Baseball
Tryker Greenhalgh, Juab (Jr.)
Despite some frustrating weather in St. George over the weekend, Juab still added two more victories to its haul this season as it improved to 4-0 and moved to the top spot in 3A.
The consistent play of Tryker Greenhalgh at the plate and behind the plate have been the catalysts early this season.
Greenhalgh led Juab to wins over Tooele, Grantsville, Murray and Corner Canyon last week by batting .545 with six RBIs and two runs.
“Tryker is our catcher and calls a great game. Tryker also played left field. He is a player that plays wherever he is needed. We are excited for the season,” said Juab coach Brett Ludlow.
Softball
Markessa Jensen, Ridgeline (Jr.)
It’s hard to imagine anyone could’ve had a more perfect start to the season than Ridgeline’s Markessa Jensen last week.
She led Ridgeline to five victories with a perfect 5-0 record on the mound that included 34 strikeouts a 1.80 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.
That tells half the story.
She also belted out three home runs and two doubles with 10 RBIs in the five victories.
“Markessa flat out has gotten off to a spectacular start on the year. She has been a powerful force for our team both pitching and hitting this first week of the season,” said Ridgeline coach Michael Anderson. “Because of her hard work ethic and drive to compete we expect her to be one of our main players that we will rely on for this year. Part of what makes Markessa good is that as a teammate she tries to focus on what she can do to help the team knowing that the individual part of it will take care of itself.”









Boys soccer
Braxton Bergholm, Westlake (Sr.)
Two games in and Braxton Bergholm is already tearing it up for Westlake’s top-ranked boys soccer team.
He recorded a pair of assists in the Thunder’s 2-0 season-opening win over Lehi last Monday, and then later in the week scored a pair of goals in a 3-0 shutout win over Jordan.
“Braxton Bergholm is a fantastic soccer player, student and person. We are blessed to have him in our program. The coaching staff and players enjoy his work ethic and sense of humor. He brings intensity to practice, increasing the effectiveness of every training session,” said Westlake coach Don Bastian.
As a sophomore two years ago, Bergholm recorded seven goals, but never got a chance to build on that momentum last year because of COVID-19.
Boys lacrosse
Joe Goodman, Skyline (Sr.)
Led by senior captain Joe Goodman, the Eagles enjoyed a dominant first week of the boys lacrosse season.
Last Tuesday, Goodman recorded four goals and five assists in Skyline’s 15-2 win over Riverton, and then a couple days later he added two more goals and five assists in a 10-4 win over Woods Cross.
“Joe is the backbone of our offense and captain of our team. After being the only junior captain during the season that wasn’t last spring he has returned with a renewed vigor to lead our team to exceptional results this spring,” said Skyline coach Joe Sanchez. “With a team-high 17 points through two games Joe is on a record-breaking pace with a goal of setting the single season assist record at Skyline this year.”
The Eagles have a busy week with games against Bountiful and Farmington this week.
Girls lacrosse
Katelyn Sperry, Pleasant Grove (Jr.)
The first week of the girls lacrosse season is in the books, and Pleasant Grove sits at a perfect 3-0 thanks in large part to the steady contribution of junior Katelyn Sperry.
Sperry scored 13 goals in three games last week, including seven in a 14-3 win over Highland. She also recorded four goals in a 13-9 win over Juan Diego.
“Katelyn Sperry is a fantastic lacrosse player. Her passion for lacrosse and her personality on the field definitely motivate and contribute to our team. Katelyn is a fundamental player for our program and lays a foundation for more players to build upon,” said Pleasant Grove coach Alese Wright.
Please Grove has one game this week against Woods Cross.
Boys tennis
Jesse Porter, Cedar Valley (Sr.)
Jesse Porter opened the season with a strong showing at the Tri-Team Tournament at Mountain View last week, finishing in third place and providing great leadership for the Aviators.
“Jesse is one of the most dedicated tennis players who shows up for practice 30 minutes early and stays after practice every day to continue getting better,” said Cedar Valley coach Caitlyn Beasley. “He is someone the entire team looks up to, a great leader, and is driven to be the best. Some goals that Jesse has for this season is to take the No. 1 varsity spot and to hopefully get top three in the state tournament. “
In addition to being a key member of the tennis team as a captain, Porter also maintains a 3.87 GPA at Cedar Valley.
Porter hopes to one day be able to play college tennis.
Boys track
Cody Hagen, Corner Canyon (Jr.)
It usually takes standout track athletes several weeks to threaten to run a sub-11 100 meters or sub-22 200 meters once the season gets going, but one week into the season and Cody Hagen already appears in midseason form.
At the Corner Canyon Quad meet last Wednesday, Hagen won the 100 meters with a time of 11.00, and the 200 with a time of 22.06.
For perspective, if those times had been run at a UHSAA-sanctioned meet during the 2019 season, his 100 meters time would’ve ranked 12th in the entire state and his 200 time seventh. He’s got two months to lower those times further as well until the 6A state meet.
Hagen was a standout receiver on Corner Canyon’s undefeated nationally ranked football team last fall, and was named a Deseret News first team all-stater.
Girls track
Kylah Ricks, Grand (Sr.)
To no one’s surprise after her dominant cross-country season last fall, Grand senior Kylah Ricks kicked off the 2021 track season with more strong finishes despite “terrible” weather at the Red Rocks Invitational in Moab last weekend.
Ricks won the 400, 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters at the Red Rocks meet, including breaking the school record in the 400 meters.
“When the weather gets better I’m sure she will break the 800 as well,” said Grand coach Dennis Wells.
Ricks’ parents own a company that puts on marathons around Moab and Colorado, and Wells said because of that Ricks has been running with her family for a very long time and she’ll be one of the premiere athletes in the state this year as a result.
Girls golf
Victoria Castro, Davis (Sr.)
Davis’ lone senior this season is off to a great start early this season.
In the first tournament of the year at Schneiter’s Bluff last week, Castro shot a 70. On Monday in Davis’ second tourney she shot a 72 at Crane Field Golf Course.
“She is amazing. She puts in the time in the offseason to be the best,” said Davis coach Lori Salvo. “I love her confidence and how she keeps her head. Always so positive. A great team leader.”
As a sophomore two years ago, she helped Davis to a second-place finish at state.