Division A & B First Round Playoff Recaps & Quarterfinal Previews
Division A & B First Round Playoff Recaps & Quarterfinal Previews
Issue 66
Good morning lax fans. Last night was a great night of lacrosse. To the Seniors who played your last high school game, we feel you. Don’t let this be the end of your lacrosse journey. There is plenty to do in the lacrosse community to continue helping the game grow.
Also, don’t forget that the second round of Division C is today.
As always, this newsletter is brought to you by Vessel Kitchen.
Bracket Links
Boys Division A
Boys Division B
Boys Division C
Girls Division A
Girls Division B
Girls Division C
Boys Division A Results/Previews
No. 1 Corner Canyon beat No. 16 Skyline, 17-4.
“Stats from the game that I thought were big were 1 goal and 1 assist from #8 Justin Egan,” said Corner Canyon Head Coach Aaron Ika. “Quiet guy who just does his job week in and week out. Franckowiak was another guy that I thought let the game come to him and not force the issue. He had 2 goals and 2 assists. He is just a Sophomore but played like he had been in the playoffs before. I thought all our Sophomores didn’t let the playoff game interfere with what they had been doing all year. Jack Baird was a beast, Lincoln Hanks was his typical self and Porter Wells snuck in a goal and an assist tonight. We knew Skyline was going to be well-coached and that they would not just lay down. They were going to battle and we got that tonight. Hats off to Coach Sanchez and having his squad ready to go. They have been road warriors all year and they were again tonight.”
No. 2 Park City beat No. 15 Lone Peak, 14-13 in Overtime.
The Miners were led by Tyler Vendetti who had 5 goals. Connor Monson had 2 goals and 2 assists while Chase Beyer and Cooper Meuller each had 2 goals and 1 assist. Garrett Haas had 6 goals and 4 assists for Lone Peak.
“Lone Peak is a good team that played the second-hardest schedule in the state,” said Park City Head Coach Michael Persky. “They lost a number of those games by a slim margin and their last game against Corner Canyon was probably their best. They definitely came to play tonight and there was no quit in them at all. However, in the end, our guys did the little things right, a key backup of a shot by our goalie Bo Hathorne gave us an important possession, a great ground ball by Chase Beyer in OT, followed up by an outstanding ride back goal by Connor Monson to end it. And throughout it all, great leadership from our Seniors who just didn’t want to lose today, particularly Tyler Vendetti. Next up is an equally tough opponent, Mountain Ridge.”
Brighton Senior Jordan Henderson
No. 14 Brighton upset No. 3 Farmington, 9-8.
Brighton was led by Carter Budge and Grayson Harris had 3 goals each. Harris scored the game-winning goal with 5 seconds remaining in regulation. In goal, Marcus Gunderson had 19 saves. See the game-winning goal here.
“Farmington is an unbelievable team,” said Brighton Head Coach Chris O’Donnell. “We played our game and controlled the tempo. Our defense and goaltending were outstanding today. We're excited to still be playing and looking forward to Friday's game.”
Olympus Sophomore Ethan Hartsfield c/o CBreeze Sports - Full Gallery
No. 4 Olympus beat No. 13 Timpview, 16-6.
The Titans were led by Hutton Murphy who had 4 goals and 5 assists. Three other Titans had 4 points: Nate Schettler (3g, 1a), Ethan Hartsfield (3g, 1a) and Camden Rossi (2g, 2a).
Titan Head Coach Nick Merrel said, “The boys played really tough tonight and executed a beautiful game on both ends of the field. We knew Timpview is well-coached and would come out with a good game plan and they got us out of rhythm early but we were able to get back on track for a strong finish. Looking forward to Green Canyon on Friday.”
No. 5 Green Canyon beat No. 12 Waterford, 24-16.
Green Canyon was led by Mason Anderson (5g, 3a) and Jake Lundin (3g, 3a). The Ravens were led by the Osborn brothers: Jacob had 5 goals and 3 assists while Michael had 4 goals and 2 assists. Devin Sullivan had 15 saves for Waterford, his season-high.
“Our defense let far too many in, but credit to Waterford and their players, they were tough to defend, never gave up, and had some powerful shots,” said Green Canyon Head Coach Troy Oldham. “It felt so good to have a tough matchup in this first round of the playoffs, and we feel our players really poured it on and played hard the entire game. That said, we also learned some things that we will be working on over the next few days to improve and be ready for Olympus on Friday night. Mason Anderson and Jake Lundin continue to be our statistical and on-field leaders. Dusty Gasaway and Laker Sampson found moments to really turn the momentum our way and the rest of the team capitalized on their performances. A huge shout out to our faceoff team and coach Austin Doyle, we knew how good Waterford was at the faceoff and so we have been drilling several different strategies for how to minimize the fast-break, and we are very proud of our faceoff guys and wings were a big part of the win tonight. We look forward to our matchup with Olympus in Friday, they have had a stellar season and we know it will be a full-game battle.”
Davis Senior Blake Williams - Full Gallery
No. 6 Davis beat No. 11 Bingham, 12-9.
“We were led offensively by Rhett Rice, who had 6 goals and 1 assist,” said Davis Head Coach Dillon Yocom. “Offense was slow to start the first half but came out in the third quarter and turned it on to score 5 goals. We played pretty solid team defense from start to finish but Bingham played us tough and kept fighting the whole game. Kache Allen played great in the cage for us, made lots of great saves as well as some other great defensive plays on guys around the crease. Emerson Bell played really well with a few caused turnovers and he came up big for us in the transition game.”
No. 7 Mountain Ridge beat No. 10 Juan Diego Catholic, 13-4.
Mountain Ridge was led by David Wright who had 4 goals and 2 assists. Jack Crawford notched 2 goals and 1 assist while seven other Sentinels found tallied at least one point on the scoresheet.
“Hats off to Juan Diego, they are always a top-notch opponent and have been so through the many years I have coached lacrosse,” said Mountain Ridge Head Coach Trent Bangert. “They came out and played a very aggressive style of defense and had constant pressure. As for our team, it all started with the faceoff we had our best faceoff percentage of the season. Our offense played our game and controlled the time of possession. The defense was up to the challenge and held a team that came in averaging over 10 goals a game to 4 points. We also played extremely well in the transition game. Our rides and clears were where we want them to be at this point in the season. We are a little bumped and bruised right now, as to be expected at this point in the season, and we had multiple players step up and play really well. We played a team game! We look forward to a rematch with one of the best in the state this Friday in Park City.”
No. 8 American Fork beat No. 9 Fremont, 16-7.
Quarterfinals - Friday, May 21
There are 14 perfect brackets left in the Tribal West bracket challenge.
No. 1 Corner Canyon v. No. 8 American Fork - This will be the third matchup this season for these Region 1 foes. Corner Canyon won both games: 15-9 on 4/20 and 20-4 on 5/7. I suspect we’ll see a tight game but ultimately the Chargers should walk away with the win.
No. 2 Park City v. No. 7 Mountain Ridge - The regular-season matchup of this game was one of the better ones of the year. Mountain Ridge earned an early lead but Park City came out in the second half and only allowed 2 goals while scoring 9. We’ve already seen some great games in the playoffs but this one could be one of the best yet.
No. 4 Olympus v. No. 5 Green Canyon - The Olympus we saw on Tuesday is a force to be reckoned and should give Green Canyon the tough games they’ve been seeking. If we compare scores (a dangerous thing to do) then the edge would go to Olympus.
No. 6 Davis v. No. 14 Brighton - Brighton pulled off the only upset in the Boys Division A bracket and another win against another tough Davis County team would put them in a great spot for the semifinals. These two teams met in the 2019 Quarterfinals with Brighton winning, 15-10. The Bengals also knocked off the Darts in the 2016 Quarterfinals, 20-6. Brighton was the favorite in both of those games so surely Davis would like to return the favor.
Boys Division B Results/Previews
No. 1 Weber beat No. 16 Roy, 19-7.
Weber was led by Karter Madsen who had 7 goals and 3 assists. Ace Nichols had 4 goals and 1 assist. Roy was led by Sage Moreno who had 3 goals.
Weber Head Coach Alex Gorton said, “We played a solid team game. Roy is always a physical team and I think we matched their physicality throughout the game. One-on-one defense was solid with good slides when needed, middies got back on transition and cleared the ball well, and offensively we shared the ball.”
No. 2 Riverton beat No. 15 Salem Hills, 15-0.
No. 3 Sky View beat No. 14 Maple Mountain, 17-5.
Parker Robbins led the Bobcats with 6 goals and 1 assist while Joshua Higganbotham had 5 goals.
“Our team played well today and we’re excited to keep moving forward with our season,” said Sky View Head Coach Kyle Bland. “The guys came out playing well all across the field. We had a great lead and we were able to get a variety of our players on the field tonight.
No. 4 Alta beat No. 13 Ridgeline, 17-5.
Berkley Horoba led the Hawks with 5 goals and 4 assists. Rogan Babka had 4 goals and 2 assists.
“We had big scoring games from Rogan Babka, Berkley Horoba and Will Waddoups,” said Alta Head Coach Brandon Horoba. “Aiden Swanson set the tone winning 10-11 faceoffs. The team started sluggishly but came out after halftime ready to go and had a great quarter on both ends winning that quarter 7-0. It was a good win against a team in Ridgeline that never quit now getting ready for a solid Wasatch team. In the playoffs, the games just get tougher so we will work to get ready for them.”
No. 5 Wasatch beat No. 12 East, 17-9.
Gabe King led the Wasps with 6 goals and 1 assist. Josh Nokes had 4 goals and 2 assists while Ethan Erker had 3 goals and 1 assist.
Wasatch Head Coach Chris Baer said, “We really put together a solid game today. Our team has really come together recently and created a solid brotherhood which has been great to watch develop as it’s been a goal of the coaching staff since the start. I’m really proud of what we put together today. East is a solid opponent and extremely well-coached. We knew that the Leopards would have a great plan today and we needed to step up our level of play from last time we saw them on the field a few weeks back. Our offense stepped up quite a bit with great ball movement and vision and our defense was excellent, led by Brody McGuinness and Landon Roylance. We went into the locker room after the game and the boys all recognized this is just the start. We can’t rest on our laurels as we have a huge game on Friday.”
No. 6 Bountiful beat No. 11 Copper Hills, 19-4.
The Braves were led by Teagan Dougher (4g, 5a) and Sam Lefevre (5g, 2a). Isaac Stout had 1 goal and 5 assists for the Braves. Hayden Hansen was 18 of 24 from the faceoff X.
“The thing I was most happy about is how we shared the ball today,” said Bountiful Head Coach Peter Jordan. “Our guys were dodging with their eyes up and moving the ball on at the right time. We assisted 12 times on our 19 goals.”
No. 7 Westlake beat No. 10 Lehi, 19-4.
“Tonight we played well against a tenacious Lehi team,” said Westlake Head Coach Danny Horne. “Lehi performed exceptionally well at faceoff and the Cooper brothers for Lehi (Steele #3 & Justice #12) played very well in tandem at attack. We were able to get the ball moving exceptionally well on offense accounting for 19 goals spread across 7 different players & 13 assists. As a team, we secured 34 GBs & forced 18 turnovers. It was a great team effort against a very talented Lehi squad.”
No. 8 Northridge beat No. 9 Box Elder, 11-8.
Ryan Finlinson had 5 goals while Drew Tate added 3 goals for the Knights. Box Elder was led by Austin McCormick who had 4 goals.
“Mitchell Johnson, Brooks Ashton, and Baydon Ketts came up big on the defensive end, especially in man down. JD Clanton was huge at the faceoff X and wings with several gained possessions for us,” said Northridge Head Coach Jeremy Trout. “This was a great game, the boys from Box Elder definitely came out swinging and got up on us early, and gave us all we could handle. My boys went out there and showed they can do hard things, which I think is what it takes to be a winner and today we showed we had that. We did the little things like fighting for ground balls and chasing balls, it’s not always pretty, but it’s about being the team that wants it more and making it happen. Really proud of my boys for going out and working as a family and making it happen against a great team. Excited for Weber on Friday.”
Quarterfinals - Friday, May 21
No. 1 Weber v. No. 8 Northridge - If this game is anything like their regular-season Region 1 matchups, this game will come down to the wire. Weber won both games by one goal including a 12-11 overtime win on April 27.
No. 2 Riverton v. No. 7 Westlake - These teams haven’t played each other or any common opponents. If you look at goals for, Riverton has scored 178 while Westlake has scored 172. For goals allowed, the number favors Riverton (74) but keep in mind that Westlake has played in the toughest region while giving up 133 goals. This one could easily go either way.
No. 3 Sky View v. No. 6 Bountiful - Both teams beat Box Elder and lost to Olympus. The Bountiful scores were more favorable and I suspect we’ll see the Braves pull off the upset to head to the semifinals.
No. 4 Alta v. No. 5 Wasatch - Both teams enter the game at 11-6 and are pretty evenly matched. Alta did beat the Wasps on April 23 by the score of 15-9. This game should be a great matchup that could come down to the wire.
Girls Division A Results/Previews
No. 1 Park City beat No. 16 West Jordan, 20-2.
The Miners were led by Sam Riely who had 4 goals and 4 assists while Kendall Keblish had 5 goals, 1 assist and 8 draw controls. Sophie Neff (5 goals), Kathrin Nixon (2 goals) and Macy Hoeksema (2 goals) all contributed. Amelia Livingston also had a goal for the Miners. West Jordan’s lone goals came from Sydnee Brinton.
“We had great game across the board at attack, midfield, the ride, on the draw, and on defense,” said Park City Head Coach Mikki Ekfelt. “We were proud of how they played as a team and valued possession. Multiple girls stepped up and had great games today. The girls played our game tonight and we hope to continue playing at this level throughout the state tournament. West Jordan was a tough, physical team and we’re looking forward to Friday’s game vs Farmington.”
No. 2 Mountain Ridge beat No. 15 Ridgeline, 18-5.
“The Mortensen sisters brought the heat,” said Mountain Ridge Head Coach Angie Brescia. “First 4 goals of the game with two each. Tessa Mortensen was our leader in stats with 5 goals, 3 assists, and 2 cto's. Kylie Mortensen was close behind with 4 goals and 1 assist. Then Aubrie Shaw with 3 goals. Although they shined, we gave our player of the game to defender Kiarra Clarin for outhustling both teams and being a key member of the success on our defensive end and transitions (she got 1 goal as well!). Ridgeline definitely came to play and gave us a run for our money especially in the beginning of the second half. Thankful to our speed and scrappiness, we were able to finish strong.”
No. 3 Skyridge beat No. 14 Corner Canyon, 13-10.
Skyridge was led by Rivanna Buechner who had 6 goals and 9 draw controls. For Corner Canyon, Allison Reading and Margaret Peo had 3 goals each.
No. 4 Brighton beat No. 13 Syracuse, 26-11.
For Syracuse, Brooklyn Suttlemyre led the charge with 5 goals and 1 assist.
“First of all, so proud of my Bengals,” said Brighton Head Coach Melissa Nash. “Second of all, I am so impressed with Adam Suttlemyre and what he’s done with the Syracuse team. He told me that they only have two girls who have ever played lacrosse before and they were a solid team and great sports. Watch out for Syracuse being a big team soon. A few people to shout out from my team: Freshman Ayla Cole got some major minutes and played amazing on defense – she had some big interceptions and big ground balls. Also, our three big shooters – Grace Rappl, Haley Taylor and Zoe Heffernan – as usual, came to play. We are excited to host another game on Friday in the jungle.”
No. 12 Alta upset No. 5 Herriman, 12-11.
Eliza Johnson had 5 goals and Calli McDermott had 3 goals for the Hawks.
The Mustangs were up 4-0 just a few minutes into the game. After some much-needed ball possession and communication on defense, Alta began to come back. The Hawks had most of its momentum in the second half. The game-winner came down to the last few minutes. Alta’s Calli McDermott drove and scored to go ahead by one goal. Herriman's Morgan Eldredge took a shot that hit the pipe, she caught the rebound and scored on an empty net. Alta got the next draw where Eliza Johnson drew a free position shot and buried a goal. Alta got the final draw control and ran out the clock.
No. 11 Waterford upset No. 6 Bear River, 17-6.
Jaimeson Meyer led the Ravens with 9 goals and 1 assist. Chuck Iacobelli (4g, 1a) and Sarah Child (3g, 4a) also contributed for Waterford.
“Bear River is a great team and they pressured us a lot around the crease and in the eight,” said Waterford Head Coach Betsy Weidner. “We had to adjust to the pressure, and I think our team responded well to those adjustments. The girls did a great job staying composed, using space and making smart passes. We have been working really hard on improving some concepts in our transition game, and the team executed those concepts well against Bear River. We are excited to be competing in this bracket with such great teams, and we are eager to get back to work on the practice field tomorrow.”
No. 10 Olympus upset No. 7 Davis, 21-14.
Olympus was led by Kate Richards and Hazel Baker who had 5 goals and 1 assist each. Eva Thorn also had 5 goals for the Titans.
“I’m super proud of our midfield,” said Olympus Head Coach Zana Spratling. “And our defenders took care of No. 4 and No. 0, which shut down much of their scoring. We were playing on a shorter, grass field than we are used to and it screwed up our ability to slow down fast breaks or I don’t think it would have been as high scoring of a game. Midfielders killed it on the draw. Transitions were beautiful. They’re finally taking an extra second before shooting. They all showed up to play today. Side note: Their No. 4 4 was injured and our hearts go out to her. She was excellent and we can’t wait to see what she does later.”
No. 8 Farmington beat No. 9 Fremont, 7-6 in Overtime.
“Man, what an exciting game,” said Farmington Head Coach Annabelle Roche. “Our team did well on our transitions up the field and our patience on attack. Fremont had the toughest defense we have seen all season so it was crucial to be patient and wait for the right shot. Our overtime goal was scored by Paige Burwell, one of our Seniors on the team. She has been a top scorer all season with impressive stats in the midfield as well. Riley Sant also had an outstanding game. She was eager to get turnovers and quick to transition the ball up to the attack. She played a key role in keeping possession in the game last night. It has been a great season with these girls and we are excited to be able to continue to the next round!”
Quarterfinals - Friday, May 21
Only two brackets remain perfect in the Tribal West bracket challenge.
No. 1 Park City v. No. 8 Farmington - It’s going to be an uphill battle for any team to dethrone Park City.
No. 2 Mountain Ridge v. No. 10 Olympus - Both teams played Brighton within a few days of each other. Mountain Ridge beat the Bengals, 15-13, while Olympus lost, 13-12. I think this game will be closer than the seeds suggest.
No. 3 Skyridge v. No. 11 Waterford - On paper, this game belongs to Skyridge. However, whenever Jaimeson Meyer is on the field, anything can happen, just ask Bear River. The lone difference in common opponents is Olympus: Skyridge beat the Titans, 12-6, while Waterford lost, 13-12.
No. 4 Brighton v. No. 14 Alta - Brighton won the regular-season matchup between these two rivals, 18-11, but that was way back on March 12. Alta is averaging 16.1 goals per game while Brighton averages 18.8. Alta will be riding high of its upset win while Brighton wants to press on to the semifinals. Should be a great game.
Girls Division B Results/Previews
No. 1 Riverton beat No. 16 Weber, 22-3.
Livia Sargent had 3 goals and 4 assists while Isabel Milner had 5 goals and 1 assist for the Silverwolves. Riverton won 73% of draws taken.
“We had a very good caused turnover rate coming out of our attacking end with probably about 90% of their saves ending up back in our possession,” said Riverton Head Coach Jocelyn Dorton. “Having never played Weber before and not knowing what to expect we came out strong and adapted to their defense of starting 5 back. They had good slides and crashes making it harder for our normal drive heavy attack to convert. We were able to make good cuts and get good off ball movement to make most of our goals off of plays.”
No. 2 Wasatch beat No. 15 Green Canyon, 17-2.
Grace Erker led the Wasps with 7 goals and 1 assist. Sophia Nielsen had 5 goals and 3 assists.
“As a team, we are continuously working on improving the fundamentals and improvement regardless of the opponent,” said Wasatch Head Coach Trish Miller. “The girls did a great job on executing what we asked of them. Throughout the game we had several great connections, 12 of 17 goals were assisted. We are looking forward to the next game and the challenges it brings!
No. 3 Box Elder beat No. 14 Roy, 11-8.
Box Elder was led by Saige Jensen who had 4 goals while Brooklyn Wheatley had 3 goals.
No. 4 Timpview beat No. 13 Pleasant Grove, 12-9.
The T-Birds were led by Whitney Sheffield who had 5 goals and 1 assist. Dani Gallman had 1 goal and 3 assists. Goalie Kate Sybrowsky had 12 saves.
“Pleasant Grove played a really great game,” said Timpview Head Coach Sarah Bowman. “Our girls played some lockdown defense stopping fast breaks from the midfield. Offensively the girls were able to take care of the ball on transition and capitalize on opportunities to score.”
No. 5 American Fork beat No. 12 Maple Mountain, 23-8.
”We had a good combined team win with 6 girls scoring,” said American Fork Head Coach Ray Langhaim. “We had good defensive play to keep the ball mostly on the offensive side of the field. We played well to win the game but will need to continue to clean up our play to advance further.”
No. 11 Lone Peak upset No. 6 Mountain Crest, 18-6.
The Knights were led by Maddie Potvin who had 5 goals and 1 assist. Eight other Lone Peak players tallied at least one point. Mountain Crest was led by Madi Henrie who had 3 goals and is just a Freshman.
“I felt like our team was able to pull off the win by shutting down Mountain Crest's two top players by being the first ones to fight for the ground balls and executing many strong midfield double teams,” said Lone Peak Head Coach Weslie Lundell. “In the beginning, we were a little rusty, but the girls were able to turn it around pretty quickly. Kacee Kelley was able to control most of the draw, and if she didn’t get it, one of our middies snagged it almost every time. We were thrown able to transition beautifully up the field so we could attack the goal. Maddie Potvin led the team as she had 5 goals with a beautiful, quick corner shot right from the start. We also had Julia Gilmore, Camryn McCune, and Ellie Ogden each with 3 goals themselves. One of the biggest things for us was that we had 8 caused turnovers with 0 turnovers. That was huge yesterday! MC did control the ball on their end when they had it, but our defense was strong enough to stop them before they could get to the goal. We missed one or two crease rolls but were able to stop the rest. Lastly, our goalie played phenomenally well yesterday. She stepped up in ways she didn’t know she could and played a huge part in our win. By stopping penalty shots and clearing well after each save, she finished with a save percentage of 50%. Overall my girls played like a team yesterday and we can’t wait for Box Elder on Friday!”
No. 10 Timpanogos beat No. 7 Provo, 12-10.
It was a true team effort for the Timberwolves as eight players tallied at least 1 point in the victory. Quincy Haslam (great name!) had 18 saves in goal for Timpanogos.
“First I want to say thank you to Provo High for an awesome game,” said Timpanogos Head Coach Meghan Casper. “It was a super high-intensity game, which is a really good example on how this B bracket is going to go. We played 50+ mins of good lacrosse. It was such a back and forth game, that there was never a second where we weren’t fighting for the ball. We really showed up as a team today and that really shined through in how we played. I’m so proud of my girls and the growth they have had this season.”
No. 9 Juan Diego beat No. 8 Jordan, 11-10.
Quarterfinals - Friday, May 21
No. 1 Riverton v. No. 9 Juan Diego - The regular-season matchup on April 27 had Riverton up 13-2 at half then finished with a 21-5 win. I don’t see this one being much different.
No. 2 Wasatch v. No. 10 Timpanogos - This should be a great game between two evenly matched squads. Common opponents are similar with both teams losing to Timpview but beating Provo and Payson.
No. 3 Box Elder v. No. 11 Lone Peak - The only common opponent is Mountain Crest. Box Elder lost to the Mustangs on March 16, 15-11, while Lone Peak beat the Mustangs last night, 18-6. I’d expect Box Elder to advance based on goals for and goals against averages.
No. 4 Timpview v. No. 5 American Fork - Both teams are 10-6 with American Fork winning the regular-season matchup, 18-14, way back on March 12. Should be a great matchup between two of Utah Counties’ finest.
I’m exhausted, but wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ll be back on Saturday for Quarterfinal recaps! Be kind to each other and thank you for reading.
— Tim Haslam