It wouldn’t have been surprising, then, if when he made varsity in 2023 he would’ve chosen to distance himself from the JV team.

But Knight assistant coach Logan Beus (Evan Beus’s older brother) said one of his best memories of the junior was an off-field moment from Lone Peak’s trip to St. George early in the year.

“We had two separate houses, one for the varsity team and one for the JV,” Logan Beus said. “Evan and some of the seniors were the first to come over and befriend all of the JV guys to make sure they knew they were part of the team, that there was no separation there.”

Logan Beus said his young brother may have had an expectation to be one of the best players in the state but he and the other seniors saw the importance of helping the next guys.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

“Those things usually make the biggest impact on the field,” Logan Beus said. “It showed how special that Lone Peak team was. They were a true family. I think that all started from those boys just combining and proving that in the first week of being a team.”

Although Logan Beus admitted to being somewhat biased toward Evan because of his family and team connection, he felt like the Knight star’s combination of on-field skill and success with his off-the-field caring made him an ideal candidate for individual recognition.

“He just killed it,” Logan Beus said. “The stat side of it was incredible, with the goals and the timing when he made plays. All those things were amazing — but then you just take how he is as a teammate too and how he treat others. I don’t think there’s anyone more deserving.”

Evan Beus’s dynamic performance and dedication to his team’s success resulted in the Daily Herald naming him the 2023 Utah Valley Boys Soccer Player of the Year.

“This means a lot because with soccer, I’ve always felt like I’ve been right there but not able to have a breakout season,” Evan Beus said. “Not being on varsity last year made me want to work harder, so I put in a lot of extra hours. To finally have the season I did and then be named Player of the Year, that feels great.”

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

He had an enormous impact on the Lone Peak offense, tallying 18 goals while also adding 13 assists. Logan Beus said he feels like the second number is the greater accomplishment.

“Evan is one of the most versatile players I’ve ever been around,” Logan Beus said. “He has extreme proficiency with his weak foot, his left foot. He’s very, very talented with his right foot, so he has the ability to go both ways and score with either foot. But the thing I’m most impressed with him is his awareness and his vision. Where Evan can really shine is his ability to bring teammates into it and find those passes.”

The highlight of the season according to the Knight junior was a tough battle at Westlake with Lone Peak gunning for the outright Region 4 title. What transpired highlighted both Evan Beus’s versatility and mentality but also the strength of the Lone Peak team around him.

“Right before overtime, I had a one-on-one with the keeper and he saved it,” Evan Beus said. “I’ll never forget how a couple of the seniors came up to me and said, ‘Lift your head. You’re our best player. You’re going to get the game-winning goal in overtime. We all believe in you.’ Then I ended up scoring on almost the same scenario in overtime with a left-footed shot and they came up to me afterwards and were like, ‘we told you.'”

It was an example of why he felt like this was such a special season for Lone Peak (which went 17-1).

“The atmosphere on this team was really good,” Evan Beus said. “They were all like brothers to me. When we lost in the state semifinals, obviously I was sad but I was even more sad that is was over. In every game, we worked for each other.”

While he felt like his current team was family, it was his older brothers including Logan Beus that made him want to excel in soccer.

“I’ve been playing since I was five or six but they are why I’m playing now,” Evan Beus said. “I looked up to them and wanted to be like them. Logan did all these things and it made me want to live up to that.”

Even though there is seven years between them, Logan Beus said he feels like his younger brother is his best friend.

“I love that kid so much,” Logan Beus said. “There is no better way to put it than that. We push each other so much in a positive way. We spent hours in the backyard or at parks working on the game and just having fun. The most important part was having fun and that joy is what grew our games.”

Logan Beus is currently playing semi-pro soccer for Virginia Beach United and hoping to find other opportunities.

Evan Beus, on the other hand, is looking to take the lessons he learned from 2023 (including the semifinal upset loss to Syracuse in the 6A semifinals) and use them to make himself better for his senior year.

“I feel like for this next year we are going to come in really, really hungry,” Evan Beus said. “I just want it so bad. I feel like people are getting definitely an underestimate us because we lost six senior starters, but I think we’re still gonna be really solid. If we play well enough in the playoffs, I think anybody has a chance depending on how well you play in that game.”

But he’s also going to try to take his own advice and enjoy every moment.

“High school soccer is the greatest experience I’ve ever had,” Evan Beus said. “You’ve got to be grateful for it because it goes by so fast.”