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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

Shelby County can regularly lay claim to some of the top soccer teams in the state of Alabama, but this week, the area rules atop the country.

The Oak Mountain Eagles boys soccer team and the Spain Park Jaguars girls soccer team are each ranked No. 1 in MaxPreps’ national rankings for spring soccer teams as of Monday, March 17.

The pair highlights five different local soccer teams in their respective top 25 rankings as the Oak Mountain girls, Chelsea Hornets boys and Briarwood Christian Lions boys also boast top-20 national rankings.

MaxPreps calculates its rankings by a computer system and divides the soccer rankings between teams that play in fall, winter and spring.

Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and Washington all play boys soccer in the spring while Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma and South Carolina do the same for girls soccer. Multiple states divide genders between multiple seasons.

After finishing as the No. 3 ranked team in the country last season, Oak Mountain rules as the No. 1 team in the boys soccer rankings. The Eagles had a 16-0 record when the rankings updated on Monday, but Tuesday, March 18’s 4-1 win over No. 2 Hoover made it 17-0 likely tightened their grip on the spot.

Oak Mountain has set the state record for longest matches without a loss at 47 straight matches unbeaten dating back to the start of the 2024 season. The Eagles are 46-0-1 during that stretch and won the Class 7A boys soccer state championship in 2024.

Oak Mountain is one of five Alabama teams in the top 10 as Prattville is ranked No. 4 with a 10-2 record, Homewood is No. 7 at 12-1 on the year and the 9-0 Florence Falcons are No. 9 in the nation.

As for Spain Park, the Jags are atop the country once again after starting the year with a 10-1 record. Their lone loss came in a 70-minute Lakeshore Shootout game against the Oak Mountain Eagles.

Since that Feb. 22 loss, the Jags have won five-straight games, including against Briarwood Christian, Chelsea and Pelham in area play and against Homewood and Georgia’s Norcross.

Spain Park is no stranger to the top spot as it finished the 2024 regular season as the No. 1 team in the country with a 21-0 undefeated record. However, the Jags lost to Vestavia Hills in a penalty shootout in the first round to end their season.

Spain Park sits above North Carolina’s Providence Day at No. 2, Vestavia Hills at No. 3, North Carolina’s Charlotte Catholic at No. 4 and Georgia’s Buford at No. 5.

Oak Mountain’s girls joined the boys in the national rankings as they are the No. 14 team in the country according to MaxPreps. The Eagles slid five spots from the last set of rankings but check in just above North Carolina’s Hough in this week’s top 25.

Oak Mountain fell after losing for the first time in 2025 against Vestavia Hills in a tight 1-0 battle in area play. The Eagles also lost 4-1 to 7A No. 5 Hoover on Tuesday, March 18, but the defeat came after the rankings were finalized for the week.

Over on the boys side, a pair of area foes are side-by-side in the national rankings as Chelsea is No. 18 ahead of Briarwood at No. 19. The Hornets fell eight spots from the last rankings while the Lions entered this week’s top 25 by rising seven spots.

That movement is mainly because of a 6-2 win by the Lions over the Hornets on Friday, March 14 at Briarwood Christian School. The computer rankings do not take head-to-head results into account. Chelsea also remains at No. 2 in the Class 6A coaches poll while Briarwood is No. 4.

The Hornets are 11-2 on the year and won eight straight matches going into their matchup with the Lions.

As for Briarwood, it sits at 10-4 in 2025, including a 4-1 area win over Spain Park on Tuesday, March 18 that was not included in the Monday release of the rankings.