High school boys soccer preview: Fez running the Davis soccer show

KAYSVILLE — Two years ago, before he had even officially become Davis High's boys soccer coach, it was very apparent to Souli Phongsavath that, in order for the Darts to be successful in the years to come, Josh Hernandez needed to be running the show in the middle.

Phongsavath watched Hernandez, who was only a sophomore at the time, absolutely light up Layton when Phongsavath was an assistant for the Lancers back in 2007, and he made it Priority No. 1 to build Davis around the mercurial playmaker when he took over the Darts' program at the end of the '07 season.

Davis' soccer program has reaped the benefits ever since.

Hernandez has anchored Davis' midfield over the last year-and-a-half, and after helping his team advance to the quarterfinals 12 months ago, Hernandez, now a senior, aims to lead the Darts to even greater heights this time around.

"I tell anybody and everybody this: I love watching him play," said Phongsavath. "The way he plays balls through, the way he settles the ball and reads the game, it's just fun to watch because it's the right way. I saw that very early when I was at Layton. I said, 'How is this kid not running the show in the middle, just spraying balls everywhere?' Because that's what he does.

"I made sure when I got here that we would play through him because you don't see a player like him come through all the time, a player that has the control and is able to switch the point of attack and to really control the game just by passing."

The faith that Phongsavath displayed in Hernandez two years ago certainly hasn't gone unnoticed, and Hernandez says he tries to repay his coach every time he steps on the pitch.

"Obviously, I love to play this game. I give my best every time I step out there, and (coach Phongsavath) saw that and he saw that I could be a leader out there and take the team to victories and make them play good (soccer)," said Hernandez, who has signed with Dixie State. "He trusted me, and so I really appreciated that from him. I try my best every game to give back to him and make the team play good and look good."

Through four games, Davis has impressively scored 15 goals and is tied with Viewmont atop the early Region 1 table with nine points. The Darts have a number of fantastic weapons in their arsenal, including stars like Gentrie Maag and Phil Hansen.