Breaking down the soccer brackets
The march to Rio Tinto Stadium officially begins with a full slate of state tournament games in girls soccer this week. UHSAA released the brackets for each classification over the weekend and I will be serving as your guide in breaking down each bracket.
5A State Tournament
Overview: From about day one of the regular season, virtually everyone has penciled in Alta as the 5A state champs. The bracket certainly sets up nicely for the Hawks’ title quest. Alta should face little resistance until the semifinals. On the other side, Davis and Brighton could reunite in a semifinal clash — which would mark the third straight season these two teams have met in a playoff game.
Easiest bracket draw: Alta. Raise your hands if you really think Syracuse, Cottonwood or Layton has a serious chance of beating the Hawks. Aside from a potential semifinal game with Fremont, Alta could coast into the finals.
Toughest bracket draw: Skyline. The Eagles get a tough first-round game with a physical Viewmont team. If Skyline avoids the upset, Brighton likely awaits in the quarterfinals and Davis in the semifinals if the Eagles reach that point.
Team who could surprise: Lone Peak. The Knights hit some rough patches in the regular season after losing key players to injuries. Now that they are getting healthy, an upset or two over higher seeded teams could definitely happen.
Team with most to prove: Davis. The Darts have ruled in Region 1 in recent years, only to stumble in the postseason. Davis has the talent to reach the 5A title game. Will this be the year they finally put it all together?
4A State Tournament
Overview: All eyes will be on East to see if the Leopards’ can keep that spotless record intact. It will be a tough task. The 4A field is more wide open than any classification. Several other teams — including defending champ Bonneville — have a realistic shot at hoisting a championship trophy at Rio Tinto Stadium.
Easiest bracket draw: Orem. The ’07 state champs have as about as favorable path as anybody. The Tigers host a slumping Woods Cross team in the first round and could play Springville — a team they beat 2-0 in the preseason — in the quarterfinals.
Toughest bracket draw: East. The Leopards have a brutal first round game against Mountain View and could potentially meet Bonneville in the quarterfinals and Lehi in the semifinals. No one can say East didn’t earn it if the Leopards reach the title game.
Team who could surprise: Sky View. The Bobcats are one of the hottest teams coming into the playoffs. Sky View gave Alta all it could handle in the preseason and flat-out destroyed Bonneville to hand the Lakers their only Region 5 loss. If they hold to late-season form, the Bobcats can count on playing at Rio Tinto Stadium next week.
Team with most to prove: Pine View. The Panthers ran up a gaudy record in Region 9 play, but it will mean nothing if they fall flat in the first round. Pine View still has plenty of doubters to win over after failing to notch a single victory outside of their region.
3A State Tournament
Overview: Juan Diego and Judge Memorial played for the ’07 3A soccer title. Could we see a repeat this year? The possibility is definitely there. Both teams seem to be a notch above the bulk of the 3A field this season. And both teams have relatively easy paths to the title game.
Easiest bracket draw: Juan Diego. Most of the 3A first-round games are a joke. No. 1 on that list — the Soaring Eagle hosting winless Grantsville. If that’s not a good argument for 3A to go to 12 playoff teams instead of 16, I don’t know what is. Juan Diego’s only serious challenge before the title game could come from a resurgent Wasatch team.
Toughest bracket draw: Desert Hills. The Thunder get a cupcake first round opponent, but will probably have to battle through Judge in the quarterfinals and either Morgan or Park City in the semifinals just to reach the title game.
Team who could surprise: Morgan. The Trojans scored a late-season upset over Judge when it was the no. 1 ranked 3A team. If Morgan can get past Manti and Park City, the Trojans could have a shot at the Bulldogs again in the semifinals.
Team with the most to prove: Park City. The Miners rallied from a 1-5-1 start to claim the Region 10 title. But outside of Pine View and Wasatch, they have beaten no other quality teams. Reaching the finals might be what it takes for Park City to prove its strong finish wasn’t a product of a weak region.
2A State Tournament
Overview: The only classification to feature two defending state champions, thanks to a quirky realignment process. Waterford, the ’08 3A champ, and St. Joseph, the ’08 2A champ, are runaway title favorites. Is a title game clash between the two inevitable? You can never rule anything out, but I don’t see which 2A team could realistically upset either one.
Easiest bracket draw: Waterford or St. Joseph. You can pretty much take your pick here. Neither team will even break a sweat until the semifinals. After that, the Jayhawks will likely draw Millard while the Ravens face Beaver or Rowland Hall, so I guess Waterford gets the easiest draw in a photo finish.
Toughest bracket draw: South Summit. Yes, my hometown Wildcats could potentially face the three best 2A teams (Millard, St. Joseph and Waterford) the rest of the way, if they get out of the first round. That’s not exactly a slate inviting an extended playoff run.
Team who could surprise: Rowland Hall. The Winged Lions are probably not capable of winning a 2A title, but reaching the semifinals is not out of the question. Rowland Hall has a favorable draw as a three seed with a winnable game against Beaver in the quarterfinals.
Team with the most to prove: Millard. Once again the Eagles swept through Region 13 with no resistance. But it won’t mean much until Millard proves it can beat top teams from Region 14 in the playoffs. The Eagles have been knocked out by the Region 14 champ in the 2A title game for two consecutive years.
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