LEXINGTON — Lexington’s tradition-rich boys soccer program has joined an exclusive fraternity.

Last week’s 2-1 win at Wooster was the 500th victory in program history.

According to the Ohio High School Athletic Association, Lexington is just the 18th boys program to join the 500-win club.

“Looking at that list, there are some heavy-hitters on there,” Lex coach Peter Them said. “To do what we’ve done for 40-plus years is pretty cool.”

The Ohio High School Athletic Association began sponsoring a state tournament in boys soccer in 1976. Lexington’s varsity program wouldn’t be born for almost another decade.

“The program was started in 1985,” Them said. “Soccer (as an OHSAA-sponsored sport) had been around for a couple of year when Lexington officially adopted it.”

The fledgling varsity squad benefitted from a robust youth program, which exists to this day.

“We were fortunate to have lower grade level kids playing. That was built into this program,” said former coach Buck Morton, who piloted the program from 2000 to 2012. “We had some pretty good success pretty early on.”

The Minutemen posted identical 8-3-4 records in the inaugural 1985 season and again in 1986 under the late John Leskovich. Jim Baker succeeded Leskovich in 1987 and won 153 games in 13 seasons before stepping aside in 1999.

Nannu Singh emerged as the program’s first star during those early years. Singh is still the program’s leading scorer with 109 goals — including seven in one game against Tiffin Columbian in 1989.

“He was ahead of his time,” Them said. “He really helped put Lexington on the map.”

Morton, who played for Baker in the late-1980s and early-’90s, won 157 games in 13 seasons.

Them, who played for Morton, took over in 2013 and has won 175 games. The 2026 campaign is his 14th.

“Peter messed up the cycle,” joked Morton, who has coached Lex’s girls program for the past decade. “‘Bake’ did 13 and I did 13 and now this is Peter’s 14th season.

“It’s wild that there have only been four coaches in program history.”

Lex enjoys consistency

The 2026 season is Lexington’s 42nd season in existence. The Minutemen have averaged more than 12 wins per season for 41 years.

The OHSAA allows boys soccer teams to play 17 regular-season matches. Before 2021 the number was 16.

Lex’s all-time winning percentage heading into 2026 was .629. There have been only five sub-.500 seasons.

“A lot of the schools (on the 500-win list) started their programs back in the 1970s,” Morton said. “For us to be in the conversation with programs with much more longevity, it’s a testament to what we’ve been able to do.”

Tourney success is part of the formula

Lexington has won 16 district championships and four regional titles in 41 seasons, reaching the state semifinals in 2003 and 2011 under Morton and 2019 and 2021 under Them.

Lexington’s first district title came in 1996 under Baker. Morton led Lex to the Sweet 16 in four straight seasons from 2000 to 2003, and again from 2009 to 2011.

Them has piloted the Minutemen to eight district crowns (2014-2015, 2018-2023).

“I had some success in my time and then you’ve got Pete, who has accomplished even more,” said Morton, who recently picked up his 250th career victory across both the boys and girls programs. “He’s brought the program to a new level.”

Lexington has produced at least one Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association All-Ohioan every year since 2017. The program has churned out 23 All-Ohioans since 2000.

“We’ve been fortunate to have great players over the years,” Them said. “We’ve always had kids who were willing to put in the time and work on their craft.”

The list of recent luminaries includes Alex Depperschmidt, who is a senior forward at Mount Union, and Cohen Lautzenhiser, a freshman defender at Ashland.

“The neat thing is we have done this with homegrown kids,” Morton said. “We’ve always had kids who have gone to play club soccer in other areas, but a majority of our kids played rec soccer right here.”

Lexington is 3-1-1 this year after Tuesday’s 9-1 win over West Holmes. The 2026 roster includes just five seniors.

“This might be the smallest senior class I’ve had,” Them said. “They did a nice job last year of getting us through a little bit of a rough spot and they’ve done a nice job this year of leadership, putting us in the mix to be successful.”

The Minutemen are chasing their 10th Ohio Cardinal Conference title. The program also won six Ohio Heartland Conference crowns.

“The win at Wooster was big, not just because it was our 500th win as a program,” Them said. “It was a litmus test to figure out who we are and where we’re at.”

Them doesn’t know how long he’ll stick around. He has young daughters who play, including Lex sophomore Tessa.

“My 11-year-old still plays and my youngest is 6 and she enjoys it,” Them said. “I don’t know how long I’ll be at the helm (of the boys program), but I’m sure I’ll be involved somehow.”

If history is any indication, Lexington’s next varsity coach could already be waiting in the wings. Baker, Morton and Them all served as Lex’s junior varsity coach before taking over at the varsity level.

“‘Bake’ was the JV coach and became varsity coach. I was the JV coach and became varsity coach and Peter was the JV coach and became varsity coach,” Morton said. “That’s been the way it has worked here. We’ve kept it in the system from top to bottom.

“We’ve created this community around a non-traditional sport here and it has turned into one of the most successful programs in the state of Ohio.”