High school soccer: Top-ranked Logan is on quite a roll

The number — 755 — speaks for itself.

Since Sky View sweeper Dustin Poulsen scored on the Logan Grizzlies in the 45th minute of Logan's 3-1 nonregion win on March 14, the Grizzlies haven't conceded a single goal.

With two league games remaining, Logan is pitching a shutout on Region 11 and has gone an amazing 755 minutes since last giving up a goal.

If you're a believer that defense really wins championships, then the top-ranked Grizzlies of Class 3A are for you.

Perhaps the most impressive part of Logan's streak is the fact that the Grizzlies have pieced it together while shuffling players along their backline because of injuries and absences.

During the streak, Ryan Cannon, Bert Sainsbury and Zach Yates have all filled in at sweeper, David Shirk has played at left back and freshman Nate Pierce has seen significant minutes along the backline.

Behind those guys, junior keeper Ian Doney has been steady and reliable.

Heading into the postseason, Logan coach Tod Martin said Sainsbury will probably play at sweeper, Cannon at right back and Shirk at left back.

Martin hasn't been discussing the streak with his players but acknowledged that he knows what's going on, as do his players.

"I think they're aware of it, and they should be proud of it," he said. "But all streaks come to an end."

If Martin wants to prove that to his players, he need only point to the three teams — Mountain View of 2002, Bonneville of 2004 and Brighton of 2006 — who hold the prestigious defensive records that his side is rapidly approaching.

Mountain View only allowed goals in two games in 2002, Bonneville shut out its region in 2004 and Brighton amassed records for longest shutout streak (974 minutes) and most overall shutouts (17) in 2006, yet all three fell short of a state championship.

That's a fate Logan, the 3A runner-up in each of the past two seasons, would obviously like to avoid. But they're not going to complain about the defensive success they're enjoying, either.

Logan would match Bonneville's record of not conceding a region goal by getting shutouts in its final two league games and could consequently get to Brighton's scoreless streak in the first round of the 3A playoffs.