This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Dawson Beutler will be just getting used to his new wardrobe as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Sierra Leone in about three months.

If his experience with other uniforms is any indication, Beutler shouldn't have any problem.

Beutler is a three-sport star at Maple Mountain High in Spanish Fork, and his presence is one reason the Golden Eagles have gone deep into the postseason in soccer, basketball and football.

The current season is where it started for Beutler. The Eagles soccer team is 7-2 overall and 5-1 in region as Maple Mountain gears up to defend its Class 4A state crown.

In fact, Beutler was the lone goal scorer in the 4A soccer championship last spring when Maple Mountain captured the state crown with a 1-0 win over Orem.

"I remember there was a free kick because there was a foul, and it was played into the box and it just kind of bounced around. It hit my shin and went in," he said. "I didn't even know it went in off of me at first. I was in shock and everyone came over and grabbed me."

When Beutler first began playing soccer, the height difference between himself and his same-age competitors wasn't nearly as pronounced as it currently is. At 6 foot 6, Beutler is atypical when it comes to players on the pitch.

"Soccer was the first sport I started playing competitively. I would say I was 7 or 8; I was a real little guy," Beutler said.

When last fall rolled around, the Eagles amazingly made the Class 4A state football semifinals after losing their first five games of the season. Beutler, with 31 catches for 551 yards, was Maple Mountain's leading receiver and caught a 77-yard touchdown pass against East in the state semifinal game.

And in basketball, the magic number for Beutler was 9.3 — both his scoring and rebounding average. He helped guide the Golden Eagles to the Class 4A state quarterfinals.

Basketball is the natural choice when predicting success for someone of Beutler's height, but Maple Mountain basketball coach Johnny Averett said that height isn't necessarily the attribute that made Beutler so effective on the court.

"He has hands and coordination that are really unmatched for a guy his size," said Averett, who noted that Beutler was a state leader in both rebounds and steals. "You can't teach that. He's just naturally gifted."

Averett and the other Maple Mountain coaches have taken a stance of cooperation when it comes to sharing Buetler.

"I know a lot of coaches around the state want their kids to focus on their own sports," Averett said. "Dawson didn't put a lot of time in the offseason into basketball as he could have because he's doing so many other things. But he brings so many other things to the table because he's such a good athlete, so many intangibles. Dawson helped us win a lot of games."

After Dawson Beutler returns from Sierra Leone, he says he might give football another go at the collegiate level. Ironically, that's the sport he tried last.

"I always wanted to play, but my mom didn't want me to play tackle football until I was older," Beutler said. "The coaches came and talked to her — and she finally gave up."

With the last days of his busy, successful high school days counting down, Beutler mostly is concentrating on soccer. But he's already thinking about Sierra Leone.

"There's a lot of poverty — it's a very poor country — but everyone I've talked to say they love the people there," Beutler said. "Super humble and happy, so I'm super excited." —

Dawson Beutler

Year • Senior

School • Maple Mountain

Sports • Football, basketball, soccer