This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
While Alta and defending 4A champion Skyline enter this week's Class 5A and 4A boys' state soccer championships as the favorites, there are plenty of dangerous foes lurking in the brackets.
The 5A state meet begins Tuesday with 4 p.m. first round games at the site of the higher seeded team. The 4A tournament starts Wednesday with 4 p.m. first round games also at the home of the highest seeded team.
Quarterfinals will be played Friday, also at home sites, before the tournaments move to Woods Cross for semifinals and Rio Tinto Stadium for championship contests next week.
Alta's only loss came in a recent Region Three match with Copper Hills, a defeat that seemed to focus the Hawks more as they came back to beat rival Brighton 3-0 to secure the league title.
The Hawks, trying to win their first title since 2011, are led by goalie Alex Johnson, who has recorded 10 shutouts, Gatorade Utah Player of the Year Christian Bain and Bryson Colemere.
Perhaps the most interesting first-round Class 5A game sees Bingham traveling to Region Two champion Hunter. Last year, the Wolverines, a fourth-place team, won a shootout over the Region Three champion Miners in the first round. Bingham would like nothing better than to return the favor this year, though Hunter was the only unbeaten 5A team in region play and hasn't lost since March 13.
Region One winner Layton limps into the tournament having lost two of its last three games. Lone Peak, another potential favorite, lost twice to Lehi in the last two weeks but captured the Region Four title.
Other teams worth watching are defending champion Riverton, which comes into the tournament on a four-game win streak; Lehi that captured two victories over Lone Peak, and always dangerous Viewmont that has been improving in recent weeks.
In Class 4A, defending champion Skyline under coach Shawn Kennedy won its last three games to secure a hard-fought Region Seven championship over Mountain View. The Eagles may not be quite as strong as a year ago, but certainly have to be in the mix.
Going into the tournament, Region Six champion East and Region Five winner Sky View look like the hottest teams.
The Leopards finished the season at 12-3-1 and lost only one league game. Sky View, which finished with a 9-1-2 record, won its last five games to edge Logan for the league title.
Provo captured the Region Eight crown, but has lost two of three heading into a first-round game against Murray that could be Wednesday's best contest. The Spartans started the season hot but faltered down the stretch. They could be dangerous at state, though.
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Class 5A boys' soccer
P Tuesday All games at 4 p.m.
Granger at Brighton
Davis at Lone Peak
American Fork at Layton
Copper Hills at Taylorsville
Lehi at Viewmont
Bingham at Hunter
West/Hillcrest play-in winner at Alta
Weber at Riverton
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Class 4A boys' soccer
P Wednesday All games at 4 p.m.
Timpview at Mountain View
Judge at Sky View
Box Elder at East
Olympus at Maple Mountain
Highland at Logan
Wasatch at Skyline
Murray at Provo
Ogden at Bountiful Alta's Bain wins Gatorade award
Alta midfielder Christian Bain has been named the 2015 Utah Boys Gatorade Soccer Player of the Year, the sixth Hawk to win the award, which is based on athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character.
The 5-foot-7, 135-pound senior led Alta to the Region Three championship and helped establish the Hawks as the favorite to win the Class 5A tournament that begins Tuesday. In his team's first 15 games, the returning first-team all-stater had seven goals and passed for nine assists.
"Bain's biggest strength is that he has no weaknesses," said Viewmont coach Dave Wigham. "He can play defense, he can play up top, and he knows the game so well."
Bain, who will play soccer for BYU next year, maintained a 3.95 grade point average. He is an Eagle Scout who has volunteered at senior citizen centers, a food bank and a forest-restoration initiative.
Winning the state award makes Bain a finalist for the National Boys Soccer Player of the Year Award, which Gatorade will award later in the month.