Aroostook County Boys Soccer Teams Head Into 2026 Playoffs With Plenty of Local Storylines [VIDEO]

The boys' high school soccer playoffs are almost here, and there's plenty to talk about as our local teams get ready for their tournament runs.

Madawaska has earned the top seed in Class D North, Presque Isle has secured a preliminary-round bye in Class B, and Fort Kent is preparing to host a Class C quarterfinal.

Meanwhile, the eight-player tournament has a particularly interesting possibility, with Wisdom and Katahdin potentially meeting in the quarterfinals if the Cougars can get through their preliminary game.

Add in Caribou, Central Aroostook, Fort Fairfield, Hodgdon, Easton, Washburn, Van Buren and Houlton, and there's no shortage of County soccer to follow.

The eight-player preliminary round begins Friday, October 23, with the Class B preliminary games following Saturday, October 24.

Regional quarterfinals are scheduled for October 27 and 28.

Here's a look at the boys' tournament picture.

The 2026 MPA Soccer Championships on 101.9 The Rock are proudly presented by Pineland Farms in Mars Hill.

Class B North: Presque Isle Earns Home Quarterfinal, Caribou Opens in Preliminaries

The Presque Isle Wildcats finished 8-5-1 and earned the fourth seed in Class B North.

That gives Presque Isle a bye through the preliminary round and a home quarterfinal against the winner of fifth-seeded Erskine Academy and twelfth-seeded Skowhegan.

The Wildcats had some memorable moments during the regular season, including an impressive comeback victory over Foxcroft Academy.

Trailing by two goals, Presque Isle battled back to pick up a 3-2 victory in one of the more exciting finishes of the fall.

The Wildcats also swept their regular-season meetings against Caribou and Fort Kent.

Presque Isle's five losses came against John Bapst, Orono and Foxcroft Academy, all teams that have shown they can compete at a high level.

With the fourth seed, the Wildcats have an opportunity to begin their tournament at home and build on what they've accomplished this season.

Caribou Faces Medomak Valley in Preliminary Round

The Caribou Vikings finished 4-8-2, earning the eighth seed and a preliminary matchup with ninth-seeded Medomak Valley, which finished 6-8.

The teams did not meet during the regular season.

Caribou's victories included two wins over Fort Kent and two against Hermon. The Vikings also earned ties against Foxcroft Academy and Brewer.

If Caribou can advance through the preliminary round, the Vikings would face top-seeded John Bapst, which finished 13-0-1.

John Bapst defeated Caribou twice during the regular season, so the Vikings know the level of competition waiting in the quarterfinals.

First, though, they'll need to get past Medomak Valley.

Class C North: Fort Kent Earns Fourth Seed

Fort Kent finished 7-6-1, earning the third seed in Class C North and a home quarterfinal against sixth-seed Washington Academy.

The Raiders finished with a 6-6-2 record.

The Warriors have faced some challenging competition throughout the fall, including games against Presque Isle, Caribou, Orono and Madawaska.

Fort Kent recorded two victories over Madawaska, which finished as the top seed in Class D North, and also earned a tie against top-seeded Class C Orono.

The Warriors split their two meetings with George Stevens Academy/Deer Isle-Stonington and swept Washington Academy.

The Warriors have shown they can be competitive against strong opponents, and they'll be looking to carry that experience into the postseason.

Class D North: Madawaska Leads a Field Filled With County Teams

If you're looking for a bracket with plenty of local interest, Class D North has it.

Seven of the eight teams in the current tournament field are from Aroostook County, with several familiar opponents meeting again in the postseason.

And at the top of the standings are the Madawaska Owls.

No. 1 Madawaska vs. No. 8 MSSM

Madawaska finished 12-2, earning the top seed in Class D North.

The Owls' only two losses came against Class C Fort Kent, and they swept the rest of their regular-season opponents.

Madawaska finished its regular season with a 6-1 victory over Washburn on Senior Night.

Josh Querze scored twice, while Aiden Gagnon, Oliver Pelkey, Bradley Kennedy and Ashton Guerrette each added a goal.

The Owls will begin the tournament against eighth-seeded Maine School of Science and Mathematics from Limestone, which was 1-7-2 in the supplied standings.

Madawaska defeated MSSM during the regular season.

With the top seed and an impressive regular-season record, the Owls have given themselves a great opportunity to make a run through the Northern Maine tournament.

No. 2 Central Aroostook vs. No. 7 Penobscot Valley

Central Aroostook has also enjoyed an outstanding fall, finishing 11-3 and earning the second seed.

The Panthers are lined up against seventh-seeded Penobscot Valley, which enters with a 5-8 record in the supplied standings.

Central Aroostook's only three losses came against Madawaska twice and Fort Fairfield once.

The Panthers also defeated Fort Fairfield in their other meeting, giving them a split against the Tigers.

Central Aroostook picked up victories over Easton and Washburn during the regular season and has been one of the more consistent teams in the classification.

The Panthers did not face Penobscot Valley this fall, so they'll be preparing for a new opponent when the quarterfinals begin.

No. 3 Fort Fairfield vs. No. 6 Washburn

Fort Fairfield finished 6-6-2, earning the third seed in Class D North.

The Tigers are matched up against sixth-seeded Washburn, which was 3-8-2 in the supplied standings.

These teams split their regular-season meetings, with each picking up a victory.

Fort Fairfield also recorded an important win over second-seeded Central Aroostook, along with a victory over Hodgdon.

Washburn, meanwhile, picked up victories over both Hodgdon and Fort Fairfield, showing that the Beavers can compete with teams seeded above them.

With the season series tied at one game apiece, a third meeting in the quarterfinals should be worth watching.

No. 4 Hodgdon vs. No. 5 Easton

Hodgdon has also put together a strong season, sitting at 9-3-1 in the supplied standings and earning the fourth seed.

The Shires are lined up against fifth-seeded Easton, which finished 8-6.

Hodgdon defeated Easton in both regular-season meetings, and the Shires also recorded victories over Penobscot Valley.

Easton had some impressive moments as well, including two victories over Fort Fairfield.

While Hodgdon had the advantage in the first two meetings against Easton, the Bears will have another chance to change that story when the playoffs begin.

It should be an interesting matchup between two County schools that know each other well.

Eight-Player North: Wisdom Moves to Third, Potential Katahdin Rematch Ahead

The eight-player boys' tournament has one of the more intriguing possibilities for County soccer fans.

Wisdom is entering the postseason as the number three seed, while Katahdin is sixth after finishing with twelve victories.

If both teams advance to the quarterfinals, they'll meet for a third time this season.

But there's plenty of soccer to be played before that can happen.

No. 3 Wisdom Awaits Katahdin or Lee Academy

The Wisdom Pioneers finished 11-3 and earned the third seed in eight-player North.

Wisdom receives a preliminary-round bye and will host the winner of sixth-seeded Katahdin and eleventh-seeded Lee Academy.

The Pioneers have had plenty of success against other tournament teams this season, including two wins over Van Buren and two over Penquis Valley.

Wisdom also split its regular-season meetings with Katahdin.

That creates an interesting possibility for the quarterfinals.

If Katahdin advances past Lee Academy, the Pioneers and Cougars will meet for a third time, with a regional semifinal berth at stake.

No. 6 Katahdin vs. No. 11 Lee Academy

Katahdin finished 12-2, one of the best records among the local boys' soccer teams.

Despite that record, the Cougars enter the eight-player tournament as the sixth seed, based on the Heal point standings.

They'll open against eleventh-seeded Lee Academy, which finished 5-7-2.

Katahdin's only two losses came against Wisdom and Van Buren.

The Cougars also earned victories over both teams in their other meetings, giving them a split against each.

Katahdin did not face Lee Academy during the regular season.

Should the Cougars advance, they'll travel to face third-seeded Wisdom in what could be one of the more interesting County matchups of the tournament.

No. 7 Van Buren vs. No. 10 Schenck-Stearns

The Van Buren Crusaders finished 7-6-1, earning the seventh seed.

Their preliminary-round opponent is tenth-seeded Schenck-Stearns, which finished 7-7.

Van Buren defeated Schenck twice during the regular season and will be looking for a third win against the Wolverines.

The Crusaders also recorded a victory over Katahdin and played Mattanawcook Academy to a tie.

The winner will move on to face the second seed in the quarterfinals.

No. 9 Houlton/GHCA vs. No. 8 Penquis Valley

The Houlton/Greater Houlton Christian Academy Shiretowners finished 4-8-2, earning the ninth seed.

Houlton will travel to eighth-seeded Penquis Valley, which finished 7-7.

These teams did not meet during the regular season.

The Shiretowners picked up two victories over Schenck-Stearns during the fall, along with wins against Ashland and Van Buren.

The winner of the preliminary game will advance to face top-seeded Mattanawcook Academy.

Houlton has already faced Mattanawcook twice this season, with the Lynx winning both meetings.

Tournament Championships Coming to Presque Isle

The postseason begins with eight-player preliminary games Friday, October 23, followed by the Class B preliminaries Saturday, October 24.

Quarterfinals are scheduled for October 27 and 28, with regional semifinals October 30 and 31.

The regional championships follow November 3 and 4, and the state championships are scheduled for Saturday, November 7.

Two major championship games will take place right here in Aroostook County.

Presque Isle Middle School will host the Class D North regional championship on November 4 and the eight-player state championship on November 7.

With so many County teams involved, there's plenty of opportunity for some local schools to advance into the later rounds.

I'll have the finalized brackets, results, updates and more photos as the tournament gets underway.

Good luck to all our local boys' teams as they begin their playoff runs!