Team concept — MVPs made their squads championship-caliber

Bountiful coach Dave Wigham has said the past couple of years that if the other team doesn't score, it can't win. The Braves have used that defensive philosophy to win two of the past four state titles, and this year's defense was as good as any the previous Braves teams had.

Senior sweeper Christine Quinn was the leader of that defense, which gave up only one goal in four playoff games on its way to a championship.

"Having someone like Christine in front of you gives you all the confidence in the world," said Braves goalie Molli Merrill. "She was so good that there were times I almost wished I could get a little more action."

Bountiful was the preseason favorite to win the state title but had an up-and-down regular season. One reason for the inconsistency was Quinn's absence. She hurt her knee and missed a few games. While she was out, both the defense and offense suffered.

"When Christine was out, we had to shuffle people around," said Wigham. "We had to move one of our best scorers back to the defense, so not only were we not as good defensively, but we weren't scoring as much as well."

With Quinn back, the Braves marched through the playoffs, giving up just one meaningless goal in a 10-1 rout of Provo.

"I don't know that it is me," said the humble Quinn. "My other defenders really do a great job, and it helps to make me look good back there."

Although the MVP is an individual award, Quinn could thank the rest of the Bountiful defense and Merrill for helping preserve so many shutouts and making the defensive numbers look good. But Merrill and the rest of the defense received All-State recognition and may owe Quinn some thanks for that as well.

"She does a good job of sweeping things up that get behind the defense," said Wigham. "She is exactly the type of sweeper any good team needs to have to win."

3A: McCall Rynearson, Dixie

Dixie coach Burt Myers said that besides helping the Flyers win the 3A state title this season, senior McCall Rynearson may have an influence on the soccer program for years to come.

"McCall was a well-liked, smart player that practiced as hard as she played in games," he said. "She was such a good example that all the younger players really have something they can look at what it takes to be successful. Hopefully, they can try to do all the things she did. I will be using her as an example for what they need to do as a player."

Rynearson produced some impressive numbers on the field with 21 goals and 12 assists. Besides just statistics, her presence lifted the rest of the Dixie team to its first championship since 1995.