This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

David Ignacio uses soccer to try new things: some ball tricks, passing through a defender's legs.

Winning a state championship.

The senior made all the difference for a Flyers team that, in its first year in Class 3A, was dominant en route to its first boys' soccer championship.

The best evidence of Ignacio's import came from Wasatch coach Dawain Wheatley, whose top-ranked Wasps beat Dixie 1-0 in the preseason, but lost in the state semifinals. The goal that made the difference the second time around? It came on a penalty kick from Ignacio.

In the first meeting between the teams, Ignacio sat out with an injury.

"He was a handful and made them a much better team," Wheatley said. "We played them early without him and then at the end with him. They were a much better team when he was on the field."

Tell Dixie about it.

Ignacio did not play his first two seasons at Dixie, choosing instead to care for three younger siblings while his mother, Maria, was sick. Of course, he missed a lot of school and his grades fell off.

His missed playing.

"Inside," he said, "I'd always be thinking, 'Oh, what are they doing at practice right now?' "

Last year, to help him get his grades back, his teammates helped him study. The effort paid dividends, both for Ignacio and the Flyers.

"David's a game-changer," coach Burt Myer said. "He can enter a game and within seconds, two or three different times this year, he's gone in and scored a goal."

Twitter: @oramb