On a cold, windy evening at American Fork High, Corner Canyon boys lacrosse remained hot, again proving its dominance in the sport with a 14-point win over the Cavemen.
The 6A state rankings had the two schools separated by the thinnest of margins — Corner Canyon coming in at No. 1 and American Fork at No. 2. On the field, however, the Chargers showed the gap between the two programs is much wider than it appears on paper.
Corner Canyon has begun turning heads in the lacrosse world, finding itself slated among the nation’s elite at No. 16 to go along with its top ranking in the state.
The Chargers have been impressive in their contests played outside Utah as well.
“We went out to Colorado, played the No. 1 team there and beat them,” Corner Canyon coach Aaron Ika said. “We went out to California, played the No. 1 team, beat them. We’ve been trying to get these guys as battle-tested as we can for these in-state games.”
But the Chargers’ dominance did not begin this year. Instead, their success has come in lockstep with the sport’s first sanctioned season in Utah high schools two years ago.
“I think it all started with our 2020 seniors in the example they were to the (players) that are seniors now,” Ika said. “You know, that 2020 group was big time and their legacy still lives on, in the way we act, the way we play, the way we prepare. So it’s been fantastic for us, the legacy they’ve left.”
Corner Canyon started the 2020 season 3-0 before COVID-19 canceled the rest of the schedule. The next year, the Chargers put together a perfect 22-0 record, finishing their flawless season with a win over Park City in the Division A state championship game.
The Chargers’ familiarity with each other has led to much success on the field.
“It’s just like kind of a sixth sense I feel like all of us have playing together,” Chargers senior midfielder Mason Quick said. “That’s what really makes us good. We find each other on the field to be able to get open and get those goals.”
Since boys lacrosse became a sanctioned sport in 2020, the Chargers have compiled an impressive 36-1 record, their only loss coming on the road in double overtime to California’s Corona del Mar earlier this month.
“We’ve been playing each other for a long time,” Corner Canyon senior Jon King said when asked about what makes this team so special. “We have good leaders on this team and people that really care about each other and it’s more than lacrosse, really. We’re pretty much brothers at this point.”
King and kin have put together a remarkable run over the past few seasons. The senior attacker ranks first in the state in goals scored with 53. Quick comes in at fourth with 45 goals on the year.
“My teammates more than anything have gotten me the ball in the right situation,” King said of his goal-scoring prowess. “So I give most the credit to the people passing me the ball on the goal.”
Corner Canyon is loaded with talent, boasting multiple players with offers to play lacrosse after high school.
“I think we have at this moment 13 committed players,” Ika said. “That’s a testament to how hard they work on their own and they come here and they’re willing to buy into a team system and the team atmosphere. It’s hats off to them for working so hard on their own but then buying into the team concept that we’re trying to get them to do.”
Few teams in the country play at the level of Ika’s squad. With so much talent, the Chargers are confident they can win another state championship this year. “I think the only way we would lose is if we shot ourselves in the foot by not playing as a team,” Quick said. “But I don’t think that’s going to happen because we’ve been playing as a team all year.”
Corner Canyon’s teamwork has catapulted the school to extraordinary heights, putting it on the peak of greatness.