5. GRANGER: Leading the way for Granger is defender Agustin Roman, who is steady and reliable. Going the other way, Argenis Pulido led Granger offensively in 2007. Through six games, he had scored once and teammates Alain Castro, Henry Koroma and Roman had each scored twice. The Lancers have established themselves as a tough team to beat since coach Opie Okeson took over four years ago, and he'll undoubtedly hope to continue that run this season. 2007 record: 6-8-3. Playoffs: Lost in first round.

6. MURRAY: Through its first four Region 6 contests, the Spartans have actually done quite well. Aside from losses to perennial state contenders East and Olympus, Murray netted an OT win over Granger and a 4-2 win over West. Those two schools, Murray and Cottonwood will probably all be in the mix for fourth place through seventh. Talented scorer Jordan DeMann found the net three times in six games, and Allen Pickett and Estaban Celis each added two. 2007 record: 4-12. Playoffs: Did not qualify.

7. COTTONWOOD: Without question, the Colts have endured some ups and downs during their first six games on 2008. Some of the ups include a 2-0 nonregion win over Kearns, draws against league rivals West and Granger, and a 1-0 win over Cyprus. During those first six games, four players have found the back of the net once for Cottonwood — Adam Sandevol, James Burton, Nelson Crouge and Tyler Whitfield. 2007 record: 6-10-1. Playoffs: Lost in first round.

8. CYPRUS: The Pirates have actually been playing pretty well, even if their winless record suggests otherwise. Losses to Highland and East aside, Cyprus was in every game during the first six games of the season. As always, the challenge for coach Todd Howell is to mold a team out of players who largely don't have any club soccer experience. Cyprus has been benefitting from the play of Stranz Wolfgramm, a star running back on the football team, who came out for soccer this spring. Through six games, Marco Alfonso and Marlow Matamoros have each scored once. 2007 record: 0-16. Playoffs: Did not qualify

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E-mail: jcoon@desnews.com