The calendar may have turned to March, but it has still looked and felt pretty wintry out there. Of course, that hasn’t stopped local high school boys soccer teams from kicking off their seasons. 

Multiple games have gone on, despite some snow on the ground. Davis, Farmington, Bountiful, Viewmont and Woods Cross have each gotten at least one game in during the early part of the 2023 season. 

Davis

The Darts are 1-0 as of our press time, that being a 2-1 win at home over Viewmont. A March 9 contest against Logan was cancelled due to the weather. 

In Davis’ win, the Darts scored a goal in each half, while shutting out the Vikings in the first half. The Darts opened Region 1 play at Farmington on Wednesday and next host Fremont on Friday. 

The Darts went 13-5 last season and posted an 8-4 mark in Region 1, good enough for third place. But Davis caught fire in the state tournament, advancing to the state championship game where it lost to upstart Herriman. 

This year’s squad must replace some key cogs from last year’s Class 6A runner-up team, but the Darts are typically a competitive team from year to year. 

Farmington

The Phoenix were fourth in Region 1 in 2022, posting a 7-5 record. Overall, the team was 13-6. Farmington fell to Herriman in the 6A semifinals, denying it a chance to face Davis for the title. 

Farmington has some talent and experience to be a factor in Region 1. The Phoenix bring back senior goalkeeper Davis Wadsworth. He, along with returning defenders Jaden Petersen and Austin Judd, helped to limit foes to just 0.9 goals per game last season. Senior Boston Peterson and senior Jake Call will lead the offensive attack. A couple of junior midfielders, Cole Janke and Chase Ashby, will aim to control the ball from their positions. 

So far, Farmington has also gotten off to a 1-0 record, having dispatched Riverton 4-0 on March 9. The Phoenix hosted Davis on Wednesday and will travel to Layton on Friday. In the big win over Riverton, Gavin Warner had two goals and an assist. Ben Wright and Ashby each added goals. Peterson got the shutout in the net. 

Bountiful

The 1-1 Redhawks have a big game coming up at American Fork this Friday. Bountiful will look to build on a 5-0 victory over Bear River on Tuesday. Four Redhawks players found the back of the net in the win. Raymond Robinson had two goals, while Thomas Thorne, Kevin Suarez and Javier Moreno each had one. Impressively, Moreno also had three assists. Goalkeeper Nash McReynolds had the shutout. 

Bountiful opened the season on March 9 with a 1-0 loss to 6A foe Layton. The Redhawks allowed a first-half goal in the setback. 

This season, the Redhawks are aiming to improving on a challenging 5-13 campaign from a year ago. 

Viewmont

In 2022, the Vikings shared the Region 5 title with Northridge and Bonneville, going 6-4. Overall, the team was 8-8 and lost in the first round of the Class 5A playoffs to Orem. 

The 2023 version has some confidence and some experienced players to lead the charge. Mason Hanson is a solid senior defender. He’s part of a unit that hopes to improve on the 1.7 goals per game it allowed. Cole Halterman, a senior forward, is the leading returning scorer. He tallied seven goals last season, just behind the graduated Kenyon Grange, who scored eight. 

Viewmont’s 2-1 loss to Davis in the March 9 season opener is the only game the Vikings have played so far. McKay Stacey scored in the loss. The Vikings played a non-region game against Brighton on Thursday and next play at Corner Canyon on March 21. 

Woods Cross

Woods Cross was 9-10 overall last season and went 4-6 in Region 5, placing fifth. Though the 2022 season was disappointing, the Wildcats do have a lot of players with varsity experience returning this season. 

Seniors Nate Blanchard, a forward, and Bracken Hess, a defender, will be team leaders and main contributors. A host of juniors, who got a lot of action as sophomores, should be more seasoned for bigger things in 2023. Midfielders Aidan Moore and Zach DeSpain, along with junior defenders Josh Tibbitts and Gage Gardner, will be important parts of head coach David Newman’s squad. 

The Wildcats played at Kearns on Wednesday and next face Maple Mountain at home on March 21. The team’s season opener on March 14 was a tough 1-0 loss at home to Logan.