Boys soccer playoffs: Morgan ‘ready’ for rematch with unbeaten Ogden in 3A final
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- Morgan’s Trace Henderson pushes upfield during the UHSAA 3A boys soccer state semifinals on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Ben Lomond’s Jared Velazquez pictured during the UHSAA 3A boys soccer state semfinals with Morgan on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Morgan’s Trace Henderson looks for a call during the UHSAA 3A boys soccer state semifinals on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Ben Lomond’s Darien Vasquez, left, and Morgan’s Kash Peterson, battle for possession during the UHSAA 3A boys soccer state semifinals on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Morgan’s Brody Kinney (12) and Crew Baurele (13) chase Ben Lomond’s George Solis during the UHSAA 3A boys soccer state semifinals on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Morgan’s Brody Kinney, middle, steers away from Ben Lomond’s Jared Velazquez during the UHSAA 3A boys soccer state semifinals on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
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- Morgan coach Jesse Henderson, left, talks with Kash Peterson, right, during the UHSAA 3A boys soccer state semfinals with Ben Lomond on Monday, May 4, 2026, at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
HERRIMAN — The 3A boys soccer state finals are set, and it’s a tune we’ve heard before.
With a 3-0 win over No. 7 Ben Lomond in the semifinals, No. 3 Morgan fulfilled part of its mission on Monday evening to meet top seed Ogden in the state finals.
Trojans coach Jesse Henderson asked last year’s team to remember that feeling, and his squad certainly played like a team with a vivid memory.
Sophomore Daxton Noss opened the scoring in the early minutes of the first half, and shortly thereafter junior Parker Grow seized the opportunity to pressure Ben Lomond goalkeeper Anthony Garibay with a second unanswered goal less than 14 minutes into the match.
Henderson said it was great for Noss, especially, to open the scoring.
“He has grown more in the last four weeks than probably any of our players,” Henderson said. “That’s saying a lot because we’ve had a lot of growth in this team, but Daxton has taken everything that we’ve coached him on and everything that we’ve asked him to do, and he has executed. … He went from being a bench player to being a starter and then a contributor.”
As was the case with last year’s state title run, Henderson, in his second year as the boys coach, helped his squad convert a 2-5 start into a home playoff berth. The Trojans (11-8) are hot, with a win in their regular-season finale for a share of the Region 12 title, and three postseason wins by no fewer than three goals.
“We put together a schedule that was really going to push these boys,” Henderson said. “That’s one of the reasons our record is what it is at this point. I think you see what that result is, playing those games and practicing hard, and just putting everything that they have into it for the whole season, then peaking (and) putting it all together at the end when it matters.”
Morgan has made five consecutive semifinal appearances since 2021, and, of those trips, they’ve either met Ogden in the semifinals or the finals three times (2025, 2024, and 2023). This time around, they’re out to avenge last year’s 2-1 defeat at America First Field in Sandy.
Eight seniors remember that match vividly, including Henderson’s third son, Trace, who leads the team with 20 goals this season.
Many of those upperclassmen, who battled with the Seth Wallace teams of the past, know what’s at stake with a team like Ogden, which has bested them twice this season (3-2 at home, and a 3-1 penalty-kick shootout on the road). Last year’s Tigers squad was undefeated, too.
The game won’t include what’s become the usual venue for the state championship finals at America First Field — home of the Real Salt Lake and the Utah Royals professional soccer clubs — but will instead return to the home of the franchise’s development team, Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
The matchup, though, still includes all the frills, Henderson said.
“They’ve experienced three years of having to go up for this thing and coming up short against Ogden,” Henderson said. “They’re ready. They’ve had three years of preparation, a full year this year of just going after it. At the end of the season last year, we told those guys, ‘Remember this moment and remember how you feel.'”
As exciting as the opportunity is for Morgan entering next week, the Scots now reel from a 7-7 finish and a second consecutive loss in the 3A state semifinals.
BL clawed its way into the semifinals once again after falling short in an overtime thriller to eventual champion Ogden last year. The Scots hung a 5-0 shutout on region foe Grantsville in the opening round, then pulled off a 2-1 road victory at No. 2 Carbon to reach Monday’s semifinal.
The Scots will wave off seniors George Solis, Kevin Nuci, Daniel Avila, Darien Vasquez, Fernando Marquez, Matthew Ayala Bravo, Diego Nolazco and Ivan Pina this offseason. Their contributions throughout back-to-back semifinal runs, second-year coach Paul Baltazar said, have built the “foundation” needed for long-term success.
“I think it just speaks about all the (students) we do have at this school, that we can do great things,” Baltazar said. “It’s just a matter of what you put into it. You tell the (players) what you put into it is what you’re going to get out of it, so hopefully this has really shown the outcome of if you genuinely put your effort into these types of kids, this is the type of outcome you will get.”
The 3A state title match is slated for 2 p.m. Monday, May 11, at ZBS.
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net, X @ctbecker and Instagram @standardexaminersports.
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