As The Enquirer continues to preview the 2026 high school soccer season, the focus this week turns to midfielders.Midfielders can do many things on the soccer pitch. Some focus on defense and ball control. Others run the offense and make big plays to score goals. Some can do it all.Sometimes, defining who is a midfielder can be blurry and confusing. Many teams list star players as both a midfielder and forward on their roster. Because high school soccer allows unlimited substitutions, some stars play different spots on the field depending on who else is out there at a given moment.For this list, we focused on playmakers with a lot of assists and versatile players listed as midfielders. Next weeks list will focus on forwards who are best at finding the back of the net.Make sure to vote in the poll at the bottom of the story. The poll will close at 4 p.m. on Friday, July 31. The USA Today Co. network is debuting a new polling service that allows readers to vote more often while protecting against fraudulent voting methods. User experience feedback can be sent to mlaughman@enquirer.com.Drew Adams, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy The senior had five goals and six assists last year and was an all-district player. He has 27 career goals.Beckett Brinkman, Summit Country Day The junior had eight goals and eight assists to help the team to the Division V state championship. He was second-team all-league and has 11 career goals.Forrest Cloran, Summit Country Day The junior had three goals and five assists to help the team to the Division V state championship. He was all-district and first-team all-league. Brady Dorko, Anderson The senior had 12 goals and six assists as the Raptors finished 12-4-4 and were regional runner-up. He was an all-district selection.Aidan Gross, MariemontThe junior had 16 goals and 13 assists and led the Warriors to a 17-3-1 record and the regional semifinals. He was All-Ohio, all-district and first-team all-league in the Cincinnati Hills League. Head coach Erik Vanags calls him one of the best attacking players he has coached in 30 years. Sam Harding, Turpin The senior scored nine goals for the Spartans, who were 16-2-4 and Division III regional finalist. He was second team all-league in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference.Keith Hiridson, Kings The senior was a defensive midfielder for the Knights, helping them to a 15-3-5 record, Eastern Cincinnati Conference title and Division II state runner-up. He helped Kings post 15 clean sheets and was first-team all-league.Dallas Marshall, ConnerThe senior led the Cougars to a 14-9-1 record and the Ninth Region championship game. He had six goals and eight assists.Andy Stein, Indian HillThe senior had seven goals and seven assists and was first-team all-league in the Cincinnati Hills League, and an all-district selection.Jack Sweeney, St. XavierThe senior was one of just two returners to get named to the All-Ohio team in Division I. In 18 games, he had eight goals and six assists as the Bombers went 12-5-4.Other midfielders to watch in 2026Ross Barrett, Waynesville; Henry Brown, Mariemont; Samuel Brown, Mariemont; Alessandro Caggioni, Madeira; Martin Cowden, Madeira; Luke Davis, Harrison; Franco Flores, Hamilton; Conor Flynn, McNicholas; Taichi Hayashida, Mason; Zander Johnson, Wilmington; Skyler Kesterman, Oak Hills; Carson Koehl, Harrison; Cooper Neace, Ryle; Ryan Pavlisko, Cincinnati Country Day; Owen Rothwell, Elder; Kellen Schmitz, La Salle; Aarush Settapali, Batavia; Ben Sweeney, Bishop Brossart; Mark Szalay, CHCA; Sammy Woolery, Clermont Northeastern.Vote for the best midfielder in Cincinnati boys soccer preseasonThis article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Vote for the top high school boys soccer midfielders in 2026