Last season, the Rundell Rankings debuted with a goal of bringing something Kentucky high school soccer had been missing: a legitimate, math-based system for ranking boys and girls teams across the state.
The system was created by Michael Rundell, an assistant with the West Jessamine boys soccer program, and his friend Joseph Thacker. The two wanted to fill the void left when the Maher Rankings disappeared in 2023.
Since then, the Rundell Rankings have continued to evolve. Now, as a new high school soccer season gets underway, the system provides another way to measure teams beyond coaches’ polls, MaxPreps rankings or the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s RPI standings.
For girls soccer, the Kentucky High School Soccer Coaches Association has continued to provide its own rankings. The boys game, however, has had fewer reliable alternatives, with MaxPreps rankings sometimes producing head-scratching results and the KHSAA’s RPI formula presenting its own limitations.
One of the biggest issues with the RPI is its treatment of out-of-state competition. The formula can punish teams for playing opponents from outside Kentucky, a factor that can be particularly significant in soccer, where programs regularly schedule teams from neighboring states, especially around the border and in Northern Kentucky, where you can get solid competition just miles away across the Ohio River.
In the latest Rundell Rankings, Northern Kentucky had five boys teams in the top 30 led by No. 14 Covington Catholic, who are off to a 0-0-2 start with ties against No. 2 Trinity (1-1) and No. 7 South Oldham (2-2). The Colonels are the reigning 9th Region champion, but should face some stiff opposition in region play.
Following CovCath is another set of Colonels, Dixie Heights at No. 16. Dixie has opened up 2-1 with wins over No. 11 Henry Clay (4-2), No. 50 Campbell County (5-0) and a loss to No. 9 Lafayette (0-1).
Highlands comes in at No. 23. The Bluebirds opened with a 6-0 victory over No. 82 Boone County.
Ryle is right behind them at No. 24. The Raiders opened with a 3-0 victory over No. 101 Franklin County before a 2-1 loss to No. 13 Paul Laurence Dunbar. They host No. 7 South Oldham on Tuesday.
Rounding out the top 30 for NKY teams is St. Henry at No. 29. The Crusaders are 1-0 with a 4-1 victory over Campbell County.
On the girls side, No. 7 Notre Dame has one of the most impressive starts in the state. They defeated No. 1 Sacred Heart 2-1 to open up the season and it followed it up with wins over No. 11 South Oldham (3-0) and No. 57 Ryle (1-0). They play five teams in the top 11 this season. A match with No. 2 Central Hardin is Aug. 29, No. 8 Bishop Brossart on Sept. 9 and No. 6 Highlands on Sept. 12.
Highlands is No. 6. They opened with a 4-1 victory over Brossart before losing 3-0 to Anderson (Ohio) on Monday. They’ll face No. 1 Sacred Heart on Aug. 24.
The third NKY team in the top 10 is Bishop Brossart at No. 8. The Lady ‘Stangs are 1-1-1 after opening up their season against a pair of top 10 opponents, a 4-1 loss to Highlands and a 0-0 tie with No. 12 Lexington Catholic. They earned their first victory of the season on Monday with a 6-0 victory over No. 21 Conner.
Conner (No. 21) and Simon Kenton (No. 27) round out the NKY teams in the top 30.
How the Rundell Rankings work
The Rundell Rankings use the Elo rating system, a mathematical system originally developed for chess and now used in a variety of sports.
When the rankings debuted, every team was assigned an initial Elo rating of 1300. For returning programs, that number was then adjusted based on results from the previous two seasons.
Before the start of a new season, preseason ratings are also adjusted based on roster information, including the number of returning varsity players, seniors and juniors from the previous season and the production of key goal scorers.
Once the season begins, the rankings become increasingly driven by results on the field.
After each game, a team’s Elo rating can change based on several factors, including the strength of its opponent, the result, the margin of victory and whether the result qualifies as an upset.
A win over a highly rated opponent is worth more than a victory over a lower-rated team. Likewise, an unexpected upset can produce a significant jump in a team’s rating.
Close games generally produce smaller rating changes than decisive victories, while tournament and postseason games carry additional weight.
The result is a ranking system that changes throughout the season rather than relying solely on preseason expectations or human opinion.
What about out-of-state games?
Rundell Rankings track games against teams from outside Kentucky, but those opponents do not affect a Kentucky team’s Elo rating.
That allows teams to maintain a complete record of their schedules while keeping the rankings focused on performance against Kentucky high school competition.
The distinction is particularly relevant early in the season, when many Kentucky teams face opponents from Ohio, Tennessee, Indiana, West Virginia and other states.
A different way to measure teams
The Rundell Rankings aren’t designed to replace coaches’ polls or other ranking systems. Instead, they offer another data point — one based on the results of games and a consistent mathematical formula.
As more games are played, the preseason assumptions become less important and the results themselves carry more weight.
That could make the rankings particularly useful as the season progresses, when teams begin separating themselves through their performance against the state’s strongest competition.
For the 2026 season, the Rundell Rankings provide a continually updated look at where Kentucky’s boys and girls soccer teams stand — and a different perspective on which teams are truly performing at the highest level.
Rundell and Thacker continue to maintain the system and make adjustments as needed. Questions or corrections can be directed to mrundell4@gmail.com.