Region 10 soccer: Crimson Cliffs wins region, No. 1 seed in 4A state tournament

WASHINGTON —  The Region 10 soccer title came down to the final game of the regular season Thursday night with two teams, Crimson Cliffs and Dixie, tied atop the standings.

Before the night was over, Crimson Cliffs prevailed over Pine View, Dixie lost to Cedar and the Mustangs hoisted the Region 10 trophy along with their fans.

Meanwhile, Desert Hills won in a shoot out on the road to beat Snow Canyon and solidified the Thunder’s third-place finish in the region.

Following are recaps of the week’s soccer matches in Region 10 along with a look at the 4A state tournament bracket, which was released by the Utah High School Activities Association early Friday morning.

Thursday’s games

Crimson Cliffs 1, Pine View 0

The Mustangs got a little help from Cedar before shutting out Pine View 1-0 Thursday night and winning the Region 10 title outright. 

Mustangs players knew before kickoff that Cedar beat Dixie 1-0 earlier that afternoon in Cedar City, so the Region 10 title was theirs for the taking if they beat Pine View.

Crimson Cliffs goalkeeper Dade MacDonald (middle) after making a mid-air save against Pine View in a Region 10 soccer game, Washington, Utah, April 28, 2022 | Photo by Anna Stringham, St. George News

“That definitely fired us up,” Crimson Cliffs senior goalkeeper Dade MacDonald told St. George News. “We wanted to take it.”

MacDonald posted his whopping 10th shutout victory of the year, meaning that he surrendered no goals in 10 of the 13 wins Crimson Cliffs achieved in the regular season.

“It’s my backline,” MacDonald said about the defenders in front of him. “I owe everything to them. They’re just fantastic. I don’t do much, it’s the rest of the team, they’re incredible.”

MacDonald sure did something Thursday night to preserve the shut out.

Pine View’s best scoring attempt came about midway through the first half, when MacDonald dove to his right and punched a ball destined for the net up and over the cage while in mid-air.

The incredible save made junior Camden Squires’ single tally early in the contest stand up.

Squires scored for Crimson Cliffs, his fifth goal of the year, when he won the ball deep in Pine View’s box near the backline and chipped home a shot that Pine View keeper Kaden Cox got his hands on but couldn’t stop.

The Mustangs’ victory clinched the Region 10 title after they finished with a mark of 10-2. Dixie was second at 9-3 while Desert Hills came in a solid third-place at 8-4.

At the time, MacDonald and the rest of the Mustangs didn’t know the 4A state playoff seedings but winning the region title gave them a big burst of mojo.

“We want to take it all. We’re going to work for it,” MacDonald said.

Cedar 1, Dixie 0

At Cedar, the Reds pulled off the upset that dashed Dixie’s hopes for a share of the Region 10 title.

Cedar’s Maddox Prisbrey prepares to take the shot that would be the game’s only goal in a 1-0 win over Dixie, Region 10 boys soccer, Cedar City, Utah, April 28, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The game was scoreless for nearly 67 minutes until Cedar senior Maddox Prisbrey managed to shake a couple of defenders in front of the box and fire in a shot past Dixie’s goalkeeper and into the right side of the net.

With a strong south wind at their backs in the second half, the Reds defense, including goalkeeper Dagan Murray, managed to keep Dixie from scoring down the stretch.

Cedar head coach Scott Kamachi said it was about time that his team had a close game go their way.

“A lot of our games have been like that this year, where we were in position to just get one ball into the net,” he said. “It’s been going against us, but today it went for us. Now’s a good time to start having that happen.”

Kamachi praised his team’s defense, particularly toward the end of the game, when Dixie made multiple attempts to get a shot on goal.

“At that point, we’re just trying to win the game. We’ve got the lead, just got to win the game,” he said. “So, we were getting the ball out of our area as far as we possibly can, and making them go as far as they have to go.”

Dixie finished the regular season with a 9-3 record in Region 10 play, good for a second-place finish and a first-round bye in the upcoming 4A state tournament.

Cedar, meanwhile, improved to 4-8 in Region 10 play and 6-9 overall. The Reds jumped to No. 9 in the final RPI (ratings percentage index) rankings, meaning they will be on the road for a first-round playoff game on May 3 against the No. 8 seed Pine View.

St. George News/Cedar City News reporter Jeff Richards contributed to this report.

Desert Hills, 3, Snow Canyon 3 (Desert Hills wins shootout 5-4)

A box score from this game was unavailable at press time.

Desert Hills secured the No. 4 seed and will host No. 13 Bear River in an opening round playoff game May 3 at 4 p.m.

Tuesday’s games

Crimson Cliffs 4, Snow Canyon 1

Ryan Woolley and Scotty McKittrick each had a pair of goals for the Mustangs. Camden Squires had three assists in the victory.

Adam Parkhurst scored for the Warriors.

Desert Hills 4, Hurricane 2

Four different Thunder players scored in the game: Jaxon Resendez, Isaak Poppe, Alexis Gonzales and Karson Clark.

Resendez recorded had two assists and Shayden Scott picked up a helper as well. Desert Hills freshman Stockton Beckstrom, playing in the first half of Senior Night, delivered a perfect assist off of a free kick.

Michael Stirland scored for the Tigers in the defeat.

Dixie 4, Pine View 2

Four different Flyers scored in the win: Tristan Yapi, Oscar Rodriguez, Jorge Quintero and Iker Meza. Meza picked up an assist for Dixie, as did Andy Laromarsino.

Region 10 boys soccer, final season standings (region, overall)

  1. Crimson Cliffs (10-2, 13-2)
  2. Dixie (9-3, 11-3)
  3. Desert Hills (8-4, 10-5)
  4. Pine View (5-7, 8-8)
  5. Snow Canyon (5-7, 7-8)
  6. Cedar (4-8, 6-9)
  7. Hurricane (1-11, 3-12)

First round 4A state tournament schedule, May 3:

  • No. 1 Crimson Cliffs (bye)
  • No. 2 Dixie (bye)
  • No. 3 Ridgeline (bye)
  • No. 4 Desert Hills hosts No. 13 Bear River, 4 p.m.
  • No. 5 Mountain Crest hosts No. 12 Logan, 4 p.m.
  • No. 6 Snow Canyon hosts No. 11 Hurricane, 4 p.m.
  • No. 7 Green Canyon hosts No. 10 Sky View, 4 p.m.
  • No. 8 Pine View hosts No. 9 Cedar, 4 p.m.

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