High school boys soccer: Lone Peak, Alta, Layton Christian, Juan Diego, St. Joseph get nods as preseason No. 1s

The one week countdown is on for the start of the 2024 high school boys soccer season, which is slated to begin on March 4.

Lone Peak (6A), Alta (5A), Layton Christian (4A), Juan Diego (3A) and St. Joseph (2A) will open the season ranked No. 1 in the Deseret News preseason coaches rankings.

Only Juan Diego and St. Joseph return as defending state champs, but the other three are no stranger to high expectations.

Lone Peak and Layton Christian were both the No. 1 RPI seed in their respective classification heading into the playoffs a year ago, while Alta advanced all the way to the final before losing to Wasatch.

In 6A, defending champ Syracuse will open the season ranked fifth after graduating a big chunk of last years’s starters. The same goes for preseason No. 1 Lone Peak, which suffered its only loss of the season to Syracuse in the semifinals a year ago.

“Only three returning seniors. Very young team, but good kids and talented,” said Lone Peak coach Danny Mason.

In 5A, Alta is in a similar situation with many key starting spots to fill, but that didn’t stop the 5A coaches to dub the Hawks as the team to beat this season, while defending champ Wasatch will be right in the thick of it as well with a loaded roster from last year’s title team.

“We only lost a few seniors. We will be very good and are looking at repeating,” said Wasatch head coach Lance Cosper

Layton Christian, which was eliminated in the quarterfinals last season, has been tabbed the preseason favorite in 4A by the coaches.

“We are super excited for this coming season. The returners definitely understand we have to work harder and the push this year will be fun,” said Layton Christian coach Lucas Almeida.

“Looking forward to great competition and a new division with more schools participating at 4A. Let’s enjoy the most popular sport in the world.”

Last year Layton Christian played an independent schedule but still competed in the 4A playoffs. This season it will be placed in Region 10 as the 4A classification doubles in size.

Defending 4A champ Green Canyon opens the season ranked fourth.

In 3A, Juan Diego opens the season No. 1 on the heels of last season 17-1 state championship season. With seven starters back, coach Joe Baca likes the potential of his squad.

“Looking forward to a strong season. Our team has to replace our top goal scorer from last year with 45 goals. We will work out those details in the preseason,” said Baca.

In 2A, Troy Sheen takes over as head coach for defending state champ and preseason No. 1 St. Joseph. He said the Jayhawks have a strong mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen as they begin their quest for a repeat.

Deseret News preseason coaches rankings

Class 6A

Team (2023 record)

1. Lone Peak (17-1)

2. Davis (12-3)

3. Skyridge (13-6)

4. Farmington (11-4)

5. Syracuse (13-7)

Class 5A

Team (2023 record)

1. Alta (14-4)

2. Wasatch (17-1)

3. Olympus (10-8)

4. Brighton (9-7)

5. Skyline (12-7)

Class 4A

Team (2023 record)

1. Layton Christian (9-3)

2. Crimson Cliffs (13-4)

3. Desert Hills (12-4)

4. Green Canyon (13-6)

5. Ridgeline (11-6)

Class 3A

Team (2023 record)

1. Juan Diego (17-1)

2. Judge Memorial (8-5)

3. Morgan (11-7)

4. Ogden (13-2)

5. Manti (13-4)

Class 2A

Team (2023 record)

1. St. Joseph (13-1)

2. Rowland Hall (11-4)

3. Maeser Prep (16-2)

4. American Heritage (13-4)

5. Gunnison Valley (14-1)