“Not a revenge run” said Parkland head coach Scott Mang when interviewed by the Morning Call, in regards to a second year of domination in the lead up to mens soccer, district lV AAA(3A) and AAAA(4A) championships. Summarizing the past twenty years, Emmaus and Parkland have had powerhouse soccer programs producing sixteen district championship wins, with Emmaus truly flexing its dominance in the last decade. This power struggle spawned the question: Who has the most successful district champion records?
Naturally the teams of the past may predate certain organization irregularities, so those accounts will be taken into consideration as they are ranked, with a focus on the highest level of competition in the district.
An interesting example and the #5 spot is Southern Lehigh’s district win during the 2014-15 season. Prior to the heavyweight schools stepping up into 4A competitions, our neighbor school had a phenomenal season. Bringing home the district’s highest level win to a 3A school.
Finding place in the number 4 spot is Stroudsburg High, with their 2009 and 2012 championship performances. Sadly, these wins were followed by several years of hard losses as they moved up to the 4A league along with Parkland and Emmaus. The team had massive roster turnover however leading to good things in the late 2010s, following the arrival of head coach James Beebe. Beebe had stuck through with the team during the pandemic, leading them to impressive wins, earning their spot on the rankings.
Freedom High paves the way to a confident number 3 spot with their dominant performance in the last couple years. Having had their last district win in 2018 the school is on the hunt for a district championship. Recent performances place Freedom as the favorite pick for the 2024-25 season, so we’re anticipating a boost in the rank of this rising star school.
Confidently holding the number two spot is Parkland High, with a commanding 6 district titles in the last 20 years. A junction of several factors have built this powerhouse school, including the massive student population and high tax base. This school district has had runs in nearly every district final of the records I looked through going even back to the year 2000.
Lastly, with a truly spectacular display of coaching, and athleticism is Emmaus High with 10 of the last 20 district wins for the highest high school rankings in the state. Emmaus has put on a spectacular display for competing programs with the most wins all out in the district for any team. This cements the school with the undisputed number one spot for men’s soccer in district IV rankings.
With reflection on some oddities of the sport’s growth in the last 20 years, the way district IV’s soccer is being run is new in its own right. The 2016-17 season saw the introduction of 4A schools in the district. This higher level of competition allowed more success in lower brackets, without overcrowding of these massive 4,000 or 5,000 student schools. An honorable mention to this list is Northwestern Lehigh’s dominant showing in the 3A bracket since the addition of another level of competition.
Overall it’s important to recognize the impact of the sport beyond just titles, these showcases have been steps towards potential careers, higher education, and scholarships, for many of the athletes of the sport.
