2022 HS Boys Championships: Chargers, Miners and Wolves Win Titles
2022 HS Boys Championships: Chargers, Miners and Wolves Win Titles
Issue 99 - Corner Canyon Wins 6A, Park City Wins 5A and Green Canyon Wins 4A
Good morning lacrosse fans! It has been an excellent season and I want to thank you for following the action all year. We’ll have a couple more newsletters over the next week so stay tuned!
As always, please visit our title sponsors Tribal West Lacrosse (website) & MinersTown Strength and Conditioning (website).
Corner Canyon Fends Off Cavemen, Wins Back-to-Back Titles
The Corner Canyon Chargers beat Region 4 foe American Fork, 15-10, to win the 6A state championship. The Chargers jumped out to an early 9-1 lead which proved to be enough as American Fork wouldn’t give up and played tough for the last three quarters.
Corner Canyon Attackman Jon King kicked off the scoring just 20 seconds into the game and followed it up with another goal 29 seconds later. Blaze DeGracie tacked on another goal just 19 seconds later to give Corner Canyon the 3-0 lead early on, hinting at another dominant Corner Canyon victory. DeGracie would score again before American Fork found the back of the net when Cam Oswald scooped up a failed clear and took it to the cage. The Chargers would then score 5 straight to finish the first quarter.
Neutral fans began to file out, assuming that an onslaught was coming, but the second and third quarters were won by the Cavemen. Tate Fisher scored for American Fork off a loose ball scoop and finished right in front of the cage midway through the second quarter. Fisher scored again just 37 seconds later when he took the ball from the wing and swept across the middle and shot low which found the back of the net to make the score 9-3 in favor of Corner Canyon. The Chargers would get one goal in the quarter when Jacob Osborn found the net, making the score 10-3 at halftime.
American Fork scored the first four goals, including two man-up goals, of the second half to cut the Chargers lead to 3 goals midway through the quarter. American Fork Goalie Jacob Cline and the rest of the Cavemen defense were solid, keeping out any chances by Corner Canyon. DeGracie broked through at the 5:27 mark for Corner Canyon but the Cavemen answered on a goal by Cam Oswald a minute later. Quick would find net once again to end the quarter with a 12-8 Charger lead.
The Chargers would win the fourth quarter, scoring three and allowing two en route to the back-to-back championships.
“Last year I was so happy and elated and crying,” said Corner Canyon Head Coach Aaron Ika. “This year, honestly, I just feel a big sense of relief because we did what we were supposed to do. There was a time when the assistants wanted me to call a timeout and said, ‘no, this is their time to step up and show what they are made of’ and they were phenomenal at that in that moment. “
Zachary Bezzant went 18 of 30 from the faceoff X for American Fork which helped them stay in the game in the second and third quarters. Corner Canyon goalie Ayden Santi finished with 12 saves while Cline had 11.
“We are losing a bunch of offensive players,” said Ika. “We have a very stout defense coming back with a new keeper. New guys will step up and we’ll rely on them. Our JV team went 14-0, what more could we ask for.”
No boys team has pulled off a three-peat, so the Chargers could have another opportunity to make history next year.
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
1-0 CC | 11:40 Corner Canyon - G: Jon King A: Mason Quick
2-0 CC | 11:11 Corner Canyon - G: Jon King A: Jackson Archibald
3-0 CC | 10:53 Corner Canyon - G: Blaze DeGracie A: Mason Quick
4-0 CC | 8:36 Corner Canyon - G: Blaze DeGracie A: Jon King
4-1 CC | 7:41 American Fork - G: Cam Oswald
5-1 CC | 6:49 Corner Canyon - G: Trace White
6-1 CC | 6:04 Corner Canyon - G: Benjamin Dixon
7-1 CC | 3:10 Corner Canyon - G: Mason Quick
8-1 CC | 2:13 Corner Canyon - G: Jacob Osborn
9-1 CC | 0:12 Corner Canyon - G: Jon King
Second Quarter
9-2 CC | 7:54 American Fork - G: Tate Fisher
9-3 CC | 7:17 American Fork- G: Tate Fisher
10-3 CC | 0:46 Corner Canyon - G: Jacob Osborn
Third Quarter
10-4 CC | 11:29 American Fork - G: Noah Fisher
10-5 CC | 9:46 American Fork - G: Luke Squire (Manup)
10-6 CC | 8:54 American Fork - G: Noah Fisher
10-7 CC | 6:52 American Fork - G: Noah Fisher A: Austin Vitkauskas (Manup)
11-7 CC | 5:27 Corner Canyon - G: Blaze DeGracie
11-8 CC | 4:27 American Fork - G: Cam Oswald A: Noah Fisher
12-8 CC | 0:18 Corner Canyon - G: Mason Quick
Fourth Quarter
13-8 CC | 9:30 Corner Canyon - G: Mason Quick
14-8 CC | 8:37 Corner Canyon - G: Dylan Carlsen
14-9 CC | 5:18 American Fork - G: Noah Fisher
15-9 CC | 4:27 Corner Canyon - G: Jacob Osborn
15-10 CC | 3:24 American Fork - G: Luke Squire
Park City Downs Olympus in Dramatic Fashion to Claim 5A Championship
The 5A State Championship game became an instant classic as the No. 2 Park City Miners defeated the No. 1 seeded Olympus Titans, 10-9. The Miners tied the game with 37 seconds remaining then scored six seconds later to go ahead in what would be the game-winner, scored by Brenden Johnson.
The Titans jumped out to an early 2-0 lead as both teams played stout defense in the first quarter. The Olympus goals came from Ethan Hartsfield and Hutton Murphy who scooped up a groundball in an unsettled situation and scored.
Miners Chase Beyer and Riley Mulholland were able to find space against the stout Olympus zone to tie the game at the 8:30 mark in the second quarter. Olympus answered with three goals but the Miners capped off the quarter with two goals, bringing the halftime score to 5-4 in favor of Olympus.
Beyer tied the game for the Miners in the third quarter and then Jude Trahan scored to give Park City its first lead of the game. Murphy scored midway through the quarter to tie the game at 6 leading into the final frame.
Olympus earned an early two-goal advantage with goals from Murphy and Hartsfield. John Trahan scored his first goal of the night midway through the fourth quarter which was followed by a goal by Beyer to tie the game at 8. Olympus defender Samuel Smith collected a loose ball in midair and pushed transition, finding Murphy who then weaved through traffic and scored, giving the Titans the lead with three minutes remaining in regulation. Jack McHenry won the next faceoff for Park City and the Miners went to work. Park City took several great shots that were either deflected or missed wide. With 37 seconds remaining, Beyer caught a pass, moved to his left and bounced a shot into the left side of the net to tie the game.
McHenry won the ensuing faceoff and took it to the cage. The Olympus defense slid and McHenry found Brendan Johnson on the wing who buried the shot to give the Miners the lead late in the game. McHenry then won the next faceoff but Park City turned the ball over after entering the box and not keeping it in. Olympus cleared and called timeout as the coaches drew up a play. On the restart, Hartsfield started with the ball, ran to his right and was stopped by the Park City defense. The ball hit the floor and couldn’t be scooped up as time expired.
“I don’t think people really understood how young we were at the beginning of the season,” said Park City Head Coach Mike Persky. “Over the course of the season, the kids worked hard and got better and better. Our team matured. The Seniors were tremendous leaders and mentors. I love the way that these kids have come together and the way that they support each other. Our defense played great defense against a great offensive team. Olympus is a great team. They have great players and a great coaching staff. We had to be more patient in this game and it was just a fun game. This is what Utah lacrosse should be all about.”
The title is the fourth for the Miners who also won in 2014, 2018 and 2019. Of note, the final score was the same as the Girls 5A Championship which saw Olympus beat Park City, 10-9.
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
0-1 Oly | 10:23 Olympus - G: Ethan Hartsfield
0-2 Oly | 2:46 Olympus - G: Hutton Murphy
Second Quarter
1-2 Oly | 9:42 Park City - G: Chase Beyer A: Beckett Wolf
2-2 Tie | 8:30 Park City - G: Riley Mulholland A: Chase Beyer
2-3 Oly | 7:43 Olympus - G: Camden Rossi
2-4 Oly | 6:22 Olympus - G: Gage Phippen
2-5 Oly | 4:38 Olympus - G: Gage Phippen A: Hutton Murphy
3-5 Oly | 4:31 Park City - G: Jack McHenry
4-5 Oly | 3:26 Park City - G: Chase Beyer A: Beckett Wolf
Third Quarter
5-5 Tie | 10:58 Park City - G: Chase Beyer A: Jude Trahan
6-5 PC | 8:30 Park City - G: Jude Trahan A: Beckett Wolf
6-6 Tie | 7:12 Olympus - G: Hutton Murphy
Fourth Quarter
6-7 Oly | 8:01 Olympus - G: Hutton Murphy (Manup) A: Gage Phippen
6-8 Oly | 5:38 Olympus - G: Ethan Hartsfield
7-8 Oly | 4:46 Park City - G: John Trahan
8-8 Tie | 3:47 Park City - G: Chase Beyer
8-9 Oly | 3:02 Olympus - G: Hutton Murphy A: Samuel Smith
9-9 Tie | 0:37 Park City - G: Chase Beyer A: John Trahan
10-9 PC | 0:31 Park City - G: Brendan Johnson A: Jack McHenry
Green Canyon Wins First Lacrosse Championship
The Green Canyon Wolves beat rival Sky View in overtime to claim its first lacrosse state championship, 9-8.
Sky View led 3-2 after the first quarter as both teams took the first half of the quarter to settle in and get a feel for the game. Sky View attackman Gage Leishman opened the scoring on a nice transition goal and a feed from Easton Ballard. Green Canyon answered right back with a goal by JD McKenna on a failed Sky View clear. The Bobcats then scored two straight on goals by Parker Robbins and Mavrik Hillyard. Spencer Gerber would score for the Wolves to finish the quarter.
Both teams traded blows as the Sky View goalie, Porter Jackson, made some great saves to keep the Wolves off the board. With just a couple of seconds left in the half, JD McKenna started with the ball at X on a restart and as soon as the whistle blew, he dished the ball to Brandon Mueller who had cut straight down the field. Mueller caught it and quick-sticked it into the back of the net to tie the game at the half.
Nerves, the heat, great defenses and more played into each team scoring one goal in the third quarter and one goal in the fourth quarter.
In overtime, Sky View won the faceoff and after a great trail check by Brandon Mueller, Green Canyon goalie Peyton Johnson collected the loose ball and settled in the clear. Johnson then found a pass in the middle of the field that bounced free but was collected by Weston Christensen who took it to the house and scored, winning the game for the Wolves.
“I'm super proud of my guys and I'm really proud of both teams to be honest,” said Green Canyon Head Coach Troy Oldham. “I told them as we were going down the handshake line where they stand and it was just a great game. I knew when Weston got the ball he was going to the cage and we almost started celebrating before it went in. I’m just proud of my guys and proud of this game.”
Kyle Roper went 13 of 19 on faceoffs for Green Canyon while goalie Peyton Johnson had 18 saves. Jackson finished with 20 saves for Sky View.
The championship is the first for Green Canyon, but not the first for Oldham, who won the Division II championship in 2014 as the head coach of Sky View.
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
0-1 SV | 6:25 Sky View - G: Gage Leishman A: Easton Ballard
1-1 Tie | 6:04 Green Canyon - G: JD McKenna
1-2 SV | 5:36 Sky View - G: Parker Robbins A: Sean Tempest
1-3 SV | 4:30 Sky View - G: Mavrik Hillyard
2-3 SV | 3:12 Green Canyon - G: Spencer Gerber
Second Quarter
2-4 SV | 7:21 Sky View - G: Easton Ballard A: Garret Zollinger
3-4 SV | 6:25 Green Canyon - G: Spencer Gerber A: Aiden Merrill
3-5 SV | 5:23 Sky View - G: Josh Hall
4-5 SV | 2:47 Green Canyon - G: JD McKenna A: Ian Maughan
5-5 Tie | 1:44 Green Canyon - G: Teagan Carling A: James Robinson
5-6 SV | 0:50 Sky View - G: Garret Zollinger
6-6 Tie | 0:01 Green Canyon - G: Brandon Mueller A: JD McKenna
Third Quarter
7-6 GC | 8:07 Green Canyon - G: JD McKenna
7-7 Tie | 3:03 Sky View - G: Josh Hall A: Garret Zollinger
Fourth Quarter
8-7 GC | 11:14 Green Canyon - G: Coner Dockery A: Tucker Sampson (Manup)
8-8 Tie | 8:54 Sky View - G: Parker Robbins A: Josh Hall
Overtime
9-8 GC | Green Canyon - G: Weston Christensen
That’s it for today, stay safe out there and see you on the sidelines!
— Tim Haslam