CHAMPS: Rodriguez, Ogden ‘dig deep’ with Morgan for back-to-back 3A state titles
Penalty kick decides 3A thriller, Ogden finishes perfect at 18-0
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- Ogden High’s hoists its 2025 state championship trophy following the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Morgan on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Ogden High’s Jace Rodriguez (17) greets Luis Velasco (15) during the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Morgan on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Morgan’s Zach Dredge (2) processes the 2-1 result favoring Ogden in the 3A state boys soccer championship on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Ogden High’s Brayden Wilson (2) and Morgan’s Connar White (8) collide during the 3A state boys soccer championship game on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Ogden High’s Adam Jenks (7) swings into the ball during the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Morgan on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Morgan’s Carson Taylor (4) plays the ball forward during the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Ogden on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Morgan’s Connar Wirick (3) and Ogden High’s Gerardo (Jerry) Esquivel (10) collide during the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Morgan on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Morgan’s Ronan Ratchford (1) dives toward the ball during the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Ogden on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Morgan’s Connar Wirick (3), Carson Taylor (4), and Luke Francis (11) are jubilant during the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Morgan on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Ogden High’s Francisco Rivas (99) settles the ball during the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Morgan on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Morgan’s Zac Nielsen (15) steers around Ogden High’s Harry Hoskins (21) during the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Ogden on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Ogden High’s Gerardo (Jerry) Esquivel (10, center) celebrates with teammates during the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Morgan on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Morgan’s Cody Adams (20) and Ogden’s Jace Rodriguez (17) battle for possession during the 3A state boys soccer championship game on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Ogden High’s Xavier Peregrina leaps toward the ball during the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Morgan on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Ogden High’s hoists its 2025 state championship trophy following the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Morgan on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- The Ogden High student boy encourages the team from the stands during the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Morgan on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Morgan’s Cody Adams (20) and Ogden High’s Jace Rodriguez (17) battle for possession during the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Morgan on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Morgan’s Cameron Taylor (10) and Ogden High’s Matt Browning (12) zero in on the ball during the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Morgan on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
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- Ogden High coach Todd Scott looks on during the 3A state boys soccer championship game versus Morgan on Saturday, May 10, 2025, at America First Field in Sandy.
SANDY — By now, Jace Rodriguez knows how the game’s won.
Nothing following unbeaten, top seed Ogden High into a second consecutive 3A state boys soccer championship on Saturday ever came without a physical toll. The scratches and bruises were piling up with hardly five minutes left with No. 6 Morgan at America First Field.
Amid a 1-1 stalemate, Rodriguez captured the chief of Ogden’s momentum swings, battling Morgan midfielder Cody Adams to the ground in another 1-on-1 fray for possession with regulation slipping away. Whistled for a foul, Adams set Rodriguez up with a decisive penalty kick vs. Trojans goalkeeper Ronan Ratchford.
Ogden’s junior forward foresaw the moment earlier in the match, sharing words with teammates after taking an unruly fall near Morgan’s home student section.
“I said, ‘Watch at the end of this game, watch what happens,'” Rodriguez said.
What appeared a quality stop by Ratchford, racing out off his line, popped upward and out from his grasp in just a few short seconds, as a second wave of Rodriguez’ boot backed up his initial shot.
Describing the sequence, Morgan coach Jesse Henderson noted sometimes the best of preparations come down to the odds of a coin flip. The Trojans flipped such odds this spring, converting a 1-5 start into 12-8 overall with the first state runner-up of the Henderson era.
“They put a ball over and into a dangerous area and (Ratchford) had to make a decision to come off his line,” Henderson said. “At the moment, I don’t know how I feel about that call, but I think Ronan did what he needed to do to try and avoid giving up a goal.”
Officials deliberated over the goal briefly, confirming the result for a 2-1 Ogden lead that evaded overtime and cemented consecutive Tiger titles for the first time in school history.
Ogden finishes the season with 81 total goals and 11 shutouts, including just two total goals allowed by junior Xaver Peregrina during the postseason. Saturday marks Ogden’s fifth state title and second for Todd Scott, who holds 27 consecutive wins since 2024, rivaling former Wasatch coach Dawain Wheatley’s state-record 30 matches won from 2011 to 2012.
The Tigers, defeating Manti 4-1 a year ago for its first title since 2005, capped its undefeated season with extra region honors, cleaning out Ben Lomond 1-0 (OT) in the semifinals and thwarting Morgan a third time in the Trojans’ fourth state championship appearance since 2018.
“Forever,” Scott said of his team’s legacy. “This is my family, and that’s why we do this. I love coaching these boys here and that’s Ogden. I get to grow my family bigger every year.
“I’m grateful for my boys to dig deep, be resilient and just finish,” Scott said.
Dig deep, Ogden did. Morgan answered Gerardo Esquivel’s game-opening goal, sliding right of Ratchford for a 1-0 lead 25 minutes into the first half, before halftime via the swinging leg of Brody Kinney, finding senior forward Luke Francis for the tie mere seconds before half.
Their lone goal couldn’t have come from a more deserving name, Henderson said.
“Luke’s been playing JV since he was a freshman,” Henderson said. “He was able to step up and play big, and he was our leading scorer this year. To cap his senior season off with a goal like that is super special. I’m proud of him.”
By that point, Morgan had more than impressed on the defensive end, too.
Ratchford listed four saves before halftime, as the Trojans protected 4 of Ogden’s 5 first-half looks at the net. After 14 minutes back, Adams, received a yellow card on another collision with Rodriguez, set up one of just three shots-on-goal by the Tigers in the second half.
“I think (Morgan) had a lot of momentum,” Rodriguez said. “We all stayed positive, kept working and stayed aggressive. Even though they had the ball the most, we put our opportunities away and we came out on top.”
Adding to Rodriguez’ comments, Esquivel, one of eight total Ogden seniors inking their names in the athletic department’s history books, narrowed their season down to one word: Bond.
“We’ll always fight together,” Esquivel said. “That’s what makes a season like this. This is the best feeling of my life.”
Morgan firmly planted its flag in a fifth consecutive semifinal round this postseason after giving up two regular-season matches to the region champ Tigers. In March, Ogden squeaked by the Trojans 2-1 in overtime; the Tigers hung another win, a 3-0 shutout, in April.
“Hats off to Ogden,” Henderson said. “They’re a great team, they just had an 18-0 season and that’s super hard. Nothing but hats off to those guys but I’m super proud of my boys and their play today, they put it all out there for sure.”
Ogden, as a No. 3 seed in last year’s playoff, has won four consecutive meetings with the Trojans since knocking a Seth Wallace-coached team out of last spring’s semifinal round.
“They need to be proud of themselves for the season they’ve had,” Henderson said. “To come in and have to learn a new system, a new style of play and to just put your head down and work, like I’ve said before, that’s all they did – listen to us coaches and what we wanted them to do.”
Connect with sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net and X @ctbecker.
