Boys' soccer: 2A suddenly a battleground
There wasn't much parity in the inaugural year of the 2A classification last year. There was one clear favorite (Waterford), two possible contenders (St. Joseph and Rowland Hall), and then - no offense to the other teams who were trying to establish a solid boys' soccer program - there was a pretty noticeable drop off in terms of competitiveness among the other schools.
But, that seems to have changed this year. For one, there's no clear favorite. St. Joseph was the top-ranked team for most of the season but ALA showed just how more evenly-matched 2A has become. ALA, the third-seeded team from Region 14, not only beat St. Joseph but they dominated in a 5-0 win at the end of the regular season.
Then, ALA was beaten by Wasatch Academy in double overtime. Wasatch Academy was easily handled by Rowland Hall, a team that lost to St. Joseph twice. Needless to say, the 2A tournament - which starts on Wednesday - will be a much for exciting than last year's, simply due to the fact that more teams are capable of beating each other.
There are also the Region 13 teams. Grand, Richfield and Manti all have some high-octane offenses and could also pull off some unpredictable outcomes.
The 2A classification has definitely evolved in the past year and we, the fans and spectators, will get to reap the benefits. Covering games is a lot easier when the competition is high.
--Maggie Thach
But, that seems to have changed this year. For one, there's no clear favorite. St. Joseph was the top-ranked team for most of the season but ALA showed just how more evenly-matched 2A has become. ALA, the third-seeded team from Region 14, not only beat St. Joseph but they dominated in a 5-0 win at the end of the regular season.
Then, ALA was beaten by Wasatch Academy in double overtime. Wasatch Academy was easily handled by Rowland Hall, a team that lost to St. Joseph twice. Needless to say, the 2A tournament - which starts on Wednesday - will be a much for exciting than last year's, simply due to the fact that more teams are capable of beating each other.
There are also the Region 13 teams. Grand, Richfield and Manti all have some high-octane offenses and could also pull off some unpredictable outcomes.
The 2A classification has definitely evolved in the past year and we, the fans and spectators, will get to reap the benefits. Covering games is a lot easier when the competition is high.
--Maggie Thach
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home