Brighton High girls soccer coach Kathy Kuhn was appalled when she saw the article "Brighton wins, then displays lack of class" in the Deseret News last week.
Her players and their parents couldn't believe it, either.The lead item in the article focused on "unsportsmanlike" behavior by the Bengals regarding a song they chanted and a victory lap they took around Lindquist Field after beating rival Alta in the 5A championship game.
To many people there, it appeared the Bengals were celebrating Alta's loss as much as they were their own win. Not so, says Kuhn.
The successful coach and many of the girls' parents let it be known loud and clear - believe me - that they are classy individuals. A lot of them called and wrote letters arguing that the article shed a bad light on an organization whose players usually go out of their way to be good sports, win or lose.
"I preach nothing but good sportsmanship," Kuhn insisted. "We've always been called nothing less than a class act."
Brighton captain Amber Anderson explained that the Bengals weren't trying to rub in the victory over their rivals by singing "Alta bites the dust." That just happens to be what the Bengals sang - insert whichever team they beat - on the bus after games this year.
"We always sing that song; it means nothing," Anderson said. "It wasn't directly toward Alta. Like, we have a lot of friends on the team."
And Kuhn told her girls to take the victory lap so that fans from both sides could honor the champs.
But even if it wasn't intentional, feelings were hurt on the Hawks' side.
"I've never seen anything like that from Brighton," said Alta coach Lee Mitchell. "(My girls) were down enough, and when they did that, it hurt."
Kuhn said her players felt terrible that that was the outcome of what they had believed to be an innocent song and celebration. Hoping to make amends, the Bengals wrote and hand-delivered an apology to the Hawks last week.
"It was not meant as an insult," the Bengals wrote. "We want to keep our friendships and hope to keep it a friendly rivalry."
Apology accepted, said Mitchell.
"I'd assume focus on the positive," he said. "I'd rather not let something like this fester."
Kuhn also said, if nothing else, the Bengals learned a lesson from all of this. And guess which song they won't be singing next year?
OLY HIRES HOOP COACH: Matt Barnes, an Olympus High graduate, has been hired as the Titans' boys basketball coach. He replaces Mike Riley, who is now a scout for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Barnes was an assistant under Riley for two years following a six-year stint as an assistant coach at Sky View. He played collegiately for Utah State and SLCC.
CREATING A RACQUET: A racquetball league is being formed for high school students from grades 9-12. Teams currently are being organized in Davis and Salt Lake counties for boys and girls of all racquetball playing levels, including beginners who will be instructed how to play the sport.
The season will consist of one or two competitions a month through February, when a Utah high school championship (non-sanctioned) will take place.
The league will feature Kristen Walsh, a sophomore at Skyline High, who is a member of the National Junior Olympic racquetball team.
Registration forms are available at Cottonwood Heights Recreation Center (7500 S. 2700 East). The cost is $30 per player. For information, call 943-9673.