Individuals shine during fall high school sports season
Utah’s Catholic high schools saw some strong results in the fall sports season. The schools all finished well in several sports, but this was a season where individual athletes shone.
St. Joseph CHS
The Jayhawks were on fire at the Region 17 cross country meet Oct. 12 at Wheeler Farm. The girls team came in first place overall (with 29 points) for the second year in a row, with four runners finishing in the top 10 of the pack in the 3-mile run.
Junior Reagan Belko placed third with a 22:18.52 time, while freshman Emilia Pinchak took fifth (23:29.66), with sophomore Julie Rickerd just behind her in sixth (23:42.91). Sophomore Caroline Mullin finished up the strong showing with a seventh-place finish (24:30.90).
At the state meet, the Lady Jayhawks placed sixth overall with 174 points. Alexsen Willardson finished the race in ninth place (25:04.53)
The boys team came in third in region with 80 points. In the 3-mile race, senior Brandon Arbegast crossed the finish line in fifth place. The boys did not place at state.
Girls Soccer
Girls soccer defeated San Juan Oct. 13, 13-0 at home in first round of state play. They lost to American Heritage 3-2, Oct. 16 at American Heritage in the quarterfinals. The Jayhawks finished the season 6-4 region, 10-6 overall.
Volleyball
In volleyball the Jayhawks were the 2021 region champs for the second year in a row, finishing 9-1. At state, they beat Parowan 3-1 Oct. 29 at Utah Valley University after a bye in the first round. They were defeated by South Sevier -3-0 in the quarterfinals Oct. 29. St. Joseph lost to Duchesne 3-1 Oct. 30 in the one-loss semis. They finished the season 24-7 overall.
Cross Country
Ethan Stevens, a sophomore, beat 95 runners at the state meet at the Regional Athletic Complex in Rose Park on Oct. 27 to come in first in the 3A 5K with a time of 19:28.9. In addition, Stevens placed first in the 5000-meter run with a time of 20:18.50 at the Region 15 XC Championship meet Oct. 14 at Wheeler Farm.
Soaring Eagle Isabella Pickers, also a sophomore, finished second with a time of 21:03.10.
At the region competition, junior Patrick Reilly came in third in the boys 5000-meter race with a time of 17:43.90, while sophomore Gabe Woods placed sixth (18:03.60) and freshman Shepherd Foy came in eighth (18:05.40).
Both Soaring Eagle cross-country teams came first in region, with the girls scoring 39 points and the boys scoring 46. At the state meet, the Soaring Eagle girls came in eighth place overall with a score of 209; the boys’ team also took an eighth place with a 212.5 score.
Juan Diego CHS
Football
In state play, after a first-round bye, Juan Diego met Canyon View in the quarterfinals at home and won 34 to 19, but fell to Grantsville in the Nov. 6 semifinal match at Southern Utah University. In that game, Juan Diego held on strong during the first three quarters, but in the fourth quarter Grantsville dominated the field. The Soaring Eagle team rallied in the final 14 seconds to score a touchdown, but it was not enough to make a difference; the game finished with Grantsville at 28, Juan Diego at 14.
The Soaring Eagle finished the 2021 season 8-3 overall, placing third in the league and earning a co-region championship. Some highlights of the season included wins over 5A Skyline 52-30, 6A Taylorsville 58-0, 5A East 43-22, and a 17-14 win at eventual 3A Champion Grantsville, head coach Greg Williams said.
“It was tough seeing the team we beat (Grantsville) winning the state title, but they gave us a great game,” he said. “It was a tough battle.”
Williams had served as the team’s offensive coordinator since the school opened serving, but he transitioned to head coach last year.
The team was led by 23 seniors including captains Tyler Easter, Dallas Larson, Michael Hulverson, Trace Monson, Nelson Arapa and Harevaa Hatitio.
“They were all good leaders,” Williams said. “They kept our guys in check and led the way as captains.”
Senior quarterback Diego Valdez who guided the offense for three seasons also contributed to the team’s success, he said.
Williams said the season was easier this year than last with more senior leadership and with less restrictions on the team due to COVID-19.
Girls Soccer
Following a state tournament first-round bye, the Soaring Eagle defeated Richfield 4-0 at home in second-round play Oct. 13, but lost to second-place winner Morgan 2-0 on Oct. 16 at Morgan. The Soaring Eagle finished third in region 7-3 and 10-5 overall.
Girls Tennis
Singles player Rachel Strelow, a senior, made it to the state finals match on Oct. 9 at Liberty Park, where she was defeated by Carbon’s Lieke Verwiej 6-3, 6-4. Along the way, she beat South Summit’s Kathryn Froerer 6-1, 6-0 in the first round. She followed that up with a second-round victory against Manti’s Emily Allen 6-3,6-4. In the semifinals, she bested Grantsville’s Audrey Curtis 6-2, 6-4.
“This is her first year as a senior even playing tennis for high school,” coach Rod Horton said. “She is a very coachable player, listens well to instruction and tries to incorporate everything you tell her to do. She really has a competitive edge, and she knows how to win and she’s a hard worker.”
At state, senior Abbie Nelson defeated Union’s Eliza Beale 6-0, 6-2 in the first round but lost to Grantsville’s Lacy Linares 6-2, 6-4 in the second round.
Senior Valeria Rico also made it to state, where she was defeated by a Carbon player 6-3, 6-3 in the first round.
“Valeria has really held her own, and she has improved a lot this year,” Horton said. “She figured out how to play a better game for her.”
Volleyball
The Soaring Eagle took down Ben Lomond 3-0 at home Oct. 23 in the first round of state play. They lost to Union 3-0 in the semifinals at Utah Valley University on Oct. 27. In the consolation round, they lost to Judge Memorial CHS 3-2. Juan Diego finished first in region and 12-16 overall.
Judge Memorial CHS
Cross Country
The Bulldog teams, both boys and girls, took second at the Region 15 XC Championship meet Oct. 14 at Wheeler Farm. The girls scored 50 points; the boys claimed their place with 56.
“I was really pleased with how the team did because we lost a lot of the good runners from last year’s team and we’re in a rebuilding year and still did really well,” coach Jason Heideman said.
In the girls 5000-meter race, senior Anna-lece Macklyn came in fourth place with a time of 21:28.90. Ninth-grader Ella Still placed ninth (22:46.80); teammate Myriam Cortez, a junior, came in 10th (23:30.30).
In the boys race, senior Tyler Bissett finished in fourth place (17:52.90), while teammate Atticus Richardson, also a senior, came in seventh (18:04.60).
While none of the boys cross-country team members placed at the state competition, they all ran well and each had a personal record on the course, Heideman said.
“We did really well across the board,” he said. “It just happens that now in state we’re one of the very smallest teams going against a lot of bigger teams.”
Girls Soccer
After a first-round bye in state tournament play, the Lady Bulldogs routed Ben Lomond 8-1 on Oct. 13 at home. They fell to Canyon View in the quarterfinals 1-0 Oct. 16 at Canyon View. Judge finished the season 10-5 overall, coming in second in 3A region, 7-2.
The team did well this year, said new head coach Eric Bambabate, who had been the assistant coach for the past two years. “This year we changed a few things and they did amazing. It felt like more of a team this year than the past few seasons.”
Among the outstanding players on the team is forward Breck Jones, he said. “Her energy on the field was just so great it brought all the players together. She just has a great attitude on the field no matter what happens.”
Kate Borgmeier is one of the best goalkeepers in the state, Bambabate said. Caeli Sherman, the top scorer on the team, scored more than 100 goals during her high school career.
“She had a great attitude throughout the whole season,” he said.
Midfielder Lanee Farr was the “glue on the team; everything ran through her,” he said. “She played that role really well this year.”
Girls Tennis
“It was just a great year,” coach Tracey Valentine said. “I think we overachieved what we expected.”
In region, singles player Rachelle Prasthofer, a junior, and doubles players Isabella Valles and Ava Isaac, both seniors, went undefeated in play and took the tournament 7-0.
The Lady Bulldogs also had strong showings at the tennis state tournament Oct. 9 at Liberty Park.
In 1st singles, Prasthofer beat Grand County’s Lillian Scott 6-1, 6-0 in the first round. She followed that with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Manti’s Heidi Jorgensen in the second round. Prasthofer lost to Grantsville’s Sphine Crosby 6-1, 6-4.
In 1st doubles play, Valles and Isaac took on an Emery duo and won the match 6-2, 6-3. In the second round they beat Union’s Aaralyn Draper and Olivia Howes, 6-0, 6-2. In a close third-round match they lost to Morgan’s Lucy Tripp, Brylee Adams 6-7 (6), 6-2, 7-5.
The 2nd doubles team junior Justine Nicholson and sophomore Audrey Selfridge finished second at region and also made it to the third round in state play. They beat a Union pair 6-4,6-4 in the first round, followed by a defeat of Carbon’s Alyssa Ellis and Ella Anderson, 6-1, 6-2. In the third round, they lost to eventual state champions Morgan’s Ryann Jensen and Sydney Jensen 6-2, 6-4.
Volleyball
The Judge volleyball team tied for first in Region 15 for 3A, with a record of 14-12. In the state playoffs, the Bulldogs bested Juan Diego CHS in the consolation bracket, but in the semifinals Oct. 27 at Utah Valley University they lost to South Summit 0-3.
© Copyright 2024 The Diocese of Salt Lake City. All rights reserved.
Stay Connected With Us