East boys win first soccer title

A year after falling one game short, East's boys soccer team came up with the goods.

Making its second title-game appearance in as many years, the Leopards fulfilled their season-long objective by beating Bountiful 3-1 en route to the 4A state title.

It was East's first boys championship ever and the first boys title for legendary coach Mike Kernodle.

"We set out to accomplish what we accomplished," said Kernodle, "and we did it."

East was led throughout the season by junior forward Jake Cook, who was named the 4A MVP. He finished with nine goals and had a whopping 14 assists.

Ironically, though, the Leopards broke through in the title game without their star. Cook went down with a hamstring injury in the fourth minute, but a number of other players stepped up against top-ranked Bountiful.

Senior Eric Alatorre was solid, as usual, in the center of midfield. Up top, Stayner Langeland, Cook's chief replacement, combined well with Matt Solomon.

Trailing 2-0 midway through the second half, Bountiful cut the deficit in half. Rather than folding, though, East maintained its composure and restored its two-goal lead a few minutes later. From there, the Leopards held on for the win.

The fact that they fell one game short the previous season was definitely a motivating factor.

"After being there last year," said Kernodle, "it's always the extra spark. Can we get back and can we do it?"

Cook and Co. proved to be a dangerous setup all season. Because East had so many talented offensive players, opposing teams found it nearly impossible to contain all of them.

"It was the perfect setup," said Kernodle.

East was ranked No. 2 in the preseason, but it fell off the map after losing to rival Highland early in the regular season.

"People said, 'It wasn't East's year,' " said Kernodle. "But the kids didn't look at it that way."

The Leopards continued to play hard and to build toward the postseason. They beat then-No. 1 Olympus 2-1 during the final week of the season, and the huge win seemed to propel them into the state tournament.

That win also gave them a taste of what the postseason would be like. East played most of the second half a man down, but the squad held onto a tenuous one-goal lead to preserve the upset.

"I don't think (playing a man down) affected the kids like it did me," said Kernodle. "I think I was hyperventilating on the sidelines. We came out of that game with a lot of confidence."

Looking ahead to next season, expectations will be through the roof. East does lose Alatorre, Alex Baldwin Francis, Solomon and Mikko Vanninen, but the rest of the squad will all be back.

"Gosh, we've got a lot of kids coming back," said Kernodle. "This year was kind of the fun year. (I told them), 'Let's see if you're tough enough to do it again.' "

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E-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com