Lexington’s Buck Morton Reaches Coaching Milestone as Lady Lex Claims 2026 OCC Soccer Crown

Lexington — In a night filled with celebration and emotion, Lexington girls soccer coach Buck Morton reached a significant milestone, earning his 100th career coaching win as the Lady Lex secured the 2026 Ohio Cardinal Conference championship with a decisive 2-0 victory over the Madison Rams on Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026 at Madison High School.

Morton, who is most at ease on the soccer pitch, found himself in unfamiliar territory after the final whistle — basking in the spotlight of his own achievement, surrounded by family and friends celebrating his remarkable journey.

“Nobody is crazy enough to do all this for this long,” Morton said with a laugh. “The biggest thing for me is allowing myself to reflect and look back at all the great kids we have had come through the program — from my very first year with just three seniors to now a great class of six seniors. That’s what it amounts to for me. The 100 wins is a lot of time, effort and work on the part of the players, not me. We’ve had so many girls who left everything on the field for Lady Lex Soccer — not Buck Morton.”

Nearing the end of his 10th season leading the Lady Lex program, Morton now holds a 100-59-23 record. When combined with his 157-79-23 mark over 13 seasons (2000-2012) as head coach of the Lexington boys soccer team, he has compiled an impressive 257-138-46 career record — making him one of the few high school coaches in Ohio to achieve over 100 wins in both boys and girls soccer programs.

“It has been good,” Morton said. “I started with outstanding athletes who were driven on their own and somehow reacted really well to great encouragement from myself and the greatest assistant coach in the state of Ohio in Roxanne Drueschler. This is all about being blessed. This is nothing 10 years ago that was even on my radar.”

What sets Morton apart is his unwavering dedication to his players and his ability to ensure every victory and championship celebration centers entirely on their accomplishments.

“He has meant everything to me,” Lexington senior Morgan Harrod said. “He is such a devoted coach who taught me so much about the game. We, as a team, wouldn’t be here without him.”

“What amazes me is how he can look at the season one game at a time,” Harrod continued. “He makes sure we are focused on that game and nothing else and gets us through it. Then, when it’s over, that’s when he lets us look ahead at the next one. That’s a tough thing to do.”

Harrod’s stellar performance, scoring both goals in the championship-clinching victory, marked her second league title in three years as a member of the Lexington girls soccer team. Her success under Morton’s guidance speaks volumes about the coach’s impact on his players.

Throughout his decade at Lexington, Morton has led the Lady Lex to two league championships and two district titles, with both district victories occurring within the last four years.

While reaching 100 wins in 10 seasons represents a tremendous personal achievement, Morton expressed particular pride in bringing recognition to his alma mater through athletic excellence.

“It brings a great sense of pride and joy for me to be able to have this accomplishment at my alma mater where I played and grew up,” Morton said. “Then to do it in this situation where we win a league championship against a rival for the 100th time — that’s really cool.”

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal

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