In the biggest rivalry in Region 5, and possibly in all of 4-A soccer Bountiful and Bonneville dueled Friday in a rematch of last year's state championship game.
    Even with Bonneville reeling from its first loss of the year to Mountain Crest, the Lakers found a way to bounce back and avenge last year's loss, stomping Bountiful 3-1. The win Friday, although not the prettiest, not only wrapped up the Region 5 title but also made it clear that the Bonneville Lakers have no intentions of being derailed on their trip back to the state finals.
    The game began wobbly, with both teams acting a little tentative. After a goal from Laker Mitch Fackwell in the 32 minute, Bonneville was able to take the deep breath that coach Mike Hickman knew it needed.
    "The kids were nervous, they new what was at stake. They really didn't put many passes together, they played hurried, but they get that goal and everything settles down," said Hickman.
    After halftime, senior Jason Long put away the Braves in the blink of an eye, scoring two goals in the 49 minute. His first goal was simply him being at the right place at the right time, as a rebound skipped off his toe and crept into the net.
   
    Bountiful
   
    As for Bountiful's future, neither the loss to Bonneville nor the region championship means much to them, because a repeat
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state title is what they're after. Coach Lou Plank is happy were his team is at, regardless of the number on the scoreboard.
    "We're in good shape. We're looking good going into the tournament. Region championship doesn't mean anything to us," said Plank.
    It seems that both Bountiful's and Bonneville's minds are on the same goal. Just as much as Bountiful is gearing up for another run at the promised land, Bonneville was the last team to suffer a loss state-wide
    and has had it's eyes on a much more evasive prize then the region title.
    "We haven't talked a lot about the region championship, we've always talked about getting back to the big championship." said Hickman. "We just talked about, 'Let's focus and let's get to the championship'. This is a nice trophy to get along the way but we're focused on five or six games down the road."