Manti finally met its match in the 3A state tournament. The Templars entered the postseason with two losses on the year, a number that got doubled by the Grantsville Cowboys in a matter of two days. After bumping Manti to the losers’ bracket Friday, the Cowboys knocked off the No. 1 overall seed 6-5 in Saturday’s final, picking up the school’s fourth straight softball state championship in the process. It marked the second straight tournament that Grantsville powered through the Templars to win the title.
“We’re the reigning state champs, but (Manti) is the Goliath of softball in 3A right now. They are the measuring stick for the rest of us. For us to beat them twice is outstanding. It’s a miracle.” — Grantsville coach Tony Cloward
It was an unforgettable moment for second-year head coach Tony Cloward. After coaching just one game in the COVID-19 canceled 2020 season, Cloward improbably led his team to another first-place finish.
“We’re the reigning state champs, but (Manti) is the Goliath of softball in 3A right now. They are the measuring stick for the rest of us. For us to beat them twice is outstanding. It’s a miracle. It doesn’t make sense on paper, but that’s why we play the game. I am very impressed with them, their coaching and their players. We just wanted a little bit more this weekend.”
The Cowboys had a little help from Carbon in the one-loss bracket. After defeating Grand County on a walk-off hit Friday evening, the Dinos took Manti to nine innings Saturday before being bested 8-7 by the Templars.
Nearly one hour later, a fresh Grantsville team tried its hand at defeating the Templars. Senior Pitcher August Cowan led the charge for the Cowboys, offensively and defensively. The team captain pitched all seven innings and rounded out her day with two RBI’s.
“She had a big day at the plate,” Cloward said of Cowan. “She and (Breana Hiatt) were the only two that were here when we won it two years ago. They started as sophomores on that team. They started as freshman on the team the year before. They’re the only two with that kind of experience. I named them captains early in the season saying, ‘You guys are going to show us what it takes to win a state championship’ because they’ve done it twice. They showed us. They led the way.”
Grantsville fell behind early, facing a 0-3 deficit after the first. Cowan and company shut the Templars down for the next three innings, giving the Cowboys a chance to put runs on the board and take the lead.
In the bottom of the fourth, tied at 3, Grantsville found itself in a jam. Manti’s first two batters had reached base when Sadie Cox, batting second in the order, came to the plate. With runners on first and second, she lined the ball to sophomore shortstop Mackenzie Allen. Allen surprised the runners, both of whom had left their bases. She snagged the ball, stepped on second and threw to first, picking up a triple play, abruptly ending the inning. The sophomore’s impressive play shifted momentum back to the Cowboys going into the fifth.
Grantsville’s three runs in the fifth proved to be just enough to bury the Templars. Cowan’s pitching was near perfect in the seventh, with two strikeouts and only one batter reaching base on an error. Manti would come one run shy of extra innings and could do nothing more than once again watch the Cowboys rush the field in celebration of another state title.
“Mental strength is one of my talents,” Cowan said when asked how she calmly pitched her team to victory. “Good coaching and being able to take in all that pressure (kept me calm). I like it, I like the pressure.”
But the pressure is over now. The celebration has begun. Grantsville is No. 1 once again, leaving one to ask, “Who is the real Goliath?”