program that had experienced considerable coaching turnover, and many of the younger players he worked with during his first year are back with another season of varsity experience.
The Dutchmen do have some significant leadership to replace following the graduation of Travis Hostetter and Joey Martin. Hostetter contributed throughout the field and came through in some important moments, including the double-overtime penalty kick that lifted A-C past Northern Lebanon late last season. Martin provided experience in the center of the defense.
What remains is a young group that gained valuable experience together last fall. Grayson Funk entered 2025 as a returning starter on the back line and contributed offensively as well, including an assist against Millersburg. Junior Sajan Tamang showed an ability to find the net, scoring against New Covenant and again in the double-overtime win over Northern Lebanon.
There is also reason to watch the development of Sam Cantor, Ezra Lim, and Peter Meyers. All three were identified as freshmen to watch entering last season and are back as sophomores on the current varsity roster. Meyers also recorded an assist on Tamang’s goal against New Covenant.
That gives Hull something he didn’t necessarily have when he took over a year ago: continuity. A-C still has a young roster, but several of those players now have varsity experience behind them. The task in Year Two will be turning that familiarity and accumulated experience into more consistent results.
Annville-Cleona Dutchmen Schedule
Cedar Crest Falcons
Lancaster Lebanon League – Section 1
Head Coach: Joe Spade – 3rd season
Key Returners: Grant Reesor (Sr., CB); Lucas Schreier (Sr., MF); Sammy Zeisloft (Sr., MF); Michael Durning (Sr., D); Jemar Pauleus (Jr., F)
Season Outlook
There is experience, confidence, and a definite sense of urgency surrounding Cedar Crest in 2026. The Falcons have 15 seniors on the roster and are coming off an 11-6-1 season that saw them qualify for the District 3 Class 4A Tournament for the first time in nearly 20 years. Their postseason stay ended with a 3-1 first-round loss to Central York, but simply getting there represented an important step forward for the program.
Some significant pieces from that breakthrough season have moved on. Max Fleischer, an LL League All-Star, graduated along with experienced contributors Carter Young, Malachi Reager, Owen Popejoy, Jude Guerrisi, and Charlie Joffy, among others. Those losses leave holes to fill, but this is far from a Cedar Crest team starting over. The Falcons return a 15-member senior class along with several players who were already among the team’s top performers a year ago.
That returning talent starts with Grant Reesor, a three-year captain and 2025 First Team All-League selection who anchors the defense and has taken an active role in holding his teammates accountable. Fellow captain Michael Durningis a three-year varsity starter alongside him. In the midfield, Lucas Schreier returns after earning Second Team All-League honors and scoring 11 goals last season, while captain Sammy Zeisloft added seven goals and several assists.
Junior Jemar Pauleus provides another dimension to an already experienced group. Pauleus has established himself as one of the area’s top basketball players, but his ability on the soccer field has become equally difficult to overlook. He emerged as Cedar Crest’s top forward last fall, scoring 10 goals in only 12 games, and enters 2026 with expectations considerably higher after a breakout varsity season.
With so much talent returning, Cedar Crest has embraced a “Win Now” mentality. The Falcons received some early encouragement during the preseason, shutting out Ephrata 5-0 before battling Central Dauphin to a 3-3 draw. For a group with lofty goals, the performance against a strong CD side offered an early indication that Cedar Crest believes it can compete with quality opponents.
Last year’s District appearance broke a drought that had lasted nearly two decades. Joe Spade now has a veteran group that isn’t interested in simply repeating that accomplishment. With proven production, extensive varsity experience, and a large senior class leading the way, the Falcons enter 2026 intent on seeing how much further they can go.
ELCO Raiders
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3
Head Coach: Brian Marquette — 2nd season
Key Returners: Colin Turner (Sr.); Luke Byler (Sr.); Tanner Hibshman (Jr.); Jevan Marquette (Jr.); Parker Tobias (Jr.); Mason Yoder (Jr.)
Emerging Game Changers: Cru Frederick (Jr.); Max Frederick (Jr.); Landon Yang (Jr.)
Season Outlook
A year ago, ELCO entered the season talking about getting back to the postseason.
The Raiders did considerably more than that.
In Brian Marquette’s first season as head coach, ELCO went 15-6 overall, posted an 8-2 Section 3 record and finished second in the section before advancing into the District 3 playoffs. It represented a significant step forward for a program that had narrowly missed the postseason the year before.
Along the way, several players who entered 2025 as younger pieces became important parts of the Raiders’ success. Jevan Marquette developed into a significant offensive weapon, including a four-goal performance against Northern Lebanon and a two-goal effort late in the season against Lampeter-Strasburg. Tanner Hibshman was another sophomore identified as a key returner before last season, while Colin Turner, Luke Byler, Parker Tobias, and Mason Yoder were all newcomers expected to make an immediate impact.
A year later, every one of them is back.
Turner and Byler now provide senior experience, while Marquette, Hibshman, Tobias and Yoder form a junior class that has already been through meaningful varsity and postseason soccer.
That returning group becomes particularly important because ELCO graduated a large and accomplished senior class. Tyce Boyer, Braden Gettle, Sam Keener, Ben Macchione, Cole Doster, Austin Smith, Collin Readinger and Owen Carmello all depart after helping the Raiders make their 2025 run. Their contributions were evident throughout the season, from Smith’s scoring to Macchione and Readinger’s playmaking and Keener’s ability to find the net.
Replacing that much experience won’t fall on one or two players. Juniors Cru Frederick, Max Frederick, and Landon Yang are among the next generation of contributors who could help replenish the lineup and give ELCO another wave of contributors.
Last season proved the Raiders could get back into the postseason conversation. This year’s ambitions go beyond simply qualifying. ELCO enters 2026 intent on contending for the Section 3 championship and making a deep postseason run.
There are important roles to replace, but there is also a significant amount of proven talent returning. The challenge for this group is to establish its own identity while continuing the standard that helped ELCO take such a substantial step forward last fall.
Lebanon Cedars
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 4
Head Coach: Doug Hunter – 6th season
Key Returners: Farris Omar (Sr., LW/RW); Parker Bartell (Jr., CM/CDM); Judah Centeno (Jr., CDM/CM); Connor Hoffman (Jr., LW/RW); Gauge Soliday (Jr., CB/Att.)
Emerging Game Changers: Erick Rivera Garcia (Sr., Def.); Trystan Steckbeck (Sr., Def./Att.); Levi Centeno (So., LW/RW); Julian Velez (Fr., LW/RW/Mid.)
Collegiate Competitors: Reese Williams — Central Penn
Season Outlook
Lebanon’s progress over the past couple of seasons has been about much more than wins and losses.
Entering 2025, one of the encouraging signs surrounding the program was simply its growth. The Cedars had gone from struggling to fill a roster to supporting both varsity and JV teams, with the JV program coming off one of its strongest seasons. A young group was beginning to move through the system together, and several of those players gained important varsity experience last fall.
The record still wasn’t what Lebanon wanted, but the Cedars saw evidence that the gap was closing. They were more competitive in a number of matches, including contests against Lancaster Mennonite, Lancaster Country Day and Pequea Valley. There were also moments when that progress showed up on the scoreboard. In September, Farris Omar scored and Gauge Soliday delivered a 40-yard free-kick winner in overtime as Lebanon defeated Solanco, 2-1.
Omar is back for his senior season after being identified as a key piece of the program in each of the past two years. Around him is an experienced junior core featuring Parker Bartell, Judah Centeno, Connor Hoffman, and Soliday. Together, they represent much of the group that helped Lebanon become more dangerous offensively last season.
There are significant pieces to replace. Angelo Pena leaves a hole in the defense, while Reese Williams departs the midfield after continuing his career at Central Penn. Those losses create opportunities for others to assume greater responsibility.
Seniors Erick Rivera Garcia and Trystan Steckbeck are candidates to do exactly that, while sophomore Levi Centeno and freshman Julian Velez add another layer of young talent to a program that has been steadily increasing its depth.
The Cedars aren’t starting over. That’s the biggest difference. Much of the core that helped Lebanon stay in more matches and increase its offensive production remains intact. The challenge for 2026 is turning those signs of progress into results more consistently.
New Covenant Flames
Commonwealth Christian Athletic Conference
New Covenant did not provide information for this preview.
Northern Lebanon Vikings
Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3
Head Coach: Brooks Tomazin – 7th season
Key Returners: Luke Klingler (Sr., D); Weston Atkins (Sr., F); Van Winters (Jr., CM); Wesley Groff (So., CM)
Emerging Game Changers: Kolton Grubb (So.); Cooper Bouchette (Fr.)
Season Outlook
For Northern Lebanon, the hope is that a season spent learning on the fly will begin producing results in 2026.
Youth was unavoidable for the Vikings a year ago. After graduating nine varsity players following the 2024 season, Northern Lebanon entered 2025 with only five seniors and juniors combined. That put a lot on a young roster, with numerous underclassmen receiving meaningful varsity minutes. Wesley Groff, then just a freshman, was one of the young players identified before the season as someone who could immediately contribute.
The results were difficult at times, but there were signs of competitiveness along the way. Northern Lebanon battled Octorara to a one-goal game, fell 2-1 to Lampeter-Strasburg and took Annville-Cleona to double overtime late in the season. More importantly for the long-term picture, a lot of players who were being asked to learn varsity soccer in 2025 now return with that experience already behind them.
The Vikings do have to replace three important members of last year’s senior class in Diego Bustillo, Collin Cheslock and Kadyn Moyer. Bustillo, a three-time All-Star entering last season, provided veteran leadership for an otherwise young group and remained an offensive threat throughout the year.
Now the leadership begins shifting to players such as senior defender Luke Klingler and senior forward Weston Atkins, along with junior midfielder Van Winters. Groff returns to the midfield as a sophomore with an entire varsity season already under his belt.
The next wave remains important as well. Sophomore Kolton Grubb and freshman Cooper Bouchette are among the Emerging Game Changers who could help the Vikings continue building their depth.
Northern Lebanon isn’t pretending the rebuilding process is complete. What has changed is the amount of experience available to the coaching staff. Practices have become increasingly competitive, creating difficult decisions over starting spots and playing time. After spending last fall developing a young foundation, the Vikings hope 2026 is when some of that investment begins translating into more wins.
Northern Lebanon Vikings Schedule
Palmyra Cougars
Mid-Penn Conference – Keystone Division
Head Coach: Jeff Wilver – 7th season
Key Returners: Connor Brand (Sr., MF/Def.); Zander Rhoads (Sr., Def.); Ryan Sholly (Sr., Def.); Cooper Komykoski (So., MF); Ryan Kerr (So., Fwd.)
Emerging Game Changers: Prince Ngoma-Reck (So., MF); Shair Gurung (Fr., MF); Max Readinger (Fr., MF)
Season Outlook
For two seasons, Palmyra has been accumulating experience. The Cougars hope 2026 is when that experience begins to pay off.
The process actually began in 2024, when injuries forced younger players into varsity roles during a 6-7-5 campaign. Palmyra entered last season believing that experience would be beneficial, but once again found itself relying heavily on youth. The Cougars finished 5-10-2, although their record didn’t necessarily reflect how competitive they were. Many of their losses were decided by a single goal.
Now some of those young players aren’t so young anymore.
Senior Connor Brand was already identified as a key returning midfielder before last season, as was senior defender Ryan Sholly. They are joined by senior defender Zander Rhoads to give Palmyra an experienced group capable of providing leadership. Sophomores Cooper Komykoski and Ryan Kerr represent the other side of the equation — talented younger players who already have varsity experience.
Komykoski’s progression is particularly representative of what Palmyra has been building. He entered the program as a freshman last season after being identified as one of the Cougars’ newcomers to watch and now returns as an established piece of the midfield.
Yet Palmyra remains young. Sophomore Prince Ngoma-Reck and freshmen Shair Gurung and Max Readingerheadline the Emerging Game Changers, and the Cougars could ultimately use seven or eight freshmen and sophomores at the varsity level.
The difference is that those young players don’t have to carry the team by themselves. Palmyra’s seniors have continued to develop and are ready to assume larger leadership roles, giving the Cougars a potentially valuable mix of experience and upside.
There is also a postseason wrinkle. After competing in Class 4A last year, Palmyra returns to Class 3A in 2026.
The nightly challenge remains substantial in the Mid-Penn Keystone, where Hershey, Lower Dauphin, Northern York and others make consistency essential. But after consecutive seasons in which young players were forced to grow up quickly, Palmyra enters this fall with an encouraging preseason behind it and reason to believe more of those close matches can begin falling the Cougars’ way.
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