STAC Finals 2026 preview: Which four Southern Tier teams make history?

After this year's STAC Finals 2026, four teams from the Southern Tier Athletic Conference will be crowned after the first-ever Large School/Small School championships. Horseheads, Maine-Endwell, Chenango Forks, and Owego girls’ soccer teams advanced from their respective divisions and will compete for the two vacant conference titles on Wednesday and Thursday. Meanwhile, Ithaca, Vestal, Susquehanna Valley, and Seton will go head-to-head on Thursday for the boys' large-school and small-school conference titles.

Maine-Endwell girls’ soccer and Chenango Forks girls’ soccer are among the eight teams, both having made back-to-back conference playoff appearances. For the boys, Ithaca and Vestal will compete for the large-school conference titles, while Susquehanna Valley and Seton will battle for the small-school titles. Two of these teams, Maine-Endwell and Chenango Forks girls’ soccer, have never won a STAC title in the past decade.

Maine-Endwell won its only match against the East champion Chenango Forks in a close 3-2 victory. Horseheads, on the other hand, gave Maine-Endwell its sole loss of the season. Ithaca defeated Vestal 5-4 earlier in the season, while Vestal came in with a three-game winning streak. Susquehanna Valley and Seton haven’t won a STAC title in the last ten years, aiming to change that history in this year’s championships.