From Deseret News archives:
Kicking off — Juan Diego, Logan lead pack in 3A tournament
So far, the 2006 Class 3A boys soccer season has been the banner year some predicted back in the preseason. Now, everyone wants to see whether the 3A playoffs, which commence Wednesday afternoon with first-round games, do live up to all the hype.
If they get anywhere near the level many expect, this 3A season will surely go down as one of the classification's most memorable ever.
The regular season was filled with fantastic story lines — from Logan and St. Joseph rolling off unexpected win streaks en route to their first region championships to highly touted Park City figuring out how to play with a talented transfer. Now, the question is, will the story lines translate into the playoffs?
On paper, it's hard to see them not spilling over. Each round seems to have potentially great matchups. There's No. 3 Park City's date with defending champ Ogden in the opening round. Top-ranked Juan Diego will almost certainly play No. 2 Logan in the second round, a showdown people have been anticipating for most of the season.
Oh, and the possibility of a Juan Diego-Park City final looms on the horizon.
Talking about the first round probably has to begin with Park City-Ogden.
Park City finished third in the final regular-season rankings, but, realistically, it's probably the pre-tournament favorite. Despite lofty expectations in the preseason, it took the Miners a while to get going. But they seem to have finally incorporated Brazilian transfer Roberto Linck into their system, and they ripped the second half of their region schedule to shreds. They have looked virtually unbeatable on their new artificial-surface field.
Meanwhile, No. 4 Ogden has almost become an afterthought to many people, but the Tigers might be the type of team capable of putting a scare into Park City.
Juan Diego will also face a stiff test in the opening round. Morgan has struggled with injuries and suspensions throughout the season, but it is finally getting everyone back into the lineup. It appears the Trojans play Jared Olsen and Zac Cardon up top, with Jake Bagley and Jacob Batchelor anchoring the center of the midfield. If it can somehow put pressure on Juan Diego's prolific offensive attack, Morgan could stick with the Soaring Eagle.
The top-two seeds from Region 14 also face tough first-round contests.
Fifth-ranked Waterford hosts Judge, which beat Pine View in Monday's play-in game. Even though the Ravens rank fourth in Class 3A with a 0.82 goals against, it would be foolish of them to look ahead to the quarterfinals.
Region 14 runner-up St. Joseph, meanwhile, faces a very difficult task as well. Fresh off their 4-0 trouncing by Waterford last Friday, a loss that snapped a 12-game winning streak, the Jayhawks must hit the road in an opening-round game at Wasatch.
E-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com
