This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Last week was a good one for Utah high school sports stars and teams to earn some national recognition.

Sports Illustrated named Payson junior Wyatt Johnson as its April high school athlete of the month.

The 16-year-old, 5-foot-3 rodeo athlete from Spring Lake in Utah County competes in bareback and bull riding. According to Sports Illustrated's Ali Fenwick, Johnson has won a Utah High School Rodeo Association bareback state title, 30 high school rodeo event first-place buckles, and enough money to place fifth overall in a professional cowboys association ranking. Fenwick wrote that Johnson maintains a 3.0 grade point average, volunteers at mock rodeos for children with special needs and holds down an after-school job.

Meanwhile, Davis senior Jesse Wade, The Tribune's Most Valuable Player for the 2014-15 boys' basketball season, was named as a MaxPreps All-America basketball player this year.

The Gonzaga signee averaged 26.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Wade joins an impressive list of former Utah prep stars who previously have made the MaxPreps All-America team, including West Jordan's Jordan Loveridge and Lone Peak's Eric Mika, Nick Emery and T.J. Haws.

Speaking of Lone Peak stars, Knights junior guard Frank Jackson was named last week to MaxPreps' 2015 Junior All-America high school boys' basketball squad's fourth team.

That would make him one of the top 20 returning prep basketball players in the country next year. Jackson, a member of the All-Tribune Team and a coaches' First Team All-State selection, averaged 26.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists for the Knights, who were ranked No. 1 in Class 5A much of the season before being upset by Viewmont in the state quarterfinals.

And finally, Pleasant Grove's baseball team continues to grab national attention. The Vikings moved up to No. 5 in the CBS/MaxPreps National Computer Rankings, and moved into the MaxPreps Xcellent 50 rankings this week at number 40. Pleasant Grove is also ranked sixth in the latest USA Today Top 25 national high school poll.

Twitter: @tribtomwharton