Alta, Lone Peak top 5A teams

The weather may be cooling — hopefully. School has arrived for many, and new leaders, defenders, scorers and playmakers are upon us. But even with all the changing, the teams in contention for prep soccer titles seems to be the same. Certain programs and coaches seem to be able to compete for a championship year-in and year-out. Oh sure, a team or two will jump up and surprise, but the same teams are mentioned once again.

5A

Lone Peak was just minutes, even seconds away from winning its first 5A title last season. The Knights had the lead in the championship game and appeared on the way to a win. Brighton evened the score with just 25 seconds remaining and went on to win the title in a shootout.

The tough loss ended a remarkable 18-2 season that no one predicted for coach Mike LaHargoue and the Knights. The trouble is this season, with a good core of that team returning, everyone does expect Lone Peak at the top.

"I know that Lone Peak is going to be very tough," Alta's Lee Mitchell said. "They have just been crushing everyone so far, and they returned a lot of good players from that team that almost won it last year."

The Knights had a dynamic duo when it came to putting the ball in the net. Lauren Hair led the team a season ago with 24 goals and 13 assists, while Shantel Flanary had 20 goals and five assists. Both are back and are already making plenty of marks in the scorekeeper's book.

While the offense was potent, the defense was what truly stood out for the team. Look for it to continue on that path with keeper Hailey Brown, sweeper Danika Wright and stopper Kristina Taylor back to lead the group.

"We return a great central core from last year's runners-up," LaHargoue said. "We really expect some great things this year."

If Lone Peak does not live up to the predictions by the coaches and win the title, look for the usual cast of characters to challenge. Region 2 has produced the strongest competition consistently with Alta being right at the top. The Hawks have some younger players to work in this year but have some of the state's top talent as well.

Hailee DeYoung may be the best keeper in the state. She has played out of position for the last three seasons because of her athleticism — she scored the game-winning goal in the state championship game her sophomore year — when the team had a capable, older player in the net.