EAST REGION
 
No. 4 St. James Academy (8-9-0) at No. 1 Blue Valley Southwest (14-1-3)
 
The last two teams not named Aquinas to win 5A state titles meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday for a trip to Wichita and a spot in the state semifinals. Blue Valley Southwest owns the East's top seed and the No. 1 ranking in the final Class 5A coaches poll after going through the season unbeaten against Kansas teams. The Timberwolves' lone loss was a 1-0 overtime decision against Rockhurst (Mo.) in mid-September.
 
Southwest, winners of three consecutive 5A crowns from 2017-19, hasn't allowed a goal in its last eight games, including a scoreless draw against reigning 6A champion Dodge City on Oct. 9. The Timberwolves rolled past Kansas City Piper 5-0 and Kansas City Washington 6-0 to capture the regional title. Nick Bryan had a goal and two assists in the championship as Southwest scored its season high.
 
St. James Academy, the 2016 5A champ, shut out No. 9 Spring Hill and Kansas City Sumner to win its regional. In a 2-0 win over Spring Hill, freshman Grady Herrington knocked in a header on an assist from senior Nathan Haney, and freshman Caleb Heeb added the insurance goal on senior Blaise Foster's feed. In nasty weather for the championship, senior Trey Schaefer assisted his freshman cousin Shawn Schaefer for the only goal in a 1-0 victory over Sumner. Goalkeeper John McMahon registered both shutouts.
 
Southwest and St. James met Sept. 21. The host Timberwolves won 1-0.

 
No. 3 De Soto (11-6-1) at No. 2. St. Thomas Aquinas (13-4-1)
 
De Soto took down the East's top seed to win its regional title, and hits the road again to face the reigning 5A champion in a 6:30 p.m. contest. The Wildcats stunned previously unbeaten and No. 2-ranked Mill Valley 1-0 on Thursday on sophomore Cruz Aldape's goal 11 minutes into the second half. Mill Valley, which defeated De Soto 2-0 in early September, peppered junior goalkeeper Brody Macoubrie, but he was up to the task with 21 saves.

 
De Soto has a solid group of seniors, including Austin Lum, who leads the Wildcats with nine goals, and Kyle Newberry, a dual-sport athlete who finished 16^th in the Class 5A state cross country meet on Saturday. Team captain Jackson Porras, defensive specialist Ethan Koch and Logan Boehm, a technically skilled speedster, add to the Wildcats' veteran depth.
 
Like De Soto, Aquinas moved through its regional without allowing a goal. Senior defender Jacob Muckerman scored on a pair of headers in an 8-0 victory over Pittsburg in the opener. Aquinas, No. 3 in 5A, then bounced No. 5 Shawnee Heights 5-0 in the championship as Muckerman added another pair of deadball headers and senior center midfielder Luke Konnesky scored twice.
 
Junior forward Ethan Young leads Aquinas with 15 goals, while junior center midfielder Barrett Kitts has 19 assists.
 
 
WEST REGION
 
No. 4 Kapaun Mount Carmel (9-7-2) at No. 1 Maize South (16-1-1)
 
Maize South's high-scoring offense was limited to two goals in the regional final, but it was enough to get the Mavericks past Newton 2-1 and move them beyond the point where their 2020 season came to a painful end. Oliver Jaberg netted the game-winner with 17 minutes remaining, tapping in Gavin Bowman's free kick that caromed off the right post in front of the net.
 
It was a rare close match for the Mavericks, who led all classes with 94 regular-season goals and now have 102. Senior Peyton Wilson and sophomore Vitor Geromel each scored 25 goals, senior Marcos Rodriguez had 10 and sophomore Miles Edwards 10 during a regular season in which Maize South, No. 4 in the final 5A coaches rankings, sandwiched victories around a midseason overtime loss to Wichita Heights and a scoreless draw with 6A No. 9 Derby.
 
Kapaun has bounced back nicely from a three-win season a year ago despite playing five teams whose seasons are still alive. The Crusaders won their first regional title since 2018 with a 1-0 upset of Goddard Eisenhower, which hadn't lost since its season opener. Goalkeeper Branden Lummus made Ben Scognamillo's first-half goal stand with a strong wind in his face down the stretch.
 
The Crusaders averaged less than a goal per game last season, but have scored 2.6 per contest this season while allowing 1.1. Game time is 6 p.m.
 
No. 3 Valley Center (12-5-1) at No. 2 Bishop Carroll (13-4-1)
 
After avenging losses to the team that ended its last two seasons, Bishop Carroll will try to return to 5A's final four for the first time since 2018 in this 6 p.m. matchup. The Golden Eagles won their seventh regional championship in the last nine years with a 4-0 victory over Andover Central on Thursday. Senior midfielder Bergen Loveless and junior forward Gage Hosford each scored two goals. Loveless bookended the scoring on assists by senior Sebastian Vizcarra.
 
Loveless also found the net twice in Carroll's 3-0 victory over Seaman in the regional opener. Junior goalkeeper Braden Munk earned the shutout against the Vikings, while sophomore Keagan Lewis blanked Central in the regional final.
 
Valley Center comes in equally hot on defense, posting shutouts in its last six games. Goalkeeper Isaiah Stokes made seven saves in a 1-0 victory over Hays in the regional opener, then blanked Salina South 3-0 to send the Hornets to the quarters. Cade Martin, the Hornets' leading scorer with 14 goals and eight assists, scored twice against South. Waddie Sanford, who scored in both regional games, has four goals in the last five games.
 
Stokes, Martin and Sanford are among 12 seniors on Valley Center's roster. The Hornets are 5-0-1 in their last six matches.