Football
Gabe Mouritsen, Grantsville (Sr.)
Last year’s 3A football Player of the Year, Gabe Mouritsen has continued to enjoy a fantastic season in 2022 as the Cowboys currently sit at 7-0 on the season.
For the season Mouritsen has rushed for 532 yards and seven touchdowns to pace the balanced Grantsville offense, while defensively he also leads the team with 44 tackles.
“Gabe sets the tone for our team. He is a leader both on the field and off. He brings intensity and desire everyday to practice and games. Last week he led the team in tackles and rushing touchdowns, as our team earned a Homecoming victory over the Ogden Tigers. There has been absolutely no let down this season from Gabe,” said Grantsville coach Kody Byrd.
Last week in Grantsville’s 49-0 win over Ogden, he carried the ball nine times for 62 yards and two touchdowns while recording six tackles defensively.
Girls soccer
Dakota Merino, Syracuse (Sr.)
Syracuse has surged to the front of the strong Region 1 pack the last couple of weeks and the strong defensive play of senior Dakota Merino has been one of the catalysts.
The Titans are 4-0 in the past four games with three shutouts.
“Dakota has been a critical piece to our success at center back. On the field she is a force both out of the air, in one vs. one defending and in possession. She is cool, calm and collected at the spine of our defense,” said Syracuse coach Taylor Allen.
“Off the field Dakota has been equally impressive. She is both a great human and soccer player. She continues to find ways to build up those around her and to lead out among the girls. Much of our success, especially during this second half of the season, can be accredited to her important role on our team.”
Volleyball
Mia Lee, Mountain View (Sr.)
Mountain View’s Mia Lee is having another dominant season for the Bruins this year.
Over the past two weeks she led the Bruins to a 9-2 overall record which included a strong showing at the Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas where her team finished 10th out of 64 teams.
In 11 matches over the past two weeks she’s recorded 80 kills, 18 aces, 19 blocks with a .328 hitting percentage.
“Mia has picked up this season right where she left off last season as one of the best attackers in the state of Utah. Her versatility is resulting in lots of kills from everywhere on the court. It has been so fun to watch her progress as an all-around volleyball player and do things in her senior season that she’s never been asked to do as a volleyball player previously in her career. She helped us knock off two nationally-ranked opponents in Las Vegas last weekend and is only getting stronger as the season progresses,” said Mountain View coach Dave Neeley.
For the season Mountain View is 15-2 this year and one of the top teams in Utah.
Girls cross country
Andie Aagard, Lone Peak (Jr.)
Lone Peak junior Andie Aagard set a new PR at the twiKnight Invitational last Friday in a meet at Art Dye Park in American Fork. She won the race with a strong time of 16:27.12, over 13 seconds ahead of American Fork outstanding runner Avalon Mecham.
It was just her third race of the season as she is also an elite mountain biker, one of the best in the nation in her age group.
“Andie has the ability to be disciplined in all aspects of her life. She understands that being great at something means you have to be consistent in the small things nobody sees. She is amazing at both running and mountain biking and we can’t wait to see what both have in store for her. We love having her as part of our team and look forward to the rest of the season with all our athletes,” said Lone Peak coach Courtney Meldrum.
Boys cross country
Daniel Simmons, American Fork (Jr.)
American Fork junior Daniel Simmons turned in an outstanding race against a strong field of runners at the twiKnight Invitational hosted by American Fork last Friday.
Simmons dominated the field, finishing with a time of 14:02.58 on the three-mile course, which was 22 seconds faster than the runner-up from Lone Peak.
“Daniel is striving to be the best that he can be to help the team become the best that they can be,” said American Fork coach Tim Mostert.
Simmons competed for Salmon High School in Idaho last season. He’ll be one of the favorites at the 6A state championship meet next month.
Girls tennis
Sage Bergeson, Woods Cross (So.)
There’s little doubt who the favorite is at this week’s 5A state tennis tournament.
Sage Bergeson, the defending first singles champ after winning as a freshman a year ago, claimed the No. 1 RPI seed heading into this year’s tournament and is who everyone else will be gunning for.
Bergeson owns a 22-2 record this season, with both losses coming against 6A competition.
“Sage is barely 16 years old but is already a very strong and seasoned competitor. She anchors our singles lineup with her strong serve and powerful backcourt game and her ability to mentally and physically muscle through tight, tough matches,” said Woods Cross coach Molly Richards.
Bergeson didn’t drop a set en route to the title a year ago, which including gutting out a couple of 6-4, 6-4 victories. She has not played one three-set game this season either.
Boys golf
Bode Salas, Carbon (Sr.)
Carbon’s Bode Salas continued his dominance of Region 12 once again this year.
The senior wrapped up medalist honors for a third-straight season last week, finishing with a season-average of 69.6. It was two strokes better than region runner up Keaton Anderson of Richfield.
Anderson edged Salas by one stroke in the final Region 12 tournament of the season at Cove View Golf Course.
Salas now turns his attention to the 3A state golf tournament, where he was runner-up a year ago. Two years ago as a sophomore he won the individual title, and as a freshman he finished third.
“Bode’s raw talent and athleticism has shaped him into an outstanding golfer, but his composure and mental game make him truly exceptional. This is why he excels. Once he steps on the course, it’s like second nature to him. He is a true competitor and leader at heart, and he’s been very instrumental in our programs success over the last several years,” said Carbon coach Robbi Etzel.
Baseball
Cooper Chamberlain, Valley (Sr.)
Valley’s baseball team wrapped up the regular season with a 10-10 record and heads into the first two rounds of this weekend’s 1A state tournament as the No. 6 RPI seed.
A big part of Valley’s success has been the steady contributions of senior Cooper Chamberlain, who leads the team a .523 OBP and a 1.228 OPS. He hit a big home run against Wayne last week as well.
“Cooper Chamberlain has been a team leader from Day 1 this year. His play on the field has been impressive, but it’s the intangibles that make Cooper so valuable to our team,” said Valley coach Lance Peterson. “His baseball IQ is extremely high and having him on the field is like having a member of the coaching staff out there. Whether we are winning or losing, Cooper plays like a champ.”
Valley will play its first playoff game in the second round on Saturday against the winner of Tintic and Telos.