OREM — Two down, one to go.
Wayne High won its second consecutive 1A baseball championship trophy Monday afternoon 11-1 against West Ridge, and, based on how the Badgers did it and what they have coming back, it's hard to see them not winning another next fall.
Along the way, Wayne is shifting the question from, "Is this a dominant team?" to "Is this the most dominant team ever in 1A?"
Wayne coach Scott Ellett hasn't ever discussed that with his players, who are mostly juniors, but their play on the field has — and will continue to — spark that discussion.
Against the best the rest of Class 1A had to offer — namely, a stellar West Ridge bunch that hadn't lost since Aug. 11 and rode into the title tilt on an 18-game winning streak — the Badgers not only proved they are the state's best this year, they also added more evidence to the argument that they will leave 1A baseball as the most dominant group of players to ever play in the classification.
Top-ranked Wayne concluded a perfect 20-0 season as Tyce Peterson smacked two doubles and had five RBIs.
Dating back to 2006, Wayne takes a 26-game winning streak into the offseason. The Badgers were heavily favored to win in 1A since Day 1 of this season, but it never seemed to faze them.
"We've never had a target on our backs until this year," said Ellett. "We were picked to take it early. We've been ranked No. 1 all throughout the season, but these players have never got a big head. They've stayed within themselves all season long."
Ellett added that he thought his team only played two poor innings — back in a narrow win over Panguitch — throughout the entire season.
Wayne used that kind of consistency to take down West Ridge. The Eagles played pretty well, but the Badgers scored in every inning but one and used their consistent approach to get the victory.
Peterson, who caught for twin Lance Peterson, led things off in the first inning with a double to right field that scored the game's first two runs. Five innings later, Tyce Peterson put Wayne in a position to win by 10 runs when his double cleared the bases and put his team up nine.
One batter later, Peterson scored to end the game off Trevor Taylor's single.
Defensively, Lance Peterson only allowed one run over five innings to get the win.
Wayne loses Porter Ellett, last year's MVP, and second baseman Brian Chappell to graduation, but everyone else will be back next fall. That's when Wayne will gun for its third consecutive state title and will answer many of the questions about its legacy.
"We'd like to," Lance Peterson said when asked about leaving a mark on 1A. "It's a goal, but it's just kind of an unspoken goal. (We will) just play day-to-day, and hopefully it just all strings together."
One thing seems to be sure: As dominant as Wayne has been recently, the Badgers are well-liked throughout the classification and have won over many with the way they conduct themselves.
En route to the semifinals last Friday, Wayne's entire squad stopped in Gunnison to visit Roma Taylor, a fan of the team who had been hospitalized, rather than arrive early for a batting session.
"They're just a class act," said Ellett.
E-mail: drasmussen@desnews.com