Football
K’Von Houston, Hillcrest (Jr.)
Hillcrest wrapped up the regular season with a strong victory led by quarterback K’Von Houston.
The junior completed 13 of 19 passes for 352 yards and three touchdowns and also added a 40-yard rushing TD to lead the Huskies to the 38-0 win.
“K’Von is just a junior and will return for his senior season to add to his totals. K’Von has accounted for just shy of 3,000 total yards this season, 80% of our team’s total. He was voted as our only non-senior captain and has been a great leader for our team throughout this season,” said Hillcrest coach Robert Kaelin.
Houston finished the season with 27 touchdown passes, a new single-season school record for Hillcrest.
The Huskies finished the season as the No. 25 seed in 5A and narrowly missed qualifying for the playoffs.
Girls Volleyball
Tayden King, Delta (Jr.)
Delta heads into next week’s 3A state tournament full of confidence after a successful past couple of weeks, and junior Tayden King was a big reason why.
King guided the Rabbits to wins over Canyon View, Union and Richfield, upping her season total to 315 kills and 58 aces.
She tallied 24 kills in the win over Union and 21 kills in the win over Richfield.
“Tayden is such a great example to our team. She was voted as a team captain. She leads the team in kindness, calmness, work ethic, team unity, and having each others backs. She is a true role model for our program and future players,” said Delta coach Kelbey Fisher.
Delta qualified as the No. 4 seed in the state tournament and will open against No. 13 seed Carbon in the first round on Oct. 27.
Girls Soccer
Eva Christensen, Syracuse (Sr.)
One of the catalysts to Syracuse’s Region 1 championship this season and march into the 6A semifinal has been the play of unsung hero Eva Christensen.
The center back anchors a Syracuse backline that has only allowed two goals in the past seven games, and none in playoff wins over Cedar Valley and Corner Canyon thus far.
“Hardest working player that never comes off the field. Also made the 2025 Academic All State Team so does pretty decent in school too,” said Syracuse coach Jason Steiner.
Syracuse continues its playoff run on Tuesday in the semifinals when the Titans face No. 11 seed and rival Davis.
Boys Cross Country
Elijah Thalman, Richfield (Sr.)
Richfield’s Elijah Thalman built momentum for the 3A state championship with a great region meet last week.
The senior won the Region 14 championship at Richfield High School with a time of 15:40, beating teammate Hank Barnett by 17 seconds.
“Eli is a testament of what hard-work, determination, and perseverance can do for an athlete. For the past four years, I have seen this day in and day out from him. Through all of the ups and downs, he has been able to stay positive and focused on his goals,” said Richfield coach Jim Monsen.
“He’s been a great leader and example to his teammates and I consider myself very lucky to have been able to work with such an incredible young man.”
Thalman had a runner-up finish earlier this year at the Richfield Tri-Meet.
A year ago at the state meet, Thalman finished in 11th, the fourth-best finisher for underclassmen.
Girls Cross Country
Talia Anderson, Westlake (Sr.)
Westlake’s Talia Anderson won her second meet of the season last week in the Region 2 championship to build momentum for next week’s 6A state championship.
Anderson finished with a time of 18:33.50 to beat Riverton’s Grace Swanson by two seconds at Cottonwood Complex.
“Talia is an energetic and enthusiastic leader on our team. Her positive and passionate personality adds a ton of fun to our many runs, great competition to our workouts, and makes our team a consistent force in the state,” said Westlake coach Michael Felix.
She previously won Timpanogos Invite earlier this season.
Anderson heads into next week’s 6A state tournament looking to improve upon her 25th place finial year ago.
Boys Golf
Dylan Winona, Crimson Cliffs (Sr.)
Dylan Winona had the low scoring average in 4A during region play this season (67.9), and then went and backed it up with another great performance in the state tournament two weeks ago.
The senior captured 4A medalist honors with a great two-performance at Lakeside Golf Course in West Bountiful. He shot an 8-under 134 over the two-day tournament, running away with the title by four strokes.
“I am so happy right now,” said Winona after the match. “This means a lot to me and my family.”
Winona shot a 65 during Day 1 of the tournament with five birdies and an eagle, and then shot a solid 69 on Day 2 as he had a grind a bit more.
He had the lowest scores both days of the tournament.