High school boys soccer: Davis guarantees outright Region 1 title with convincing win over Farmington

Friday’s game between Region 1 rivals Farmington and Davis had shades of their matchup two weeks ago.

In that game, Davis took an early lead with three first-half goals, but Farmington clawed back after halftime.

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The Darts learned from their mistakes and, with a guaranteed region title on the line, kept their foot on the gas Friday after taking a first-half lead for an eventual 3-1 road win.

“Obviously having the lead at the half is always preferable,” said Davis head coach Dillon Richens, “but Farmington showed in the first game the game’s not over until it’s over. You have to play all 80 minutes, and we knew they were gonna come back and fight.”

After spending a few minutes on the back foot, Davis started to pile on the goals.

The first came in the 28th minute from Kasen Smith. Then, just seven minutes later, Cooper Harwood got a second for the 2-0 halftime lead.

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It was a similar situation to game with the Phoenix two weeks ago, but this time Davis knew it needed to focus on keeping its lead.

It didn’t waiver as it did in its first matchup, and the Darts scored just two minutes into the half. Davis pressured the goal, and Griffin Carmack put the ball in the net after it ricocheted off the Farmington keeper.

“At the end of the day, you have to put away your chances,” Richens said. “We were lucky enough to have some players that came up in big moments and put the ball in the back of the net.”

Defensively, the story of the game was backup keeper Noah Moore filling in.

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Davis’ starting keeper, Jaxson Yanyecic, has likely been ruled out for the season due to unfortunate health issues.

In Yanyecic’s absence, Moore certainly played up to varsity expectations.

Farmington struggled to sustain an offensive push until the 70th minute, when the Phoenix earned a penalty kick that Jack Burrup put in.

In the final 10 minutes, Farmington looked like its usual self. It kept the pressure on and earned a handful of very good looks to add to its score. However, each time, Moore put a stop to it.

“We were just confident going into it,” Moore said. “We knew we could win. We beat them before. We always beat Farmington.”

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With its starting keeper’s availability in question, Davis knows its lucky to have Moore fill in.

“Jackson, he’s the man and he’s had a phenomenal year,” said Richens. “We’re thinking that he’s out for the season, which is a tough loss, but we’re lucky to have Noah.

“Today, he’s had a big game. Give that kid an ounce of confidence, and he’ll take you a mile. We’re lucky to have the goalkeepers that we have.”

The win guarantees Davis its second consecutive Region 1 title.