The Red Devils finished the regular season with a 5-5 record in the 2A Central region, tying them for third place with Gunnison. Wasatch Academy and Manti each finished 9-1 to tie for the region championship.
Grand won the ensuing coin flip against Gunnison, giving the Red Devils a No. 3 seed in the single-elimination 2A playoffs, which start Wednesday, April 30 at the home fields of the higher-seeded schools. Grand will travel to play Rowland Hall in Salt Lake City at 4 p.m. Wednesday. Rowland Hall finished second in the 2A North with a record of 8-3-1 in region play.
Grand’s final home game against Gunnison on Friday was a defensive battle, as the teams were both scoreless in the first half. About 10 minutes into the second half, Grand junior Koby Sobremesana broke away from a defender near the goal and kicked in the first goal of the game.
Then, late in the second half, sophomore Joseph Shumway gave the Red Devils a little more breathing room when his corner kick entered the goal box ever so slightly. Referees ruled the ball had crossed the line, giving Grand a 2-0 lead that would stand for a few more minutes until time expired at the end of the game.
“We have definitely gotten better since the last time we played them,” said GCHS junior Duncan Reidhead, referring to Grand’s 3-0 shutout loss to Gunnison at Gunnison on March 19.
Last Friday’s match against Gunnison had been rescheduled from its original date of Tuesday, April 22, due to a conflict in scheduling officials. Grand’s four graduating seniors – Layton Call, Jacob Francis, Jaydan Olsen, and Reyce Knutson – were honored at halftime of the Gunnison match on Friday. Call earned his third shutout of the season at goalkeeper.
The following day, Grand traveled to Mount Pleasant to face Wasatch Academy. The Tigers overpowered the Red Devils 6-0, with five different players scoring. Wasatch Academy lost its coin flip with Manti, however, meaning that Manti will be the region’s No. 1 playoff seed and the Tigers will be No. 2.