Prep Sports - The Salt Lake Tribune

5A baseball: Kincade rallies Layton past American Fork

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:34:20 MDT

5A baseball: Kincade rallies Layton past American Fork

by Neil K. Warner Special To The Tribune

Published May 22, 2013 09:34PM MDT

Orem • Layton’s Parker Kincade homered in the first inning. He homered in the fifth inning. And gave up just one run over 5 2/3 innings of relief. But if Kincade thought his day couldn’t have been any better, he was wrong. Kincade finished a 4-for-4 performance with a two-run walk-off home run that gave Layton a 7-5 win over American Fork on Wednesday afternoon in the Class 5A state baseball tournament. The win earned the Lancers a date with Cottonwood, while the loss ended American Fork’s seaso...

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5A softball: Copper Hills blasts Bingham on 20 hits

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:34:20 MDT

5A softball: Copper Hills blasts Bingham on 20 hits

by Eric Butler Special To The Tribune

Published May 22, 2013 09:34PM MDT

Taylorsville • The Copper Hills softball team left no doubt about its offensive prowess Wednesday. The Grizzlies plowed over Bingham 15-0 by pounding 20 hits to earn a spot in the Class 5A state championship game. “We were just on fire,” said Grizzlies first baseman Riley Cleverly, who had two hits and five RBIs. “Every ball that was pitched, we ripped it back up.” It was only a 1-0 game when Copper Hills started the third inning by putting Skylar Cook and Ashley Clayton on base. Emilee Sweet, w...

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4A softball: Salem Hills runs past Provo, into title game

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:34:20 MDT

4A softball: Salem Hills runs past Provo, into title game

by Christopher Kamrani The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 22, 2013 09:34PM MDT

Taylorsville • Kirtlyn Bohling remembers the nerves. As a sophomore starting pitcher on last year’s Salem Hills softball team, Bohling couldn’t keep still, either in the circle or the dugout. The stage, along with the expectations on a senior-laden team, was sky high. Bohling received the loss in the Class 4A state title game. “I was shaking in my boots,” she said. She didn’t shake anything but her teammates’ hands Wednesday night as the Skyhawk star pitcher led her team back to the 4A champions...

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Coaching husband and wife bring success to Stansbury

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:18:21 MDT

Coaching husband and wife bring success to Stansbury

by Martin Renzhofer The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 22, 2013 07:18PM MDT

Stansbury Park • These days, Ray Clinton defers to his wife, Bridget. She has what he wants. But for now, the Stansbury baseball coach is more than happy to celebrate and enjoy the Stallions’ first state championship in any sport — softball. The delicious moment came Saturday when the Stansbury softball team rode senior Elise Sutherland’s game-changing home run and sophomore Kimbri Herring’s solid pitching to a 6-3 victory against Spanish Fork for the Class 3A championship. The school, only 4 ye...

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Prep baseball: Cam Howe leads on, off field for Murray

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:14:50 MDT

Prep baseball: Cam Howe leads on, off field for Murray

by Neil K. Warner Special To The Tribune

Published May 22, 2013 04:14PM MDT

Murray’s Cam Howe’s baseball career might be over. He must decide if he will take a golf scholarship to Westminster College or explore opportunities available in baseball. But if Howe has played his last game on the diamond, no one knows what a standout career he has put together more than Murray coach Marce Wilson. “He’s started since he was a sophomore, and he’s been invaluable to us,” Wilson said. “His leadership and competitiveness have been an example to other players in our program. He has...

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Prep baseball: Jourdan develops into stalwart on the mound

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:14:50 MDT

Prep baseball: Jourdan develops into stalwart on the mound

by Neil K. Warner Special To The Tribune

Published May 22, 2013 04:14PM MDT

It happens to them all. A fastball over the middle of the plate. A hanging curveball. A changeup that doesn’t fool someone. Then it happens. Bye-bye. Ding-dong. Home run. It’s the most humbling part of the game for a pitcher, so imagine how Syracuse pitcher Jason Jourdan felt when he gave up two grand slams in the first inning of his first varsity start. Every pitcher gets rocked at some point. It is how a pitcher responds after a bad start that determines his success. “It was hard what happened...

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Prep boys’ soccer: Miller draws motivation from season’s premature end

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:14:50 MDT

Prep boys’ soccer: Miller draws motivation from season’s premature end

by Anthony Cusumano Special To The Tribune

Published May 22, 2013 04:14PM MDT

As an underclassman, Alta’s Marshall Miller soaked up all he could from the senior leaders on his soccer team. The leadership conveyed was vital because he was learning what it meant to play the forward position. The junior responded with a team-leading 15 goals, and he said he owes much of his success to the knowledge he received from his teammates. “Leadership was really a big aspect of this year,” Miller said. “It all came together so quickly. We started winning games and started to believe w...

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Prep softball: Hart strives to unify Bountiful team

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:14:50 MDT

Prep softball: Hart strives to unify Bountiful team

by Jennifer Gustavson Special To The Tribune

Published May 22, 2013 04:14PM MDT

Its name is Spot. The small metal fence top, painted first in white then covered in black circles, has lived in the Bountiful dugout for years. At this point, no one quite remembers how or why the polka-dotted emblem came to be. But as the Braves hold hands to form a “spot chain” with the fence knob as the endpoint, Spot’s origins don’t really matter. “It’s like our own little rally cap. It’s just something the team has done forever,” senior Payton Hart said. “It just brings us all together.” Th...

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Prep boys soccer: Murray’s Andrew Clayton adds scoring punch

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:48:02 MDT

Prep boys soccer: Murray’s Andrew Clayton adds scoring punch

by Eric Butler Special The Tribune

Published May 22, 2013 03:48PM MDT

Andrew Clayton’s odds of sharing some traits with his brothers and sisters seem since he grew up with seven siblings — three younger and four older. Yet he might just be on a different path from the rest of the Clayton clan, according to the Murray High senior. As his high-school days come to an end, Clayton is pretty sure that he’ll pursue either an engineering or medical career in the long run. In the short term, he’s finishing his prep days where he’s seen good success on the Spartans’ socce...

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Prep track: State medals fuel runner Eli Oftedal’s passion to train harder

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:19:03 MDT

Prep track: State medals fuel runner Eli Oftedal’s passion to train harder

by Ben Raskin Special To The Tribune

Published May 22, 2013 03:19PM MDT

It wasn’t the time that Eli Oftedal wanted, but it is the one the Rowland Hall sophomore would take. The 800-meter specialist for the Winged Lions secured the Class 2A state championship last Saturday, but the time he ran at the BYU Invitational was the standard he was trying to best. Best by a hundredth of a second. “I felt like I ran well and expected to do well,” Oftedal said. “I was just hoping to get that state record.” Oftedal finished at 1 minute, 57.25 seconds for his first state title ...

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Prep boys tennis: Tennis tops among Noh’s many pursuits

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:16:02 MDT

Prep boys tennis: Tennis tops among Noh’s many pursuits

by Ben Raskin Special To The Tribune

Published May 22, 2013 03:16PM MDT

There is a balance between the racquet and the bow. Breathing is crucial, positioning essential. Dedication and discipline are required. To find success on the tennis court or in the concert hall, it takes countless hours of practice and a single-minded focus to excel. Highland’s Jihoon Noh found the balance. Between advancing to the second round of the Class 4A boys state tennis tournament, graduating with a 3.9 GPA with International Baccalaureate coursework and playing the violin with the Uta...

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Prep softball: Cox’s emergence in circle propels Herriman

Wed, 22 May 2013 14:49:02 MDT

Prep softball: Cox’s emergence in circle propels Herriman

by Anthony Cusumano Special To The Tribune

Published May 22, 2013 02:49PM MDT

Riley Cox has worked hard to become a better pitcher. After going a combined 6-11 during her first two seasons on Herriman’s softball team, Cox collected 13 wins this season entering the week. Confidence indeed can make a big difference. “As a pitcher, it’s vital,” Mustangs coach Staci Hemingway said. “You touch the ball every play, and it starts out with you. If you’re not confident, then your teammates could tell that as well. Riley has grown not only as a player but a person. She’s gained a ...

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4A baseball: Maple Mountain dumps Timpanogos

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:32:29 MDT

4A baseball: Maple Mountain dumps Timpanogos

by Ben Raskin Special To The Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 11:32PM MDT

Kearns • Jake Mafi made a promise he wasn’t going to break. Maple Mountain’s right fielder had come up short on a ball short during the second inning Tuesday. He grabbed Golden Eagles ace Arik Mack in the dugout and told the left-handed pitcher nothing was going to get by him. And nothing did. A Timpanogos looping fly ball dared to land in play with runners on the corners in the third inning, but the sprinting Mafi made good on his promise and caught it on a dead sprint to end the inning. Mafi w...

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4A softball: Bohling slams Salem Hills past Box Elder

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:32:29 MDT

4A softball: Bohling slams Salem Hills past Box Elder

by Anthony Cusumano Special To The Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 11:32PM MDT

Taylorsville • Kirtlyn Bohling could only chuckle in the on-deck circle as she watched the hitter before her intentionally walked to load the bases. Perhaps only Bohling knew what was coming next. With the game in extra innings and international tiebreaker rules in place, Bohling smashed a walk-off grand slam to propel Salem Hills to a 6-2 victory over Box Elder in a Class 4A winners bracket semifinal at the Valley Softball Complex on Tuesday. “I knew it; that felt so good,” Bohling said. “[Box ...

4A baseball: Unexpected hero emerges in Salem Hills’ win

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:51:02 MDT

4A baseball: Unexpected hero emerges in Salem Hills’ win

by Ben Raskin Special To The Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 10:51PM MDT

Kearns • Everybody at Gates Field knew that Mountain View’s Dakota Carlson was going to risk the suicide squeeze. Salem Hill coach Scott Haney was yelling at catcher Mitch Jorgensen to stand up and cover the plate while the infield moved into position. But a perfectly laid bunt sent Carlson sliding into home for the first run. Not nearly as many predicted Salem Hills’ No. 9 hitter would save the season. But that’s what Conner Rollins accomplished with one swing of the bat in a Class 4A winners b...

4A softball: Provo rallies past Mountain Crest

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:42:02 MDT

4A softball: Provo rallies past Mountain Crest

by Anthony Cusumano Special To The Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 10:42PM MDT

Taylorsville • Four early errors and a two-run deficit can be tough for teams to overcome. It’s nothing big for the Provo softball team. The Bulldogs persevered through their early struggles to down Mountain Crest 6-3 in a Class 4A state playoff game Tuesday. McKenzie Corless and Victoria Van Quill both homered to highlight a four-run fourth-inning rally to help the Bulldogs advance. “We’re a strong team,” Provo pitcher Taylor Allman said. “We’ve come back from a lot of tough things. We bounce ...

5A softball: Reimann leads Bingham past Weber

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:37:02 MDT

5A softball: Reimann leads Bingham past Weber

by Eric Butler Special To The Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 10:37PM MDT

Taylorsville • Bingham exacted a little revenge Tuesday. Defending Class 5A state champion Weber clung to a one-run lead over the Miners for much of their 5A state playoff game. The Warriors knocked the Miners out of last year’s tourney, so Bingham returned the favor with a 3-2 victory to kick Weber into the losers bracket. “In our pre-state meeting last night, I told them that we’re going to have to come from behind, we’re going to have to dig deeper,” Bingham coach Mikki Jackson said. Torre G...

5A softball: Copper Hills blanks Riverton behind Davies

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:27:02 MDT

5A softball: Copper Hills blanks Riverton behind Davies

by Eric Butler Special To The Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 10:27PM MDT

Taylorsville • It wasn’t necessarily surprising that Copper Hills leadoff hitter Dani Hamilton got her team off to a good start Tuesday. But it might have been a little shocking how she did it. Hamilton socked a home run over the left-field fence to give the Grizzlies a quick 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning Tuesday. That alone held up for Copper Hills (22-8) because sophomore pitcher Payten Davies allowed only two hits by Riverton (21-6) in a 2-0 victory in the Class 5A state playoff...

4A boys’ soccer: Ludlow secures Bountiful’s trip to state title game

Tue, 21 May 2013 22:17:19 MDT

4A boys’ soccer: Ludlow secures Bountiful’s trip to state title game

by Christopher Kamrani The Salt Lake Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 10:17PM MDT

Woods Cross • The sun began its slumber Tuesday, but the day only was beginning for Josh Ludlow. The Bountiful senior goalkeeper sat on the line during a hectic 100 minutes where he saw his Braves and the Murray Spartans trade three goals apiece in a fast-paced Class 4A boys’ soccer state semifinal at Woods Cross High School. But penalties came, and with that, responsibility. Much like regulation and extra time, the Braves and Spartans were even in penalties after the first five shooters. Then t...

5A baseball: Riverton claws past Layton 3-0

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:42:47 MDT

5A baseball: Riverton claws past Layton 3-0

by Neil K. Warner Special To The Tribune

Published May 21, 2013 09:42PM MDT

Orem • There was nothing revolutionary about the approach that Riverton pitcher Tanner Draper took against Layton in Tuesday night’s Class 5A state tournament baseball game. He just threw strikes and hoped for the best. Hope rewarded. Riverton got a five-hit shutout from Draper coupled with a defense that showed a lot of love with the glove to help the Silverwolves to a 3-0 win at Utah Valley University. “We knew coming in that Layton doesn’t strike out a whole lot and that they battle with two ...