No. 2-seed Snow Canyon rallied to defeat No. 1-seed Dixie 5-2 to earn its sixth state championship, its fifth under head coach Reed Secrist.
The Warriors found themselves down early after a two-RBI single by Dixie shortstop Boston Vest. It was the first lead for the Flyers in the series.
That lead didn’t last long as the clear Game 2 MVP Ryder Harrison crushed a double to the left field fence that cleared the bases for his first three RBIs of the day.
“He was here in [2021] as a starter, my only freshman that started that year and got it done. He was struggling a little bit and I told him ‘You’re too good, so you’re gonna have a great day’ and what do you know, there it was,” Secrist said.
Harrison’s great day wasn’t done there as he hit another double to left-center to notch two more RBIs in the top of the fourth. He drove in all five of Snow Canyon’s run to secure the state title.
“I didn’t hit that good yesterday and kind of the games before that in the tournament, I still felt confident. I was confident in our pitching and defense… I just tried to keep my approach simple,” Harrison said.
Dixie had its fair share of chances, as it left nine runners on base and mustered just four runs against a dominant Snow Canyon pitching squad.
Starting pitcher Andrew Lyon wasn’t perfect, but he got the job done on the mound to lead the Warriors on defense. He pitched six innings and struck out five batters.
Lyon retired the last nine batters he faced, including three strikeouts.
Lyon, described by many as the “ultimate teammate”, said, “They went up 2-0 pretty quick and my offense helped a lot. When they got those three runs right after that, it was huge. Pitching with a lead is a big thing and it helped me a lot with my confidence.”
Talan Kelly entered the game in the seventh inning to earn his second save of the series, he finished off Game 1 as well. The Snow Canyon dugout stormed the mound and buried Kelly in a massive pileup after he struck out the final batter.
The Snow Canyon defense that was stellar all season long held Dixie to just four runs in the two games of the Championship Series. In its other three games, Dixie scored 37 runs.
Secrist previously won state titles with Snow Canyon in 2007, 2012, 2013, and 2021.
“I was as nervous today when I was in 2007 when we had to win three games on Saturday. It doesn’t get old. Nervous as I’ve ever been and I’m glad that these guys did their job,” Secrist said.