2022 HS Playoffs: Second Round Recap, Quarterfinal Preview
2022 HS Playoffs: Second Round Recap, Quarterfinal Preview
Issue 94 - Several games went to OT with a couple upsets!
Good morning lacrosse fans! To the Seniors who played their final game yesterday, thank you. Thank you for showing up and being part of the community. Hopefully, your lacrosse journey doesn’t end and you’ll continue to contribute.
As always, please visit our title sponsors Tribal West Lacrosse (website) & MinersTown Strength and Conditioning (website).
Boys High School
Congrats to the All-Region players! You can see the awards for each region here.
6A
Mountain Ridge is the lone Region 3 representative left as we head into the quarterfinals. I’ve said all season to not be surprised if Region 4 had three teams in the semifinals, but with a few plays that break towards the north, it’s possible Region 1 could have three teams in the semifinals. Saturday will be fun.
No. 1 Corner Canyon v. No. 9 Westlake
The defending champs and No. 1 seed Chargers took down Pleasant Grove, 22-3, while Westlake used a Hunter Hernandez overtime goal to beat Bingham, 6-5. Corner Canyon won both regular-season meetings, 16-3 and 20-6. The Chargers should have no problem but don’t think Westlake won’t go down without a fight.
No. 2 Davis v. No. 7 Lone Peak
Davis beat Copper Hills, 19-5, while Lone Peak beat Farmington, 11-2, to advance to the quarterfinals. This game could be the best one of the quarterfinal round as both teams will play physical and display their high-power offense and tough defense. Both teams beat Roy and Farmington this year while both lost to Corner Canyon. The Rice brothers and the rest of the Davis offense will look to continue to produce big numbers. Anders Neuenschwander will look to test the Davis defense and keep the Knights in the game. The Game Night Live Rewind crew will stream this game here at 3:30pm on Saturday.
No. 3 American Fork v. No. 6 Fremont
American Fork beat Skyridge, 17-6 (IG Reel), while Fremont beat Herriman, 19-6, in the second round. American Fork will likely dominate at the faceoff X so can the Fremont defense slow down Cam Owsald and the Fisher brothers? Can Mackay Lock and crew handle the dynamic duo of Davis Searle and Carson Isaacson who each have over 100 points this season? This could be a good ol’ fashion shootout with the team that scores last coming away with the win.
No. 4 Weber v. No. 5 Mountain Ridge
In the second round, Weber edged Riverton, 16-10, while Mountain Ridge dismantled Roy, 13-6. Both teams defeated Roy and Riverton this year. Weber is averaging more points per game but also giving up more points per game. The stars to watch in this one is the Weber ring leader, Squish Easley and the triple threat of Corbin Alvord, Pierce Brinton and Karter Madsen. For Mountain Ridge, it’s the usual suspects with David Wright, Colby Roberts and Gavin Gann leading the charge.
5A
Brighton and Wasatch played spoiler on Thursday to advance to the quarterfinals. This should be an exciting round as traditional powerhouses square off.
No. 1 Olympus v. No. 8 Viewmont
The Titans cruised to the quarterfinals by beating Salem Hills, 22-1 (Photos). Viewmont needed an extra frame to get past Maple Mountain as a shot by Jacob Bell found the back of the next in overtime to put the Vikings into the next round. Olympus should find itself in the semifinals if it can shut down Abe Salmon and crew which shouldn’t be a problem for the stout Titan poles. The Utah Lax Report is a big fan of Viewmont goalie Tommy Fraser, but he’s going to have his hands full of lethal Titans in Hutton Murphy, Camden Rossi and Ethan Hartsfield.
No. 2 Park City v. No. 10 Brighton
Park City beat Box Elder, 19-3 (IG Reel), while Brighton used a 9-1 second half to beat East, 9-5. This should be an instant classic as the Bengals are playing their best lacrosse of the season. However, the Miners will use the confidence gained from the regular-season matchup which saw Park City win, 13-5.
No. 3 Bountiful v. No. 11 Wasatch
Bountiful sailed past Lehi, 20-3. The Wasps went to Timpview and pulled off an 11-10 upset. Timpview got off to an early 4-0 lead but the Wasps responded to tie the game at 4 in the first half. Wasatch scored the last three goals of the game including a Caleb Taylor game-winning goal with 2 minutes left in the game. Both teams are averaging about 6.4 goals against but the Bountiful offense is scoring in droves, led by Hayden Hansen.
No. 4 Alta v. No. 5 Skyline
Alta beat Spanish Fork, 19-5, while Skyline beat Northridge, 10-5 (IG Reel). The key in this game will be if the Eagles defense can slow down the Alta offense, which is averaging 17 goals per game. Berkley Horoba, Deacon Mearian, Casey Blackham and Braxton Horoba account for 65% of Alta’s goals.
4A
No. 1 Sky View v. No. 8 UMA
Sky View Key Players: Parker Robbins (42G, 17A), Sean Tempest (43G, 26A)
UMA Key Players: Aydyn Nelson (19G, 1A), Hunter Keller (68.8% save percentage)
UMA beat Logan, 6-5, in the 4A play-in game. This game is a great opportunity for UMA players to continue to improve but Sky View will be too much to handle.
“We had a good regular season,” said Sky View Coach Bryant Cannell. “There were moments where we got complacent in games and it hurt us, but overall our players did a phenomenal job and progressed throughout the season. We were ecstatic to win our first sanctioned region championship! Parker Robbins was injured the first portion of the season, but since he has returned he is averaging just under 6 points a game. Sean Tempest is our offensive leader and is also averaging over 5 points a game. Garret Zollinger is a dominant two-way midfielder that does all of the intangibles for us. Koji Schwarts anchors us on defense.”
No. 2 Green Canyon v. No. 7 Waterford
Green Canyon Key Players: Tucker Sampson (43G, 9A), JD McKenna (20G, 4A)
Waterford Key Players: Miles Walkingshaw (12G, 5A), Diesel Knight (7G, 10A)
These two teams played in the first round of the 2021 Division A playoffs and produced one of the highest-scoring playoff games in state history. Green Canyon won, 24-16. I don’t think we’ll see a score like that in this one, but I do think we’ll see Green Canyon once again come away with the win.
“We played some of the top teams in the state,” said Green Canyon Head Coach Troy Oldham. “We wanted to earn the right to go to the state playoffs, tested by some of the best outside our region and classification. Final scores aside, if you break down most of these games we really only lost 5-6 quarters all season. I’m really proud of the resiliency of our players and believe we are ready for this postseason play. We are eager to get after it. Having a week to prepare is tough, our guys are ready to compete and so we look forward to hitting hard on Saturday and not stopping until it’s all over.”
No. 3 Ridgeline v. No. 6 Mountain Crest
Ridgeline Key Players: Tyson McKee (33G, 33A), Jack Elias Jenson (42G, 8A)
Mountain Crest Key Players: Jayce Paterakis (19G, 9A), Payden Bird (13G, 2A)
The first meeting between these two squads saw Ridgeline win, 11-6. The most recent game though, Ridgeline won 17-4. The Riverhawks will likely be ready for any challenge in hopes of advancing to the semifinals.
“We had a strong regular season,” said Mountain Crest Head Coach Matt Taylor. “The team has grown and improved throughout and embraced the new coaching staff. We were really hampered by injuries mid-season with several starters out for multiple weeks including our leading scorer who was out for about two months. Our starting defense with Cash Whatley, Wiley Law, Colton Brady and goalie Montana Merchant will need to slow down the Ridgeline attack.”
No. 4 Juan Diego v. No. 5 Bear River
Juan Diego Key Players: Wyatt Robertson (53G, 13A), Lance Ebner (29G, 6A)
Bear River Key Players: Myles Nielson (52G, 7A), Fierce Miller (98GB, 52TA)
The Soaring Eagle is on a three-game winning streak and are proud 4A South champs. Bear River is looking to remain competitive and pull off the upset.
“We have a young team that gained some great experience that will help them in the playoffs,” said Bear River Head Coach Coj Miller. “Juan Diego is always tough and we are looking forward to seeing how we match up. Comes down to ball control. Whichever team has the fewest turnovers will come away with the W. Mike Evans in goal and Kaden Carbine at the face-off X will also be key players.”
Girls High School
6A
No. 1 Skyridge v. No. 8 West Jordan
Skyridge with an impressive season 15-1 overall. With West Jordan sitting at 13-4 overall for the season. Skyridge is in the favored seat to win. West Jordan is an aggressive team. We'll all be waiting and watching to see what happens here.
Recap - No. 1 Skyridge v. No. 17 American Fork: American Forks Head Coach Ray Langhaim, “Skyridge dominated the game 17 to 1. The American Fork girls played hard and did not give up. Proud of them” Flipping to Skyridge Head Coach Colin Gill “We played well and had a good time, and lost a very controversial coin toss.” Of course I had to ask Coach Gill to elaborate on the coin toss. “It’s mostly a joke. For some reason our captains are obsessed with the coin toss and tonight it just landed in the grass basically on its side, so our captains had no clue if it was heads or tails and the official just quickly told us it was heads and af had won. My captains just looked at each other and laughed.”
Recap - No. 8 West Jordan v. No. 9 Pleasant Grove: West Jordan had a tough game over Pleasant Grove but West Jordan stuck together to pull a great win, 13-6. “Pleasant Grove played a good, clean game tonight. We gave it all the effort we had and trusted each other on the field. We worked hard as an offense and moved the ball well and our defense had some amazing stops. Our goalie Ellie Stringam was on fire tonight and had amazing saves! We are stronger as a team, and are grateful for each other and for lacrosse,” said Pleasant Grove Head Coach Alese Wright.
No. 2 Mountain Ridge v. No. 7 Corner Canyon
Mountain Ridge and Corner Canyon will be battling up for the first time this season. Mountain Ridge is favored to win with, 15-2 overall, 88% wins, and 315 goals on the season.
Recap - No. 7 Corner Canyon v. No. 10 Farmington: From Mr. Matt Kenning himself “We won 14-7. Farmington played well, especially in the first half. Their goalie kept them in the game and they had the lead at halftime 4-3. We came out in the second half, made adjustments on our shots and plays and won the half 11-3. Had a good defense the entire game. Our defense kept us in the game the first half led by Allie Reading, Saige Talbot and our goalie Mila Christy. Simone Parker and Maura Henry led a balanced attack with 4 goals each. Overall it was a fun game, got the win and avoided injuries.”
Recap - No. 2 Mountain Ridge v. No. 15 Westlake: Mountain Ridge took the win over Westlake, 22-4. ”The girls came out ready to play and work hard as a team. Paige Runia and Emmery Clark led with 5 goals and 3 assists each, and Morgan Mackey right behind them with 4 goals and 2 assists. Big thanks to Westlake coming out, keeping the intensity high the entire game, and giving us a great fight,” said Mountain Ridge Head Coach Angie Brescia.
No. 3 Lone Peak v. No. 11 Riverton
Lone Peak and Riverton meet up once more this season. With Lone Peak winning earlier this year makes us all wonder what Saturday will look like for these two. “We’re excited. It’s going to be a good game. Especially since we’ve played Riverton already. On our end a lot of changes have been made, as I’m sure has also happened for Riverton, so we’ll see what happens! We’re just hoping for good weather.” Coach Weslie Lundell. Riverton’s preview of Saturday's game. ‘I’m excited about the rematch. We have improved a ton since we played Lone Peak last and know that it will be a competitive game,” said Riverton Coach Joey Dorton.
Recap - No. 3 Lone Peak v. No. 14 Weber: “Lone Peak won 18-4. We won the game tonight thanks to a large group of key elements. From the moment the first draw happened, we had control. Our center, Eliza Agate, was able to control the draw better than she ever has which ultimately kept possession on our side of the field at all times. But not only that, the attack was constantly moving the ball, testing their defense, waiting for the perfect moment to pass or drive. We had three solid goals within the first two minutes of the game. When the ball did reach our defense, we were able to stop them from driving at all points around the 8. The girls stopped free positions before the ball reached the goalie, they double-teamed well and rode the midfield hard. Overall, this win was an incredibly well-played team effort. While having a long, two-week game break, the team practiced hard and stayed focused. We’re excited for whatever Saturday will bring,” said Lone Peak Head Coach Weslie Lundell.
Recap - No. 6 Fremont v. No. 11 Riverton: Insight from Riverton: “Despite a close score we held control of the pace of the game the whole time. We knew that Fremont liked to drive and our defense shut that down really well with some good slides. The team as a whole really connected with each other and had some amazing turnovers that turned into goals. Overall we played our game and came out with a well-deserved win!” - Coach Dorton
No. 4 Davis v. No. 5 Syracuse
Talking with Coach Adam Suttlemyre he states for Saturday's game “They know us and we know them. It would have been nice to play a different team, but that is out of our control. Now we just have to keep believing in ourselves and go have some fun on Saturday.” Davis has defeated Syracuse this season, But Syracuse has continued to learn with each game. With Syracuse having the knowledge that Davis will shut down Senior Brooklyn Suttlemyre they’ll look to the rest of the team for that extra support. It’ll be fun to see these two match up once more. This game will be streamed here beginning at 1pm.
Recap - No. 4 Davis v. No. 13 Bingham: Davis beat Bingham, 15-12.
”We had 7 different goal scorers with Ava Bair having a team-high of 4G. Macie Wood, Tallulah Raser, & Mackenzie Coleman all contributed 3 pts the first two all in goals and the later in 2G 1A. Kaydence Johnson, Kerri Norton, & Olivia Lifferth also helped in scoring a goal each. We were tied up 6-6 at half and Davis came storming out in the second half. We kept winning the draws and quickly built a 5 goal lead. Credit to Bingham for persevering and coming back to within 2 goals with just over 3 minutes left in the game. Davis won the next draw and was able to possess the ball on offense and drain some of the time off the clock before Tallulah Raser scored the final goal of the game with 46 seconds left to lift Davis to a 3-goal lead,” said Davis Head Coach Mackenzie Hekking.
Recap - No. 5 Syracuse v. No. 12 Herriman: Game statement from Syracuse Head Coach Adam Suttlemyre: “Great team win. A number of girls stepped up tonight and it was awesome. So proud of how far this team has come this year. We have 3 first-year players and 4 players that are first-year varsity players. Just amazed by these girls and their determination. Didn’t have the best draw percentage tonight as a team, but we made up for it with teamwork and amazing stops by our goalie Gabby Fessler.”
5A
No. 1 Park City v. No. 8 Woods Cross
Woods Cross prepares to battle up against Park City for the first time this season. Park City is favored to win with 15-0 overall, 100% games won, and 284G on the season.
Recap - No. 1 Park City v. No. 16 Springville: Park City had an outstanding win over Springville, 25-0.
Recap - No. 8 Woods Cross v. No. 9 Lehi: Woods Cross doubled Lehi’s score leaving the victory to Woods Cross, 12-6.
No.2 Brighton v. No. 7 Alta
“We played Alta in the regular season, they’re a talented team and I think they’re really well coached by Abi. They have a fun culture! Looking forward to a good game,” said Brighton Head Coach Melissa Nash. Brighton is favored to win, with 14-3 overall, 82% games won, and 250G on the season.
Recap - No.2 Brighton v. No.15 Timpanogos: “We beat Timpanogos 17 to 4. I want to give a lot of credit to Timpanogos’ coach Meghan Hallam! She’s done an incredible job coaching her players to be aggressive and have a high lacrosse IQ! My team came out and played Bengal ball, our goal. I am so proud of all of my girls, especially my seniors! We played as a team from minute to minute. Go Bengals,” said Nash.
Recap - No. 7 Alta v. No. 10 Skyline: “Alta won 12-7 against Skyline! We went out there today and played our best game of the season against a very good Skyline team. My girls played so well together and everything seemed to flow for them. We were strong across the whole field. I couldn’t be more proud of my team,” said Alta Head Coach Abigail Breur.
No. 3 Olympus v. No. 6 Payson
Payson only 3 spots away from Olympus will bring us a high-energy game. With both teams winning Springville and East by an outstanding amount it puts this game in an interesting situation. Olympus is favored to win with 13-2 overall and 87% of their games won along with 266G on the season.
Recap - No. 3 Olympus v. No. 14 Highland: Olympus shoots and scores once more. Olympus had a stunning win over Highland, 19-3. Olympus leveled the field well with Hannah Nelson, Eva Thorn and Sara Anne all getting 4 goals apiece.
Recap - No. 6 Payson v. No. 11 Maple Mountain: Our eyes were locked on the field as these two went into double overtime! That will be the first double-overtime within the playoffs this far. Payson was able to score the final winning score in the second double overtime. It was no surprise to either team that they went into overtime as this was their third time facing one another. Those first two times Payson pulled ahead by 1 goal in both games. Maple Mountain wasn't letting this one go without a fight.
No. 4 Wasatch v. No. 5 Jordan
With a close pair of teams, it's hard to put judgment on where this game can lead. Jordan is favored to win with 13-4 overall, 77% games won, and 222G on the season.
Recap - No. 4 Wasatch v. No. 13 Provo: “Final score 11-10 Wasatch. We didn't start the game at our strongest, I think we were a little too comfortable after our game against Provo last week. Provo came to play, they had great pressure the entire game.We played a tough game that went back and forth and into overtime. After a nice forced turnover and transition up the field Grace Erker had the game-winning goal,” said Wasatch Head Coach Trish Miller.
Recap - No. 5 Jordan v. No. 12 Bountiful: Jordan dominated the game against Bountiful with an outstanding win of 18-6. Jordan’s top player was Senior Siena Fairbanks, with 6G, and 2A. Followed closely by Jordyn Dangerfield with 6G and 1A. “Jordan girls played amazing last night. Our transitions were flawless and we shut down our opponent’s transitions. Our goalie, Kammi made some amazing saves and had great clears the whole game. I am so proud of how they worked together, keeping their heads up, and looking for help from their teammates. We are ready and excited to play Wasatch tomorrow,” said Jordan Head Coach Emily Lange.
4A
No. 1 Bear River v. No. 8 Judge Memorial
Previous Matchup: Judge Memorial beat Logan on Thursday. This will be the first time for these two to match up.
Bear River Key Players: Junior Marley Kierstead, 79G, 5A, 45GB, and 14 CT. Junior Jenna LaCroix 47G, 50A, 179GB, 38CT and 6DC.
Judge Key Players: No Stats inputted.
For the upcoming matchup Bear River is favored to win with 16-0 overall, 100% games won, and 293 goals on the season.
No. 2 Mountain Crest v. No. 7 Waterford
Mountain Crest Key Players: Kamrie Wilkinson 73G. Taryn Durham 20A and 97GB.
Waterford Key Players: Mia Chao 66G and 10A. Bailey Norris 136SV and 40%SV.
For the upcoming matchup, Mountain Crest is favored to win with 13-3 overall, 81% games won and 193 goals on the season.
No. 3 Juan Diego v. No. 6 Green Canyon
Juan Diego Key Players: Senior Emilie Etchart 75SV, 124GA and 12W. Freshmen Olivia Prosper 61G and 25A.
Green Canyon Key Players: Junior Lauren Harris 56G and 6A. Senior Janessa Grover 65GB.
For the upcoming matchup, Juan Diego is favored to win with 12-4 overall, 75% games won and 220 goals this season.
No. 4 Ridgeline v. No. 5 Sky View
Previous Matchup: This will be their third time playing one another. First-time Ridgeline won 10-9, and the second go around Sky View won 15-8. Ridgeline is favored to win by stats with 7-8 overall, 47% games won, and 158G on the season but Sky View lost by one goal in the first game and dominated Ridgeline the second time. We’ll all have our ears and eyes open during this game.
Ridgeline Key Players: Junior Ellie Goins 33G, 7A, 33GB, 4CT, 62DC and 169DA. Sophomore Alivia Jackson 29G, 1A, 23GB and 1CT.
Sky View Key Players: Freshmen Abby Hunt 31G, 4A, 19GB, 7CT, 51DC and 107DA. Junior Dika Bair 44CT, 63GB and 13G.
That’s it for today, stay safe out there and see you on the sidelines!
— Tim Haslam (Intro/Boys) & Kenzie Christiansen (Girls)