June 2023 | Vol. 20 Iss. 06
FREE
AFTER 36 YEARS, HILLCREST BOYS’ SOCCER CLAIM REGION TITLE By Julie Slama | j.slama@mycityjournals.com
I
t’s the first round of the 5A boys high school soccer playoffs and Hillcrest High is sitting out. Coach Brett Davis is fine with that. “We’ve had a pretty good season overall, so having a bye in the first round is great,” he said. Hillcrest was ranked fourth in the state playoffs and defeated Bonneville High 3-2 in the second round May 16. The championship game was May 25, graduation day for the Huskies, but the focus wasn’t on that, but on the next game, Davis said. During the season, the Huskies had a nine-game winning streak, including a 2-1 win in overtime on senior night. Their season leading up to playoffs was 12-3 overall, 10-2 in region play to be crowned region champions. “There were some emotional games in there, and they did what they needed to do,” Davis said. “It’s been 36 years since we’ve had a region title in boys’ soccer.” The team clinched the title with an overtime win May 3 on senior night against Cedar Valley High, although the trophy wasn’t presented until days later, at home after their last away game. “The Cottonwood coach called me before the game to say they had won, which at that point, I knew we clinched it, but I didn’t share that with the boys because there are a lot of emotional things with senior night. If we had lost our last two, it would come down to a mathematical calculation based on RPI,” Davis said. Besides that overtime game, the Huskies won on penalty kicks after being tied at the end of a double-overtime game against Cottonwood High. They also had a double overtime win against Spanish Fork High earlier in the season. Senior CJ Poulsen is the team’s goalkeep-
er. “Being in goal in some of those games, can be a little stressful,” he said. “When I first started playing, I wasn’t able to handle the pressure, but as I’ve played more, I just have gotten used to it. I just focus on doing my job and know everybody else will do his. The penalty kicks against Cottonwood were a little stressful, but I knew that I was going to be able to save at least one of them.” Davis said the team won those critical games during the stretch when they played eight matches in just over three weeks. “They came away with wins, but especially late in the season, it’s tough having to play those extra minutes on the field. It adds up and it takes a toll on the boys physically, so the bye gives us a few extra days of rest,” he said. “Being in the top eight means we shouldn’t hit a team that’s above us until we get down to the final four.” The team also will play on its new home grass field—previously, the team played on the football field—in front of the home crowd. “It’s an advantage to play on our field where we’re able to practice on it every day and we know where the bumps are compared to a team to walk on and have to figure it out right then and there,” Poulsen said. Joining Poulsen, there are six other seniors, most who play in the backfield; they have played together for years. Poulsen began playing competitively when he was 7 years old. “I started playing with my brother played on our rec team and we were both people who we didn’t really want to run a ton, so my dad (who was the coach) said, ‘We don’t have any goalkeepers, do you want to play goalkeeper?’ I’ve played with some of these guys on club and Hillcrest teams for years and we all have a (player) group chat where after every game With its win over Cedar Valley High, Hillcrest High boys soccer secured its first region win in more than Continued page 8 35 years. (Julie Slama/City Journals)
Local Postal Customer ECRWSS Scan Here: Interactive online edition with more photos.
Thank You
to our Community Sponsors for supporting City Journals
Presort Std U.S. Postage PAID Ogden, UT Permit #190