4A soccer playoffs: Desert Hills wins quarterfinal; Dixie, Snow Canyon both lose out

Written by Jeff Richards
May 4, 2019
Logan at Desert Hills, 4A soccer quarterfinals, St. George, Utah, May 4, 2019 | Photo by Dave Larson, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — After battling Logan to a scoreless tie in the first half, the Desert Hills boys soccer team came alive offensively in the second half, rattling off four straight goals to eliminate the Grizzlies from the 4A playoffs Saturday afternoon.

Sawyer Heaton broke the shutout with a goal just four minutes after the second half started, and Kai Klingonsmith added a goal about eight minutes later. Within a couple minutes, Ben Simister added a score, after which Klingonsmith added a second goal.

Heaton and Simister finished with two assists each, Desert Hills head coach Benji Nelson said.

Logan’s only goal came with about 12 minutes left, when Dylan McCuskey scored.

Logan goalkeeper Dylan Long stops a shot, Logan at Desert Hills, 4A soccer quarterfinals, St. George, Utah, May 4, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News

Desert Hills’ 4-1 quarterfinal win means the Thunder will advance to play Mountain Crest in the 4A semifinals next week at Herriman. The game is Friday at 4 p.m. at Herriman High, with the winner advancing to play for the state championship Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy.

Mountain Crest, Region 12’s No. 3 seed, upset Park City, Region 11’s top seed, by a score of 2-1 at Park City on Saturday.

Desert Hills is the defending state 4A champion, beating Park City 4-0 in the finals last year.

Nelson told St. George News his team learned a lot during its “very tough” run through the 2018 playoffs.

“Our experience of playing in the finals and winning last year will help us stay focused,” Nelson said. “Defense is the key, and our goals will come with our multiple weapons up top. We are excited to have the chance to repeat and represent our Thunder Family and Region 9.”

Logan at Desert Hills, 4A soccer quarterfinals, St. George, Utah, May 4, 2019 | Photo by Dave Larson, St. George News

The other two Region 9 teams in the quarterfinals, Dixie and Snow Canyon, were both eliminated on the road Saturday, as the Flyers fell to Sky View and Snow Canyon lost to Mountain View in overtime.

Sky View 2, Dixie 0

At Sky View, the Bobcats advanced in the 4A quarterfinals with a 2-0 win over second-seeded Dixie. The Bobcats got both scores during the first half, when Kasen Hyden and Slader Chambers each netted a goal. The Flyers end their season with an impressive overall record of 12-2-1.

Mountain View 2, Snow Canyon 1 (OT)

At Mountain View High in Orem, Sean Moses scored the game-winner for the Bruins six minutes into the overtime period.

Snow Canyon had scored the game’s first goal about 30 minutes into the first half, when Sanders Esplin kicked it in, with a cross from Dillon Hoskins. However, just before halftime, the Bruins got an equalizer from Ben Mella to tie the game 1-1.

“The boys played well, and we thought we were the better team, but it just didn’t go our way,” said Snow Canyon assistant coach Marc Wittwer.

The Warriors finish their season with an overall record of 9-7, including 8-4 in region play.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have two young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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