This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Salt Lake City's two oldest public high schools have plenty of history, dating back over a century, but both West and East have little in the way of success when it comes to girls' sports.
West grabbed a state championship in the early days of volleyball in Utah back in 1977. East, in girls' soccer, collected a couple of state crowns, in 1999 and 2004.
When it comes to softball, the two downtown-area schools haven't even had much of a sniff. Given the history, it seems unlikely that West in Class 5A or East in Class 4A would have any kind of a chance to make noise in this year's state softball tournament.
On the other hand, reasons exist to think otherwise.
Earlier this season, West pounded Herriman 18-9 in a ballgame. Herriman was the 5A runner-up last year and has been in a three-way tussle this season with two-time defending champ Lehi and Riverton for supremacy in its own region.
And East, although entering the 4A postseason as the fourth-best team in its region, essentially returns most of the core components from a squad that won four games in last year's draw.
"In order for us to be relevant in the state of Utah, when it comes to softball, we definitely have the girls to do that — but it's still a mindset," West coach Keith Lopati said. "The girls have to go home and hear it from cousins and aunts and uncles and all this kind of stuff. So it really does become a battle to keep their heads when they get here."
East and West have several things in common other than history and proximity.
For one thing, depending on the day, both teams have the ability to hit the ball and hit it hard.
Senior Kuea Angilau has driven eight home runs for East this season while teammate Aloma Solovi has popped six. In all, six different Leopards have gone long-ball in 2016.
West, meanwhile, has been prolific in this regard. The Panthers' Breah Ava has gone yard nine times while her younger sister, freshman Huntyr Ava, and Reali Aiono have hit seven homers each. Nine West players have cleared the fence this season.
"To be honest, that's our biggest strength," Lopati said. "We've focused a lot on the defensive side because we've got an experienced pitcher [Shayna Alofipo] and a couple of freshman pitchers coming up, but we don't have that pitcher that's going to strike everybody out."
Several of the players from both schools have spent plenty of time on a California-based competitive league team called the California Cruisers. Flight benefits through airline-employed relatives and car pools for a long drive out-and-back are the means to get this done.
And the effort is paying off, it seems. East senior catcher Laina Su'e Su'e, who leads her team with a .547 hitting average, has signed a letter of intent to play at BYU, while Breah Ava, still a junior, plans to do likewise with the Cougars.
"They're my sisters — they're all my sisters. I love them so much," Su'e Su'e said of the players down the hill at West.
That's another commonality between the Leopards and Panthers — and one that might run against the traditional grain: Members of the two teams are very, very familiar with each other.
"It seems like they're all related," Lopati said.
In fact, East's Solovi and the Ava sisters at West are first cousins. Many of the others are part of a tight-knit, Polynesian-heritage community and, as the West coach said, feel like a portion of one big family.
Along with the Avas and Aionos at West, East has three sets of sisters on the roster — the Su'e Su'es, the Lokenis and the Francos.
"Oh yeah, so we all grew up together," said West leadoff hitter Rayna Aiono, brightening when talk turned to the East squad members.
"We're all related," said Aiono, clarifying her coach's comment.
At West, Lopati estimates that around 90 percent of his squad is descended from Tongans or Samoans. He hopes that softball, for girls, can play a role akin to the one football plays for boys in the Polynesian culture.
"It's a game that's really custom-built for our Polynesian girls," Lopati said. "With the success of the girls that are at Michigan, Oklahoma, Alabama — and in the Pac-12 — those are the girls that have kind of opened the doors to say that this is a game that Polynesian girls can excel in."
But the one thing both programs have in common above all others?
The desire to break into the upper echelon of Utah prep softball.
"We're just hoping to go into the state tournament with a lot of fire and passion," East coach Marianne Bullis said.
"[Softball] definitely gets more attention than when we were freshmen. Just coming up and doing as well as we have," said East senior pitcher Angelique Lokeni. "We've made a lot of noise for the program, so we have a lot people come out and support who normally hadn't come out to support." —
Postseason preview
Class 5A • Lehi, led by clutch pitcher and leadoff hitter Sydney White, has won the past two 5A championships. The Pioneers have been in a three-way tussle for region honors with Riverton and Herriman — who are also considered viable state threats. Riverton is led by pitcher Jordan Lockhart, who is also a batting threat. Herriman is competitive, but the loss of pitcher Bryce Taylor to injury could be debilitating. West likewise is at the top of a three-team battle for first in Region 2, after the Panthers clubbed Syracuse 19-10 on Tuesday. Davis has its last chance to catch West on Thursday. Bingham started the year in rebuilding mode, but an undefeated run through region has proved the Miners are in a different phase now. Fremont started slow in Region 1 before taking its past five contests in league play.
Class 4A • Spanish Fork has already clinched ultra-tough Region 8. That makes the Dons the favorite for the 4A crown, which coach Don Andrews' squad captured last year. Spanish Fork's Cambrie Hazel and Springville's Kaycie Jensen are two of the top pitchers in the state. The same is true for Alta senior Brooke Vanderheide, who has pitched the Hawks to a one-loss season in its first year in 4A. Murray, like Alta, has rolled through region play, but the Spartans haven't been tested like they will be at the state tournament. Next to Spanish Fork et al in Region 8, Region 5 may be the most competitive 4A region. Box Elder, Bountiful, Woods Cross and East have all regularly staged tight contests — take Bountiful's ten-inning victory at East last week as an example.
Class 3A • Stansbury has won the past three 3A crowns. Pitcher Makayla Witkowski and shortstop Anjalee Batchelor lead the Stallions, but Stansbury has shown vulnerability as both Tooele and Grantsville have scored victories in Region 10 — which ended up in a three-way tie for first. Junior Kamryn Grover has an undefeated pitching record and has hit five HRs for Tooele while Grantsville's pitching duties have been split between junior Alese Casper and frosh Addison Smith. Top-ranked Juab, which is led by the hitting and pitching of junior Taylei Williams, has cruised through Region 12 and has notable wins over 4A Springville and 5A Bingham. Bear River has played against tough opponents and the Bears will probably get into some offensive shootouts at the state tourney. Snow Canyon has survived region tussles with Desert Hills and Cedar, but is on a five-game 9-3A winning streak heading to the postseason.
Class 2A • South Summit is the defending state champ and the Wildcats have standout Hannah Peterson. Region-rival Manti has a penchant scoring in big numbers as seniors Mikaela Cox and Amanda Naylor both have .500-plus batting averages. Likewise, Enterprise has averaged almost 16 runs per game in their past nine. Duchesne has gone unbeaten in the North region and has beaten its past 11 varsity opponents. From 2A East, Grand is on seven-game winning streak and rival Gunnison Valley has also won nine of its past ten. —
Tournament schedule
Class 2A first round
at Spanish Fork Complex
Thursday at 11 a.m.:
Gunnison Vlly vs. South Sevier
Duchesne vs. Kanab
Summit Academy vs. Parowan
Grand County vs. Millard
1 p.m.:
Enterprise at Rowland Hall-St. Marks
South Summit vs. San Juan
Manti vs North Sevier
Beaver vs. Altamont
Class 3A first round
Saturday at 10 a.m.:
TBD vs. Stansbury
Bear River vs. Pine View
Desert Hills vs. Logan
Grantsville vs. TBD
Noon:
Snow Canyon vs. TBD
Tooele vs TBD
TBD vs. Union
Juan Diego vs. Cedar City
Class 4A
Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Matchups TBD
Class 5A
Tuesday at 4 p.m. Matchups TBD