Nearly a year after Hoggard boys soccer climbed to the top of North Carolina, the Vikings have learned that staying there comes with a different set of challenges.
When the Vikings became just the second New Hanover County program to win an NCHSAA boys soccer state title last fall, there was reason to believe their run could extend well beyond one season. Much of the star-studded lineup that powered Hoggard to the championship was set to return.
Halfway through the 2026 season, however, one of its biggest pieces is missing.
Ari Tanner, Hoggard’s leading scorer last season, has been sidelined by an ankle injury. Coaches are hopeful he can return in time for the postseason, but the Vikings have hardly stumbled without him.
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Hoggard (8-0-1, 2-0 Coastal Carolina) has yet to lose and is ranked No. 5 nationally by MaxPreps.
“If we can do that without Ari, we’ll be better with him,” senior James McClean said of the Vikings’ first half.
Tanner's absence isn’t the only challenge that has come with defending a state championship. Hoggard now gets every opponent’s best shot.
That became clear in a 2-2 draw against Richlands on Sept. 1. For senior Harry Dyer, the result exposed something more important than any missing player: Hoggard can’t afford to coast on what it accomplished last fall.
“We just need to have the intensity that we need to have every single game because teams are going to be on us because they want to beat us,” Dyer said. “We need to come out strong every single game.”
So far, the Vikings have responded.
Hoggard has opened conference play with two wins, including a 4-2 victory over New Hanover at Legion Stadium on Sept. 10. McClean scored twice in the win and has emerged as the Vikings’ leading scorer with seven goals and an assist.
The biggest test of conference play, however, is still ahead.
Hoggard hosts Laney on Tuesday, Sept. 22, in a meeting between two of the state’s top programs and a rematch of last season’s NCHSAA 8A East regional championship. After two regular-season meetings in 2025, the Wilmington rivals met with a trip to the state championship on the line, and Hoggard pulled away for a 3-0 victory.
It has become one of Wilmington’s premier soccer rivalries, even if Hoggard’s players aren’t particularly interested in labeling every local opponent that way.
“They’re not our rivals; I love those guys,” McClean said of New Hanover after scoring twice at Legion Stadium. “It feels great to win here.”
Hoggard is chasing a fifth consecutive conference championship while trying to prove last season’s state title wasn’t the peak of this group. Tanner’s injury has forced others into larger roles, opponents have more reason than ever to knock off the Vikings and the expectations inside the program have only risen.
“It’s definitely been tough at practices,” Dyer said. “The coaches have been pushing us to get even better after that state championship run.”
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: After historic state title, is Hoggard soccer still Wilmington's best?
