Cooper Legas, Orem football
Brandon Gurney
Football
Cooper Legas, Orem (Sr.)
Cooper Legas’ steady presence in the pocket this season is a big reason Orem is the clear favorite to repeat heading into the 4A state championship.
Last week he led Orem to a 59-26 win over Spanish Fork as he threw for 333 yards and four touchdowns.
For the season he’s completed 170 of 247 passes for 3,179 yards and 33 touchdowns. He’s also rushed for 817 yards and 11 scores.
"Cooper continues to help lead this team by his example. He puts in the full workload each week in the weight room, class room, in film study and on the field no matter who our opponent is. There’s not a close second when it comes to a tougher and more well-prepared QB in the state," said Orem coach Jeremy Hill.
Avory Smith, Lone Peak soccer
Photo courtesy Lone Peak
Girls Soccer
Avory Smith, Lone Peak (Sr.)
Lone Peak marched to its first girls soccer state championship last week, and the play of this senior center back was a huge reason why.
After a convincing 5-0 win over Copper Hills in the opening round, the Knights won their next three games against Northridge, Syracuse and Layton by the same 1-0 score.
Smith was at the heart of each of those shutouts.
“She may have not shown up in any box score, but was a leader of the back line that, led the team through a playoff run of zero goals against, guiding a team to become 6A state champs,” said Lone Peak coach Shantel Jolley.
Ta’ssi Su’esu’e, San Juan volleyball
Photo courtesy San Juan
Volleyball
Ta’ssi Su’esu’e, San Juan (Jr.)
San Juan heads into this week’s 3A state tournament hoping to make a deep tournament run after a 26-5 regular season, and Su’esu’e has been a big catalyst to that success.
The outside hitter finished the regular season with 392 kills, 174 digs, 51 aces, and 25 blocks.
“The thing that makes Ta'ssi such an amazing player is that you can tell she loves volleyball and loves playing with her team. She's such a crucial part because of her positive energy and attitude,” said San Juan coach Kelli Keyes.
San Juan opens the state tournament on Wednesday against Providence Hall at UVU at 4 p.m.
Katy Kelly, Millard cross country
Photo courtesy Millard
Girls Cross Country
Katy Kelly, Millard (So.)
Ran a terrific race at last week’s state cross country meet to claim both individual and team titles.
The sophomore was the only runner to finish in under 19 minutes as she claimed first place with a time of 18:58.40. She finished 11 seconds faster than the second-place finisher.
"Katy Kelly is a very talented runner with a hard-working mentality. She actually spent this whole cross-country season putting in two practices — one for cross country and one for soccer, back-to-back. But what makes her dynamite in this sport is she is a fierce competitor. She doesn't run a race hoping she can win. She runs the race with the intent of winning. And she puts her whole heart into that objective. I'm excited to see where this young athlete’s abilities will take her," said Millard coach Cody Moat
As a freshman last season, Kelly finished fifth at the state meet with a time of 19:18.80.
Porter Whitworth, Grantsville cross country
Photo courtesy Grantsville
Boys Cross Country
Porter Whitworth, Grantsville (Jr.)
Claimed top honors at the 3A state cross country meet at Sugarhouse Park last week.
The junior finished first in a field of 86 runners as he crossed the finish line with a time of 15:43.60, which was nine seconds faster than the second-place runner from Morgan.
“Porter has an incredible gift for running that just comes naturally. But what has really set him apart into greatness this year is the time he has dedicated to training over the summer and during the season. I always tell him he can run with anyone, and he has proven that to be true,” said Grantsville coach Scott Mouritsen.