This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Sandy • Josh Warner plotted his celebration. But when the moment came, as he cartwheeled along the baseline in Rio Tinto Stadium, past stunned St. Joseph players and into Waterford history, he admitted he got carried away.
One cartwheel at time, four linked turns, celebrating the result of a state championship that, for St. Joseph, took an impossible turn for the worse. Waterford scored twice in the final three minutes to win its second straight state title, 2-1.
"Devastating," St. Joseph star Dino Soto said.
From the 26th minute to the 77th, it appeared the Jayhawks' 1-0 lead, from a Ty Evans goal, would be enough. But Waterford's David Beesley scored the equalizer with three minutes remaining and, in the final minute, Warner took a cross from Avery Smith and headed it into the corner of the net.
When the logical next phase was overtime, Warner was thinking otherwise.
"I knew I was going to score," he said. "I planned to score the whole game."
Warner was Waterford's leading scorer this season, so that he scored wasn't itself unexpected. The bigger surprise was that Waterford was in the game at all. The Ravens entered the tournament as Region 14's No. 3 seed, on a three-game losing streak with a 5-6 record, were expected to lose in the first round at Wasatch Academy. Waterford won that game, and then the next three to repeat as champions.
"We knew we didn't have just a clear path to the state championship," said Beesley, whose reign as Waterford's hero was short-lived.
Unsurprised by the Ravens success was first-year head coach Tim Dolbin. Even after Waterford lost 7-0 against Rowland Hall in the regular season — a team it later defeated in the tournament's semifinal match — Dolbin recognized his team's potential.
"I looked at my players, I looked at my team and thought, 'We have enough talent to be effective,' " he said.
As the season progressed, so did Waterford. The team improved to a point that Friday night, after beating Rowland Hall, Warner and Smith conferred about how they might celebrate their successes in the championship. Warner suggested cartwheels.
"We knew we had to do something cool," he said. Thing was, that even though the cartwheels were rapid and done with commendable form, they couldn't outdo the play itself. And, for Waterford, nothing could be cooler than winning another championship.
Twitter: @oramb
Facebook: facebook.com/tribpreps —
Highlights
Waterford wins its fourth state championship since 2003.
St. Joseph, which didn't trail until the 80th minute, has never won a state soccer championship.
Waterford won each of its four tournament games by just one goal.