Senior defender Isaac Williams has been the starting sweeper on the Kearns High boys soccer team since his first year with the team.

In his four years as the starter, he has seen the good, the bad and the ugly — all from a position that many consider the most difficult to master.

"It's definitely one of the more important positions on the team," said forward Michael Hickenlooper. "He's basically our last line of defense. When anything gets through, he's there so they don't have a one-on-one with the goalie."

Blowing up these ideal scoring situations is one of the reasons the 6-foot-3, 185-pound senior has thrived as a defensive stopper, even though there's always a decent chance he'll get caught in a blindside collision during the course of a game.

"It's always been my sport," Williams said. "I do like the contact. I like to hit people and knock people on their butt.

"You're also the person that sees the field, so you're always talking. It is the most crucial and most punishing [position in soccer]."

Because Williams is the Cougars' only four-year starter, it's not surprising he has gained the admiration of his teammates, said Hickenlooper. "He's got the most respect out of all of us. He knows what he's doing and he talks a lot. He helps us all out."

"He's leading by example," said Kearns coach Don Knapp. "He's not the one that yells and screams — you can do that periodically, but you've got to work harder than anyone else to earn that right."

Going into the week with a record of 1-13-1, it's safe to say the season hasn't gone the way the Cougars thought it would.

Early on, this team thought it could contend for the playoffs. Then several players wound up leaving the squad, including 2010 leading scorer Alex Jewkes, who was kicked off the team for fighting.

The team had aspirations of getting back to its playoff form of 2009, but those dreams were quickly replaced by the reality of a team that struggled to score goals and failed to execute the fundamentals of its passing game.

As Kearns wraps up its season at Herriman High School on Thursday, May 12, coaches know finding a replacement for Williams and working in a number of younger players will be a tall order for next season.

"We'll miss him a lot," Knapp said. "That's the type of kid that's hard to replace. There'll be others, but he's one of those kids I've never had to worry about." —

Big Number: 8

That's the number of triples hit this season by Stansbury sophomore Katelyn Robinson. The Stallions' right fielder is leading the state in this category, but she's being chased by Chanel Pace (7) of Uintah High School.

Big Game: • Granger at Hunter, boys soccer, 3:30 p.m. Thursday, May 12. Not only is this match the regular-season finale for both schools, the outcome could carry some potential playoff implications. Heading into the final week of the season, West, Skyline and Hunter are all vying for fourth place in Region 2 and a spot in the 5A play-in game. With a win on Thursday, Hunter could be in the postseason.

Key Player • Doug Hukill, midfielder, Hunter

In last week's Region 2 soccer action, Hukill scored three goals in crucial back-to-back wins over West. In the second meeting between these region foes, Hukill scored both of the Wolverines' goals, including the golden goal in overtime that gave his team the 2-1 victory.