Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
HERRIMAN — Lone Peak entered Tuesday afternoon's semifinals with an undefeated record, a 17-match winning streak, and the top seed in the 6A boys soccer state tournament.
Seeded No. 12 overall, Syracuse was 11-7 on the year after a .500 record for fourth place in Region 1 and the only non-Region 4 team surviving the latter stages of the state tournament.
The Titans had a better game plan. That plan? Let Jack Cook.
Cook scored a hat trick, with two of those goals bifurcating either side of halftime, and Syracuse rallied from 1-0 down to stun the top-rated Knights 4-1 at Zions Bank Stadium.
Easton Cragun had a goal and an assist for the Titans (12-8), finishing off the scoring in the 78th minute with a low ball hit hard to set up the program's first championship finals appearance.
"Syracuse has got fight, man," Cook said. "We're a 12 seed; we've got no pressure on us to win games. That just gives us the opportunity to go out there and ball. … There's no pressure for us to win at all. To go out there and play freely, while a 17-0 team has everything to lose? It's a lot easier to play, especially when we went down. I had full confidence in my back line and my team to get us going."
Jackson Gunther opened the scoring for the undefeated Knights in the 18th minute, finding space on a breakaway before cutting inside against the final backtracking defender. The 5-foot-6 senior scored his sixth goal of the year after bouncing his initial shot off the ankle of the goalkeeper, corralling the loose ball inside the box, and slotting home the open-net goal inside the far post to give Lone Peak the 1-0 lead.
But Cook scored his team-high 11th goal of the season six minutes later, when the wide-open senior got free inside the box and finished close to equalize.
Gunther nearly doubled his account in the final 10 seconds of the half, but Syracuse goalkeeper Ty Richardson made a sliding stop in front of goal to keep the halftime stalemate.
Instead, Cook doubled the advantage for the 12th-seeded Titans just 18 minutes into the second half. The senior scored from close range, then immediately met his white-and-green penny-clad teammates from the bench at the corner flag in the northeast corner of the stadium.
"Jack's had that in him all along," Syracuse coach Taylor Allen said. "At times, you need your great player to play great. Today, Jack played great. He put the team on his back, got some tough goals, and that was huge."
If Cook had jumped over the barriers at Zions Bank Stadium and taken a celebratory ride down the playground slide that went viral during the 2020 NWSL Challenge Cup in the same location, it would have been worth it.
But Cook wasn't done. Not yet, at least.
The senior stole a pass in the final third in the 45 minute, and Cook finished a right-footed shot for a baker's dozen 13th goal of the year that caromed off the goalkeeper's glove and inside the far post to go up 3-1.
Richardson added a point-blank save on a Lone Peak counter attack to keep the scoreline with 13 minutes remaining, keeping a team that had scored 48 goals to just one when it mattered most.
"That was a game-changer. We had 35 minutes to sit, and that sucked," Allen said. "But Ty saved that goal, and that changed all that momentum. These dudes played above their ability as 17 and 18 year olds. That's what is fun about high school soccer."
Falcons survive elements, delays to oust Pleasant Grove in shootout
At Zions Bank Stadium, sixth-seeded Skyridge survived multiple weather delays, a temporary change of venue to the RSL indoor practice facility, and a penalty kick shootout to oust Pleasant Grove after both teams played to a 1-1 draw through extra time Tuesday afternoon.
Nathan Martinez gave the Vikings (11-7) a lead early in the second half, but Joshua Guymon equalized off a set piece for Skyridge (13-5) to force extra time. After both teams went scoreless in two extra sessions, Skyridge ousted the Region 4 rivals 4-3 in a shootout to advance to Thursday's championship match.
The Falcons will face Syracuse at 5 p.m. MDT Thursday in the 6A state final at America First Field in Sandy.
