The Bountiful boys soccer team might not have won the Region 6 title, but it captured a much bigger prize. 

The Redhawks went from the fifth seed in the Class 5A state tournament all the way to the finals, defeating Maple Mountain 1-0 on May 22 at Zions Bank Stadium. It was a matchup of surprise participants, as Maple Mountain came in as the No. 6 seed. 

The clash between the two schools was a defensive struggle, with neither team relenting. After a scoreless first half, both defenses were equally stout in the second half, not allowing a goal. That took the match into two overtime periods. It was still scoreless after the first overtime and minute left to play in the second. It looked as though the title would come down to a shootout. 

It didn’t, though it did come down to a penalty kick. 

The Redhawks were awarded a penalty kick in the waning moments of the second overtime. Bountiful head coach Gabe Johnson chose Cameron Martin to take the biggest kick of his life. Martin, a senior forward, converted, giving Bountiful its first state championship since 2013. It was Martin’s 18th goal of the season. 

The Bountiful sideline and fans erupted in celebration, culminating a memorable 16-5 season that had a few challenges and a lot to remember. 

The Redhawks fell short of winning Region 6, tying Olympus for second place with a 9-3 mark, two games behind Alta. Alta, incidentally, earned the top seed in the 5A tournament, but Bountiful would get revenge over its nemesis.

In the semifinals on May 18, the Redhawks took on the Hawks, a team Bountiful had fallen to twice – 2-1 on March 31 and 2-0 on April 30. But when the stakes were at their highest, Bountiful was at its best. 

Especially in the second half.

At the break, Alta appeared to be on its way to a third win of the season over Bountiful and a trip to the finals. However, the second half was a different ball game, and Bountiful completed an impressive comeback with an onslaught of three goals. Sammy Serio, Pim DeJonge and Ezra Christiansen each scored after halftime, with Martin and Serio each assisting on goals. The defense, which allowed a pair of Alta goals in the first 40 minutes, clamped down and kept the Hawks out of the net to preserve the victory and a place in the championship game. 

The victory over Alta was also sweet because it took the bad taste away from last season’s 5A semifinals when an 18-1 Bountiful team lost to Alta 4-0. Though not in the same region last season, it set the state for a brewing rivalry between the schools. In last season’s semifinals, the Redhawks gave up all four goals after halftime, so it was satisfying for Bountiful to return the favor in 2026 with three scores in the second half of the semifinals. 

Bountiful began its championship march with a second-round shutout win over Box Elder at home on May 12 by the score of 3-0. Like it would do against Alta two round later, Bountiful scored all three goals in the second half. Martin had two of the goals, and Christiansen added another. Goalie Jovany Lobato earned the shutout, while Serio and Mason Hamlet had assists. 

On May 15, in the quarterfinals, Bountiful visited fourth-seeded Granger, champions from Region 4. The Lancers had lost just three times all year but found the going to be tough against an inspired Redhawks squad. Bountiful once again turned things up in the second half after a scoreless first half. DeJonge and Christiansen had goals, and Austin Childers and Jack Byaombe assisted on scores. Lobato once again excelled in the net, getting another shutout. 

On the season, Bountiful allowed 29 goals in 21 games and earned seven shutouts. The Redhawks tallied 45 goals, with Martin’s 18 leading the way. Second on the team in goals scored was Christiansen, who had 11. DeJonge added seven goals. The leading assister on the squad was Childers, with seven. Martin added six assists. Lobato was the main man in the net in the playoffs. He had four shutouts this season. Fellow goalie David Kessler was credited with two shutouts. 

Offensively, the Redhawks had three games of scoring at least four goals, with a season-high of five goals in a four-point win over Lehi on March 10. Bountiful scored at least three goals in a game nine times. 

Next season, the Redhawks will have to replace some firepower. 

Martin and Christiansen will both graduate, as will Childers and DeJonge. Serio is also a senior, as is Landon Thompson, who scored a goal and had three assists. On the bright side, the Redhawks will welcome back both goalkeepers, Lobato and Kessler. In addition, Byaombe will be back as a senior for 2027. 

This season’s title put a cap on a highly successful two-year run that saw Bountiful accumulate a combined 34-7 record. This followed a pair of respectful showings in 2023 and 2024 when Bountiful went 10-6 and 11-6, respectively. The Redhawks were 14-3 overall in 2013 when they last won a state championship. 

Next season’s Redhawks team will feature a slew of new leaders and contributors. Johnson will likely look to this season’s junior varsity team for players to step up and take on bigger roles for the team. From now until the 2027 season, Bountiful players will focus on club ball. But they’ll also enjoy a championship run for the ages.