Lakota East boys soccer claimed the No. 1 spot in the area Top 5 soccer rankings after knocking off previously top-ranked Fairfield 3-1 on the road.
The Thunderhawks (4-1-2) also beat Walnut Hills 2-0, jumping from No. 2 in The Report Ohio's weekly rankings published Monday, Sept. 7. Fairfield (5-1-1) dropped to No. 2.
The timing sets up a crosstown showdown: Lakota West travels to Lakota East for boys soccer on Thursday, Sept. 10.
Junior Miles Polachek leads the Thunderhawks with four goals on the season. Senior Hilary Lanjo has added three goals, and senior goalkeeper Nick Maslin tops the Greater Miami Conference (GMC) with three shutouts.
The turnaround is sharp. Lakota East finished 5-10-3 in 2025 under eighth-year head coach Jeremy Hilen. Seven games into 2026, the Thunderhawks hold the area's top ranking.
East plays Oak Hills on Tuesday, Sept. 8, before hosting the Firebirds on Thursday, Sept. 10.
Lakota West girls drop to No. 2
Across the district, the Lakota West girls soccer team slid from No. 1 to No. 2 after a 2-0 loss to Olentangy Berlin and a 2-2 tie with Oak Hills. The Firebirds sit at 4-1-1.
Senior Anne Marie Wambugu leads West with six goals, tied atop the GMC. Junior Remi Schmidt has two goals and three assists. Freshman goalkeeper Melanie Howard has recorded 20 saves.
Head coach Brigit Reder Wilder, a state title winner at West, spoke to The Report Ohio on Aug. 28 when the Firebirds were 4-0 and ranked No. 1.
"This year we had a large, talented freshman class join the program to reinforce our well-balanced mix of sophomores, juniors and seniors," Wilder said then.
West's next scheduled game is a trip to Sycamore.
Lakota East girls hold at No. 4
Lakota East girls soccer (4-2-1) stayed at No. 4 after splitting results. The Thunderhawks lost to Ross 4-0 but bounced back with a 4-0 win over Fairfield.
Senior Bailey Bacher leads East with a GMC-leading six goals and four assists. She scored twice in the Fairfield win. Senior goalkeeper Emmaline Slusher has three shutouts and a GMC-leading 46 saves.
East travels to Ross on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and hosts Fairfield on Thursday, Sept. 10.
