Hartland was the story during the 2025 boys soccer season, going unbeaten in its first 17 games before finishing 19-3-1 with KLAA West and district championships.
The Eagles were a senior-dominated team, graduating their top three goal scorers and a three-year starting goalie.
That leaves things more wide open between Hartland and Brighton as they battle for county soccer superiority in 2026. Both teams have two players on the preseason list of the top five in the county, with Brighton taking the top two spots.
The first games can be played on Aug. 19.
1. Benny Booth
► School: Brighton
► Class: Junior
► Position: Forward
► Accomplishments: Booth, who ran the 100-meter dash in 11.51 seconds as a freshman and won two dual meets, parlays that speed onto the soccer field to become an explosive scoring threat. He was Brighton’s leading scorer last season with 15 goals and six assists. He had four goals following a late-season promotion as a freshman. “He has continued working hard at his game and has matured a lot understanding not only how to create moments for himself but now becoming even more dangerous off the ball helping create opportunities for his fellow attacking teammates,” Brighton coach Mark Howell said.
2. Colton Papalexis
► School: Brighton
► Class: Junior
► Position: Midfielder
► Accomplishments: Papalexis started as a freshman and is now a team leader as a third-year varsity starter. He made second-team all-county as a freshman before moving to the first team last season. He had two goals and nine assists last year, missing five games with an injury. “His energy, athleticism and vision will be the engine to our team as he does a great job of making players around him better in all aspects of the game,” Howell said.
3. Collin Gardner
► School: Pinckney
► Class: Senior
► Position: Forward
► Accomplishments: Gardner, a Whitmore Lake student who plays for Pinckney as part of a co-op arrangement, has put up huge numbers the past two seasons. He had 32 goals last year and 57 in two years. He set a county record with seven goals against Ypsilanti Lincoln on Aug. 27, 2025. Gardner received honorable mention all-state status in Division 2. Any success Pinckney has will be heavily reliant upon Gardner, who had a hand in 35 of the Pirates’ 45 goals last year.
4. Zane King
► School: Hartland
► Class: Senior
► Position: Defender
► Accomplishments: King is a two-time first-team all-county and all-district selection as a defender who is expected to take on more of an offensive role following heavy graduation losses up front. He had the ability to generate an attack as an outside defender, scoring five goals and eight assists last year and seven goals and 13 assists in two seasons.
5. Braydon Hillborn
►School: Hartland
► Class: Senior
► Position: Forward
► Accomplishments: Hillborn will be counted on to be Hartland’s biggest offensive threat following the graduation of Avery Bryan (29 goals), Matthew Burris (10) and Paulo Gjolaj (10). Hillborn was the Eagles’ fourth-leading goal scorer with eight and also had two assists. He came on late in the season, scoring four goals in his final five games.
Others to watch
Jackson Abbott, Hartland, sr.; Alex Block, Brighton, sr.; Brayden DeMasellis, Livingston Christian, sr.; Giosue DeSanto, Brighton, D, sr.; Trey Johnson, Livingston Christian, jr.; Ethan Klebba, Brighton, sr.; Eli Napier, Howell, sr.; Harry Netherton, Brighton, soph.; Cameron Price, Hartland, sr.; Titan Warren, Brighton, sr.
Contact Bill Khan at billkhan35@gmail.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Who are the top 5 boys soccer players in Livingston County in 2026?
Reporting by Bill Khan, Livingston Daily / Livingston Daily
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Bill Khan, Livingston Daily | USA TODAY Network
