JOHN MANNING, Juan Diego, wrestling: This freshman wrestler joined some very elite company at the Rockwell Rumble at UVU two weeks ago.
The fourth-seed heading into his 138-pound weight class, featuring 60 wrestlers from six states, Manning successfully navigated his bracket to become one of just eight freshman wrestlers through the years who have won the Rumble Box Elder's Brock Hardy also won his 132-pound weight class.
The previous six freshman winners all went on to become four-time state champions, most recently with Alta's Matt Findlay.
Manning, the son of Real Salt Lake president Bill Manning, owned a 24-4 record heading into the meet. He beat the top seed from Post Falls, Idaho, in the semifinals.
MADISYN DANIELS, Richfield, basketball: Madisyn Daniels didn't have much time to adjust to the pressure of starting for Richfield's varsity basketball team. The freshman is one of several young players who were thrown right into varsity competition because that's what the Wildcats needed.
As it turns out, Daniels thrives under pressure. In the Wildcats' win over Payson, she hit eight 3-point shots, which puts her at No. 4 in the record book for 3s scored in a single game.
"She loves the game and is always looking to improve," said Richfield head coach Marc Peterson. "She's put in a lot of time to be a great shooter. She's very coachable and loves to compete."
The best part about having a player like Daniels in the program, Peterson admits, is that she'll be around for a few more years.