6A lacrosse championship: 6-point comeback sways from Davis in double-OT defeat to Corner Canyon
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- Davis High’s Rocky Edelman (26) readies to fire the ball against Corner Canyon’s Cameron Wade (15) in the 6A state boys lacrosse final Friday, May 24, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Corner Canyon and Davis players battle in the 6A state boys lacrosse final Friday, May 24, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Davis goalkeeper Hunter Keller tries to save a Corner Canyon shot in the 6A state boys lacrosse final Friday, May 24, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Davis player Christian Kearl, center, looks down Corner Canyon’s Braden Larson (29) in the 6A state boys lacrosse final Friday, May 24, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Davis High’s Jacob Faerber (10) celebrates a goal with teammates in the 6A state boys lacrosse final against Corner Canyon on Friday, May 24, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Davis High’s Nick Johnson, left, pursues Corner Canyon’s Tanner Adamson in the 6A state boys lacrosse final Friday, May 24, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Davis High’s Ben Roylance shoots against Corner Canyon in the 6A state boys lacrosse final Friday, May 24, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Davis High’s Ashton Wood handles the ball in the 6A state boys lacrosse final against Corner Canyon on Friday, May 24, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Davis defenders converge on a Corner Canyon ball-handler in the 6A state boys lacrosse final Friday, May 24, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Davis High’s Ashton Wood, left, rears back with the ball against Corner Canyon’s Tanner Adamson (4) in the 6A state boys lacrosse final Friday, May 24, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Davis High’s Dawson Draper, left, advances the ball against a Corner Canyon player in the 6A state boys lacrosse final Friday, May 24, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Davis High’s Nick Johnson (2) handles the ball against Corner Canyon in the 6A state boys lacrosse final Friday, May 24, 2024, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
HERRIMAN — The 6A state boys lacrosse championship’s double-overtime finish didn’t include the storybook ending No. 3 Davis deserved in a 12-11, sudden-death loss to No. 1 Corner Canyon on Friday at Zions Bank Stadium.
The Darts, trailing the Chargers by as many as six points at one point, climbed back into the conversation by outscoring Corner Canyon 7-3 in the second half. Davis senior Brek Jensen knotted things up 11-11 with 6 minutes still to go in regulation, but neither team challenged the scoreboard.
It was Corner Canyon (17-2) freshman Kampton Dutton who broke loose during the waning minutes of the second overtime, finding just enough space around Davis senior goaltender Hunter Keller to slot in the game-winner — claiming the state title for the Chargers and capping the Darts’ season at 15-4.
“I think that’s something the whole team shares,” Keller said. “I think (the seniors) are leaving behind a legacy. We quote ‘defend the tradition’ all the time at Davis and this is the new tradition — just playing good all the time and making it here every year.”
Keller and the Darts — who topped No. 2 Fremont in a close, 11-9 battle to earn a seat in Friday’s title game — hung right with Corner Canyon from the opening faceoff. The Darts found the net twice leading up to a penalty drawn against Chargers senior Anderson Lewis late in the first quarter.
Junior midfielder Rocky Edelman briefly tied the score at 3-3 for the Darts before the end of the first quarter.
Davis coach Dillon Yocom couldn’t have been more pleased with how his group responded to an early 2-0 slump.
“We started off hot, put some goals in and then got away from what was working, which is dodging, drawing and dumping,” Yocom said. “Assisted goals all day long, especially on a great goalie. You’ve got to move the ball and not stare him down.”
Senior Jacob Faerber and junior Ashton Wood were among the Davis names who found themselves in both the scoring and assist columns. Wood, senior Ben Roylance and junior Rocky Edelman each found the net twice for the Darts.
A competitive start wasn’t enough to scare off Corner Canyon’s offense, which stole a 4-3 lead on a one-on-one battle between Keller and Chargers freshman OJ Ika entering the second quarter.
Four more goals bumped the Chargers to an 8-4 advantage by the break as the Davis attack grew stagnant. The Darts’ score came off the stick of senior Nick Johnson while Corner Canyon’s Ika and senior Kisen Muramoto each found the net before the half.
Davis’ struggles to find the net dragged into the second half and the Chargers capitalized on the silence with two more goals to build a six-point advantage early into the third quarter.
Davis watched its deficit grow to 10-4 while searching for answers in the third quarter but finally found its groove with three unanswered scores, including a scoop-and-score by senior Ben Roylance on a dropped ball by Corner Canyon senior goalie Mitchell Phippen.
Roylance, Woods and Jensen strung four goals together for the Darts in an 11-11 lockout through the final six minutes of play. Corner Canyon and Davis missed a bevy of game-winning opportunities during the first overtime, but the Darts’ defense was the first to fall off the wagon.
“There’s just a few little things that we could’ve changed,” Keller said. “I think we were right on the tip of the iceberg and I think that could’ve been our game. Sometimes it just doesn’t play out our way …
“We’re leaving a level of grit and work ethic (behind). I think this team has worked so hard and there are so many great things we did this year. We’re going to leave behind a lot of hard work and I think that’ll pass on.”