Messenger file photo by Chris McCarthy
Four local high school soccer teams were ranked in a preseason poll put together by Alabama high school soccer coaches.
In the girls’ poll, Southside and Westbrook Christian were both ranked fourth, the Lady Panthers in Class 5A and the Lady Warriors in Class 4A.
On the boys’ side, Southside was ranked sixth in Class 5A and Westbrook seventh in Class 4A.
Westbrook is competing in Class 4A this season due to the AHSAA Competitive Balance rule.
While competing in Class 6A last season, the Southside girls went 18-4-3 and qualified for AHSAA state semifinals for the fifth straight year. The 2022 Westbrook girls went 19-4 and made it to the Class 4A/5A state semifinals.
The Southside and Westbrook boys both made it to the second round of the state playoffs. The Panthers finished with a 12-5-2 record, while the Warriors went 17-3-2.
All four teams opened their seasons this week. Westbrook travels to Douglas on Thursday, February 2, while Southside hosts James Clemens on Tuesday, February 7.