Bingham's Trent Bradshaw (11) and Riverton's Nate Swank (3) jump into the air as they battle
for the ball during a game played earlier this month among a pair of Region 2 soccer powers.
Scott G. Winterton, Deseret Morning News
Back before the boys soccer season began, many thought the Region 3 race would be wide open, with several teams having a legitimate chance to hoist the league trophy. So far, those prognostications have been dead on.
Even though Region 3 doesn't have any marquee squads, the league features six teams that will all have a crack at a top region finish. Having played three games at the start of this week, West Jordan unexpectedly sat atop the league table, along with Copper Hills, at seven points. Meanwhile, Bingham, the preseason favorite to win Region 3, was at the bottom alongside Kearns.
"In this region, I don't really see anyone who will go undefeated," Bingham coach Scott Maxfield said after his team recently lost to rival Riverton. "I haven't seen everyone play yet, so maybe I'm speaking out of turn. But I don't think anyone's going to be unbeatable."
At this point, people are wondering how much longer West Jordan will remain on top of the league.
Despite inheriting a team that went 3-11-2 in 2005, first-year coach Spencer Bills was optimistic back in the preseason. However, the Jaguars struggled through the preseason, losing all four games.
It's been a completely different story in league play, though. First, West Jordan opened with a convincing 2-0 win over Hunter. After drawing 0-0 with Copper Hills, they scored a big upset win over Bingham last week, defeating the Miners 2-0.
Goalkeeper James Conrad recorded all three of those shutouts, and, at the start of this week, the Jaguars' defense hadn't yet allowed a goal in region.
Offensively, West Jordan has been led by Jesus Bocaeranda and Adrian Martinez.
Meanwhile, many wonder how long it will be before Bingham turns its fortunes around. The Miners had an excellent preseason, going 4-1-1 with their only blemishes coming against top-ranked Alta and No. 3 Brighton. However, they unexpectedly lost their first three Region 3 games.
But with players like Ben Milar, Todd Hardy and Derek Westegaard, you'd expect Bingham to turn things around soon.
All of which should help set up an exciting finish to Region 3.
Region 3 rankings
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