High school boys soccer: Farmington, Lone Peak to meet in 6A championship after emotional semifinal

HERRIMAN — After trying to reschedule Tuesday’s 6A boys soccer state semifinal between Farmington and Mountain Ridge due to a tragedy in the Sentinels’ community, the two sides came together in unity before and after the contest.

Dax Patrick, Kade Mackintosh and Jack Burrup each scored a goal as the Phoenix pulled away from the Sentinels, 3-1 at Zions Bank Stadium.

But what happened next is worthy of celebration. Not because of the moment, or the match — but because of the response from the entire soccer community, players, coaches and fans.

The match started with a 21-second moment of silence, when both teams opened by taking a knee to honor Mountain Ridge sophomore Gray Zarogoza, who died suddenly the day before.

“I think that what we asked for under the circumstances was to be their best as a player, and to be an exceptional human being today,” Farmington coach Brittain Thomas said. “Nobody should have to deal with that kind of loss, and we still wanted to compete out of respect for our opponent. But we wanted to make sure we paid our respects and be sportsmanlike.”

Thomas said the two sides attempted to reschedule the match, but because of stadium restrictions, graduation and the upcoming summer break, that was impossible.

“The fact that they showed up and played for him, and his parents were here is unbelievable,” Thomas said. “A lot of gratitude to (Mountain Ridge) for showing up, and giving us a game. We’re so sorry for their loss.”

Life is hard. But fútbol can be beautiful.

Our hearts go out to the Mountain Ridge family at this difficult time 🫶 pic.twitter.com/Azvgz6Bbso

— Salt City Soccer (@saltcityfc) May 20, 2026

So instead, they honored the Sentinels’ loss the only way they knew how: by playing the game loved by both communities.

“While we mourn the loss of our brother, we are taking him into our hearts as we go to battle for each other in the semifinal contest this afternoon,” Mountain Ridge wrote on its team Instagram account before the match.

Condolences quickly flooded in, with thoughts, prayers and well-wishes from across the state.

After the match, Farmington players gathered a bouquet of flowers and had the coaches present it to the former players’ parents. Then, every player — both Phoenix and Sentinel, starter and reserve — gathered around the center circle and a minute of silence, when they could pray, think or just be together. 

After the tribute, both sidelines offered a cheer of “Go Sentinels!” One Farmington fan yelled, “We love you, Mountain Ridge!” that echoed across both sidelines.

Sports has a way of bringing communities together, and Tuesday’s match was medicinal for a soccer community that transcended school boundaries.

“All of these guys are friends in the soccer world,” Thomas said. “The first 21 seconds was to kneel in a tribute, to acknowledge the death of that player, and it was pretty cool for us to come together and make that happen.”

6A boys soccer semifinals: Knights shut out Griffins for championship bid

At Zions Bank Stadium, Blake Stuart and Patrick Stevenson scored a goal in either half as Lone Peak advanced to the 6A title match with a 2-0 win over Salt Lake Academy in the other semifinal.

Stuart opened the scoring in the first half, striking a pure ball to lift the Knights (17-1) to a 1-0  halftime advantage.

Stevenson doubled the advantage after the break to help Lone Peak advance to play Farmington in Friday’s 6A championship. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. MT at Zions Bank Stadium.