BYU Wins RMLC Title Over UVU, Utah & Westminster Fall in OT and Region Outlooks
Plus, MCLA/WCLA Tournament Information, Coaches Polls, Stick Clicks and more!
Welcome in lacrosse fans. It was another great week for lacrosse in the state. There were so many great games from top to bottom. This is a great time of the year because we are seeing who teams really are but there’s time for teams to improve and get better and make waves.
I was at the RMLC tournament on Friday and had great conversations with several lacrosse fans/coaches/etc. A topic that came up was former high schools that had teams. It’s interesting to me because it involves the history of our sport in the state. We talked about The Oakley School and how they had some really great teams and an All-American in James Seabrooke. There was of course Cottonwood, Murray, UMA, Summit Academy and a few teams that were pulled from a few different schools including the Spanish Fork Warriors!
Before the Bountiful v. Olympus game I was chatting with the Oly staff and they asked who the best goalie to play high school lacrosse in Utah was. I told them, “I’m old, so I’d go with ‘Chuckie’” a.k.a. Chris Powers. Powers played at Alta and BYU then NYIT where he led the Bears to an NCAA D-II championship. Other great goalies that came up were Dallas McLellan (Juan Diego/Westminster) and Sean Edwards (Juan Diego/Westminster). As I thought more about it, there is Kimber Hower who played at Brighton and North Carolina/Syracuse. My personal favorite goalie was Matt Crispo from Judge. I’d love to hear it from you, the reader… Who do you think the best goalies to play in Utah have been?
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College
Mens
The college regular season has come to a close for all Utah teams and the playoff season has begun. There were multiple opportunities to get out to a game this weekend and I hope you did! Three games were settled by one goal including two that went to overtime.
MCLA
We’ll start in the MCLA this week as UVU hosted the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference playoffs at Zions Bank Stadium on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, in the MCLA D-II ranks, Utah State lost to Air Force Club, 17-8, and Montana State beat Denver Club, 17-11. Air Force Club then beat Montana State, 15-12, to earn an AQ spot to the MCLA D-II National Championship.
In the D-I ranks, on Friday, UVU took on Colorado and won, 10-5, while BYU faced Colorado State and won, 14-7. This set up the second matchup for the Wolverines and Cougars this season as the No. 1 and No. 2 team in the country. This time, the RMLC D-I Championship was at stake. The game was an instant classic for this rivalry. UVU earned a 3-0 lead early in the first and led 4-3 after the first quarter then it was tied at halftime, 5-5. UVU led by a goal after three quarters but BYU won the fourth quarter, 4-2, and ultimately the game by the score of 11-10.
Hutton Murphy was the one who notched the game-winning goal for the Cougars with 58 seconds left in regulation. The win was the Cougars 13th RMLC title. Sean Walker from KSL wrote a great recap of the game here. Walker also had a profile on Mason Quick earlier in the week. Read the story here. I’d also invite you to view our Instagram to get video and photos from the game from Patrick Sanger, Ginny Hansen, Pete Haraguchi and Samuel Pluim.
Both teams learned their MCLA National Tournament fate on Sunday night and BYU grabbed the No. 1 seed and will face No. 16 Michigan State. UVU is the No. 2 seed and will take on No. 15 Oregon.
In 2024, No. 1 BYU also played No. 16 Michigan State. BYU won that game 19-4. BYU went on to with the National Championship that year with wins over No. 8 San Diego State, No. 4 Liberty and of course, No. 14 UVU.
This will be the first matchup between UVU and Oregon. The teams were scheduled to play in 2020 but we know how that went. The Ducks came to Utah this year and played BYU, a 19-9 loss, and the Utah Club team, a 12-11 loss. UVU was the No. 2 seed last year and beat No. 15 Boise State, 18-7, No. 7 Northeastern, 14-5, then lost to No. 3 Georgia Tech, 17-14 in the semis.
The games will take place May 4 - 9 at the River City Sportsplex in Midlothian, Virginia.
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NCAA
The Westminster Griffins hosted the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference tournament this weekend and beat Northwest Nazarene on Friday, 20-10. Concordia University Irvine beat Colorado Mesa, 13-12, in overtime.
On Sunday, CUI took the RMAC Championship after beating the Griffins, 12-11, in overtime. Westminster finished the year 11-5.
Utah hosted Air Force in the regular-season finale for both teams and lost, 14-13, in overtime. Utah will head to Jacksonville as the No. 2 seed in the ASUN tournament and will take on Air Force once again who is the No. 3 seed. The game will begin at 4:00pm MT and will be available on ESPN+. The other semifinal will be No. 1 Jacksonville versus No. 4 Mercer at 1:00pm MT.
The crazy stat of the week is that Utah and Air Force have squared off nine times and seven of the games have been settled by one goal including two overtime games.
All upcoming college games can be found on our Scores page: scores.utahlaxreport.com
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Womens
Westminster headed to Denver for the RMAC tournament and fell in the championship game to Regis, 14-5.
In the WCLA, Utah earned the No. 12 seed and will take on No. 5 Michigan at the WCLA National Tournament which begins on May 11 in Naples, Florida.
All upcoming college games can be found on our Scores page: scores.utahlaxreport.com
High School
I put the current RPI ranks into my bracket maker and here is what the playoffs would look like if the season ended today. Head to this page and click on the classification you want to see! Here’s what Boys 5A would shake out to be.
Click the link above to see the rest!
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Boys’ Week 8 Coaches Poll
No. 1 Park City - The Miners came back from Spring Break and took on West Jordan on Wednesday, winning 14-1. The Miners then hosted No. 5 Farmington and won, 9-4. See the recap below for how the game shook out. Park City will face No. 6 Olympus on Tuesday then host No. 10 Judge Memorial on Friday. The Miners then take on No. 2 Corner Canyon on May 6 and Green Canyon on May 8.
No. 2 Corner Canyon - The Chargers took on two region opponents this week in American Fork and Lone Peak and had a combined score of 39-8. Pierson DeGracie had 10 goals and 3 assists over the two-game stretch. A region showdown with No. 8 Skyridge looms on Tuesday then a region game against Lehi on Friday. The Chargers take on No. 1 Park City on May 6 and East on May 8.
No. 3 Alta - The Hawks had three games this week and beat Davis, 16-9, Woods Cross, 16-7, and Viewmont, 16-5. Beckham Horoba had 10 goals and 15 assists over the three-game span. Alta will host Skyline on Wednesday then take on No. 6 Olympus on Friday. The Hawks will finish the regular season on May 6 against No. 7 Bountiful.
No. 4 Brighton - Brighton also played three games this week, beating Mountain Ridge, 15-12, Skyline 17-6 and No. 7 Bountiful, 13-4. Zac Anderson had 6 goals and 2 assists for the Bengals against Mountain Ridge. Brighton will take on No. 9 Juan Diego on Tuesday and Viewmont on Friday. The Bengals finish the season on May 6 against No. 6 Olympus.
No. 5 Farmington - The Phoenix beat Layton, 23-0, then lost to No. 1 Park City, 9-4. See the recap below. Farmington will face Weber on Tuesday in a key region game. Thursday will see rival Davis come down the road. Farmington will finish the season with Syracuse, Layton and No. 10 Judge Memorial.
No. 6 Olympus - The Titans lost to No. 7 Bountiful, 7-6, in its lone game this week. Jacob Buxton and James Cannon both had a goal and an assist to lead the Titans. Olympus will finish the season with four home games: No. 1 Park City on Tuesday, Viewmont, No. 3 Alta and No. 4 Brighton.
No. 7 Bountiful - The Redhawks beat No. 6 Olympus, 7-6, on Wednesday then lost to No. 4 Brighton on Friday, 13-4. Carter Terry had 2 goals and 1 assist for the Redhawks against the Bengals. Bountiful will take on Woods Cross on Wednesday, Skyline on Friday and No. 3 Alta on May 6.
No. 8 Skyridge - The Falcons beat Lehi, 19-5. Carson Butterfield had 5 goals and 1 assist with Dylan Forsgren notching 4 goals and 1 assist for Skyridge against the Pioneers. Skyridge hosts No. 2 Corner Canyon on Tuesday and will head to Lone Peak on Friday. The final game for Skyridge in the regular season will be on May 8 against Hillcrest.
No. 9 Juan Diego - The Soaring Eagle were tested on Wednesday by Waterford but ultimately won in overtime, 11-10. Chris Jimerson had the game-winning goal in overtime and had another goal and assist on the night. Cooper Pecora went 19 of 21 from the faceoff dot. Juan Diego will take on No. 4 Brighton on Tuesday and Snow Canyon on Friday. The Soaring Eagle will then take part in the Region 10 playoffs on May 6 and May 8.
No. 10 Judge Memorial - The Bulldogs beat East, 17-7, and Hillcrest, 19-2, in two region contests this week. Dylan Hersh had 1 goal and 5 assists against East. Rome Swanwick added 4 goals and 2 assists. Judge will take on West Jordan on Wednesday and No. 1 Park City on Friday. The Bulldogs finish out the season on May 6 against Lone Peak and No. 5 Farmington on May 8.
Region Outlook
This is how we see the regions shaking out. Obviously anything can happen and nothing is set in stone until all games are played!
Region 1 - Farmington is in the driver’s seat but the game on Tuesday against Weber will be important. If Weber wins, it would share the region title with the Phoenix.
Region 2 - Bingham and Mountain Ridge remain undefeated in region play. Their game on Tuesday will likely determine the region champ.
Region 3 - Corner Canyon heads to Skyridge on Friday in a game that will decide who takes home the region title.
Region 4 - Park City and Judge play on Friday in a game that will likely determine who wins the title.
Region 5 - West Field leads the region, but Box Elder is on the doorstep. They play on Wednesday. West Field won the first matchup, 17-6.
Region 6 - Alta is 3-0 in region while Brighton, Bountiful and Olympus have 1 loss in region play. There is potential for any of these teams to take the crown. We’ll know more after this week.
Region 7 - Wasatch and Timpview are both 4-0 in region. They play on Friday. However, Pleasant Grove is 3-1 and also will play Wasatch this week and Timpview next week.
Region 8 - Timpanogos is 4-0 and will face Provo and Orem again. The T-Wolves beat Orem, 17-4 and Provo, 11-4 already so winning the region is within reach.
Region 9 - Snow Canyon (5-0 in region) is in control after beating Dixie on April 15. The Warriors will host Hurricane on Tuesday who is 4-1.
Region 10 - Juan Diego is 3-0 but the winner of this region will be determined in the Region 10 playoffs in the last week of the season.
Region 11 - Bear River leads at 4-1. The Bears face Green Canyon (3-1), Sky View (1-3) and Mountain Crest (1-3) to finish the season.
Boys Spotlight Game of the Week by Hill and Hill Photography
Week 8 – Farmington vs Park City
Though chasing different classification trophies, 5A Park City and 6A Farmington had this “statement game” circled on their calendars for weeks. Both Top 5 programs boast high-powered offenses and physical defenses, making them legitimate state championship contenders.
From the opening face-off, the pace was relentless. Park City capitalized on the electric atmosphere early, as Parker Jones and Matix Black secured a 2-0 lead that held through the end of the first quarter.
Farmington refused to let the game slip away. Behind key defensive adjustments and point-blank saves from goalie Brandon Barrus, the Phoenix stayed within reach. Ryder Hill opened the second quarter with a goal just 40 seconds in, cutting the lead to 2-1. While Park City’s Crew Kimble and Thomas Fannon extended the Miners’ lead, Farmington’s Brock Milne and Wyatt Salmon answered late to bring the score to 4-3 at the half.
The third quarter was a defensive masterclass. Long-pole pressure and stellar play from Barrus and Park City’s Max Gordon kept the scoreboard nearly frozen. It wasn’t until the 3:24 mark that Farmington’s Cole Smith finally tied the game at 4-4.
The fourth quarter belonged entirely to Park City. Their defense hounded the Phoenix while the offense finally found the gaps. With Fannon netting two more goals alongside scores from Jones, Jesse Dittmer, and Wade Birch, the Miners surged ahead. A five-goal final frame sealed a hard-fought 9-4 victory.
The road stays tough for the Miners as they face Olympus and Judge this week. Farmington will look to bounce back in region play against Weber and Davis.
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Girls’ Week 8 Coaches Poll
No. 1 Park City will face off with No. 2 Riverton this week. While Riverton has an unbroken winning record, all of the Miner’s losses have happened out of state. Senior standout Lily Yatkeman anchors a formidable defense that has held nearly every opponent to single digits, will she keep Riverton at bay?
No. 2 Riverton could have its winning streak broken this week when they face off against No. 1 Park City. But the Silverwolves aren’t going to let it happen without a fight.
No. 3 Skyridge picked up a big win over Farmington this past week, and they could go on a four-win run in their coming games prior to the playoffs.
No. 4 Bear River could very well be on its way to another region championship. The next two weeks look like they could take some time to hone their skills and really aim to take it all.
No. 5 Mountain Ridge is a strong team, but when they come up against tough opponents they falter. Let’s see how they finish out the season.
No. 6 West Jordan have established themselves as a premier powerhouse in their division. Senior star Lily Henderson anchors the high-octane offense, leading the charge with a staggering 90 points this season.
No. 7 Brighton boasts a high-powered offense that has proven difficult for even the toughest defenses to contain. Senior standout Sophie Nielsen continues to dominate the field, leading the team’s scoring efforts as Brighton remains a dangerous threat in the 5A landscape.
No. 8 Fremont is having an amazing season and could finish the season with a 15-2 record. Will this put them in a position to take their division?
No. 9 Lone Peak’s offensive juggernaut is powered by seniors Norah Lisonbee and Lucy McMurray, who combined for 12 goals in their recent dominant win over Corner Canyon.
No. 10 Provo hasn’t gotten a lot of attention this year, but don’t sleep on them. The Bulldogs have a stellar 13-1 record, currently dominating Division 4A as the #2 ranked team in the classification. Sophomore midfielder Lily Andelin is a key part of a deep roster that features a stifling defense and a high-powered offense averaging over 15 goals per game.
Region Outlook
Region 1 - This is one of the tightest region races in any gender or classification this year. Farmington is 3-1 and Davis, Weber and Syracuse are 3-2. There are still too many games left to declare a clear winner.
Region 2 - Riverton looks to be the front-runner after a 10-7 over Mountain Ridge on Friday. Herriman could have a say though!
Region 3 - Skyridge sits in the top spot at 6-0 and should stay there with 2 region games left.
Region 4 - There haven’t been any region games played, so this one should come down to the winner of Park City/West Jordan on Tuesday.
Region 5 - Fremont is the team to beat, sitting at 9-0 in region play.
Region 6 - Brighton leads the way at 4-0. Olympus is 3-0 in region and will play Brighton on May 6.
Region 7 - Payson is 4-0 in region and will take on the challenger Salem Hills on 5/1.
Region 8 - Provo is comfortably in the lead and should win the region.
Region 9 - Hurricane is at 5-0 and are likely to win the region.
Region 10 - Judge sits at the top but the Region playoffs will determine who wins this region.
Region 11 - Bear River is 6-0 in region play and will win the region.
Girls Spotlight Game of the Week by Hill and Hill Photography
Week 8 - Corner Canyon vs Lone Peak
With the state playoffs approaching, Lone Peak solidified its region standing with a commanding 19-8 victory over Corner Canyon. The Knights’ dominance was established at the draw circle, where Lucy McMurray controlled possession throughout the contest.
The game opened with an immediate offensive burst. Nora Lisonbee scored off a McMurray draw control, and McMurray followed with a solo effort to put the Knights up 2-0 within minutes. Although Corner Canyon’s Madilyn Story briefly halted the momentum, Lone Peak closed the first quarter with a 4-1 lead. The Knights extended their advantage in the second, scoring in bunches. Lisonbee secured an early hat trick, while McMurray and Summer Galbraith helped build a 9-2 halftime cushion.
The Chargers responded with urgency in the third quarter. Alice Linford, Taylor Jones, and Avery Berger spearheaded a comeback attempt that cut the lead to 12-7. However, timely goals from Lisonbee and Emmy Anderson kept the Knights from losing their grip on the game.
Lone Peak shut the door in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Chargers 7-1. McMurray and Lisonbee both finished the day with six goals apiece, while Natalie Smith and Galbraith added to the final tally.
The Knights now look ahead to a massive matchup against region-leading Skyridge next Friday after facing American Fork. Corner Canyon also faces a difficult stretch, hosting both Skyridge and Lehi next week.
Stick Clicks
Thank you to all the photographers who submitted this week! We have a great variety of pictures and I’m very grateful for the response to this feature. We’ll do this every week! On a separate, but related note, we’ll be hosting an end-of-year photo contest! Stay tuned for details.
Click on the photos to see them in a gallery. Photos this week come from: Tyree McFarland, Christy Marshall, Matt Schmiemann and Ron Hill.
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Notes
Wasatch Whalers in Prague
The Wasatch Whalers are in Prague for the Aleš Hřebeský Memorial tournament. The Whalers went 2-3 at the event. The outdoor venue looked incredible! Merritt McMahon had 5 goals and 2 assists on the week. Casey Rich had 4 goals and 3 assists. Goalies Gavin Beilman and Josh McDougall had 49 combined saves.
Interview w/ Alta Head Coach Brandon Horoba
The latest episode of the Utah Lacrosse Report podcast features a familiar name to anyone who’s been around Utah lacrosse for a while — and one of the few returning guests we’ve had on the podcast so far.
He started coaching at Alta back in the early 2000s, has stops at Brighton and UVU along the way, won multiple state championships, and now finds himself back where it all began, leading Alta through one of its best seasons in years.
We’re going to talk about his coaching journey, building culture, giving back to the game, Alta’s run this season, and that recent trip to Maryland that gave this group a ton to build on.
So with that, I’m excited to welcome back to the podcast, Alta Head Coach Brandon Horoba.
Hope you enjoy the show!
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That’s it for this week! See you on the sidelines.