Fall sports season ends with numerous state appearances by Utah's Catholic high schools
SALT LAKE CITY — Fall sports have recently finished up and each Utah Catholic high school had its shining moments during the season, including team and individual state tennis titles for Judge Memorial CHS and Bulldog Katherine McPhail. (See the story in the Oct. 19 Intermountain Catholic.) Also making a state final appearance was the Bulldogs soccer team (see the story in the Oct. 26 Intermountain Catholic), while the Juan Diego football team advanced as far as the state semi-finals (see story, below). In addition, several students from the high schools received All State recognition.
St. Joseph
For tiny St. Joseph Catholic High School, victory is measured in small increments. The girls soccer team had a full roster this year, compared to just 11 players last year, which gave the team greater performance opportunities, coach Kami Hunt said.
Several players came to the Jayhawks from competition teams, which gave the team new skills as well as new dynamics, and by the end of the season the team had come together and was working well, Hunt said.
Two Jayhawks, Sydney Brown and Emma Morgan, were named Academic All-staters. (Students are selected for this Deseret News award based on their athletic ability and academic proficiency). Despite dealing with vertigo, Morgan, a defensive mid-fielder and one of the team’s three captains, never complained during the season, Hunt said. Instead, she set a higher standard for the team, she said.
Brown, who also played defense, was “really good at lifting others up and helping everyone feel comfortable,” Hunt said. “She gave it her all.”
St. Joseph’s was defeated in the state quarterfinals by Parowan 2-0 on Oct. 13 at Parowan.
In girls tennis, the St. Joseph team felt the loss of three seniors from last year and the mid-season departure of Grace Layman, who moved to California.
“We had lots of holes to fill,” said coach Gary Griffenhagen.
The team’s number one singles player Abby Francl and number one doubles players Mikayla Guimond, and Maggie Ressa made it to state, which says a lot for the small school that goes up against 3A teams, Griffenhagen said. Francl lost to Union’s Lyndee Miller, while Guimond and Ressa were defeated by Manti’s Whitney Dyreng and Alexis Naylor on Oct. 5 at Liberty Park.
The season started out well for the girls volleyball team, which seemed to go from strength to strength, winning the Wendover tournament for just the second time in the school’s history. The Jayhawks ended third in region. The last-minute loss of two starters before the state tournament initially had the team reeling, coach Cindy White said, but they came together and competed well, losing in the first round of state play to Gunnison Valley with a respectable 3-0 score.
Standout players included captain Virginia Tolman, one of the starters sidelined for state by an injury, who led the team in kills and blocks. Athletic Allstater Madeline Hall and Victoria Arlofski were the all-around leaders in all statistical areas, while Cameron Ingram led the team in assists.
Judge Memorial
In boys golf, Judge came in second at state Oct. 1-2 behind Morgan with a score of 627. Graham Hodell was third overall individually with a score of 147. Sam Gaskill was 11th with a score of 155.
“This was the best finish in about 10 years for Judge golf,” said coach Nate Olsen. “This is the first time I’ve had a boy finish first team allstate (Hodell), two as second team (Gaskill and Sam Butcher) and two honorable mention (Ethan Iverson, Nico Smith).”
Judge volleyball also made it to state, fielding a varsity team with 14 players, six of whom were seniors. Coach Taylor Gustafson lined up a tough preseason against 6A and 5A teams to challenge her team. In an Oct. 2 game against three-time state champion Morgan, that preparation paid off and kept the game close, although the Trojans ultimately won the game 3-0.
At state, the Bulldogs lost in the first round of play to Emery, 3-1.
Sophomore Marley Rosello, one of the team’s captains, was probably the Bulldogs’ most consistent player, Gustafson said. “She was a really great leader,” she said.
The Judge girls and boys cross-country teams both did well at state this year. The girls, led by first team All-staters Ali Ryan, Madi Tartaro and Shea Ryan, came in fourth place overall.
“It was a really competitive race for all the teams,” coach Jason Heideman said. “I’m really pleased with how the girls ran.”
Heideman said the girls team did a “really solid job” the whole season. “The girls had a great team last year, but we lost some key runners,” he said. “To be able to come in as well as they did and to be right in it is pretty remarkable.”
Heideman said the boys team, which came in 11th overall at state, had a great season. “The boys team has been building and keeps getting better and better,” he said.
Sophomore Joseph Hill took 22nd at state. “For a sophomore, that’s really good,” Heideman said. “He is one of the top underclassmen in the state.”
Juan Diego
Girls tennis singles player Valeria Rico made it to the state playoffs but was eliminated in the first round by Ridgeline’s Lucy Lyons at Liberty Park Sept. 28. First doubles team Alexis Jones and Kylie Furukawa were undefeated the whole season, but in the second day of state competition Jones was injured, so the pair had to withdraw from the tournament.
At region, Rico came in third. The junior varsity team members also played well. Second singles player Natalie Morgan took first place and second doubles Danielle Ulloa and Morgan Dawson came out on top. Paige Cameron, Kyllie Furukawa, Erin Garzella and Natalie Morgan were named Academic Allstate.
New volleyball coach Sam Vaitai said it took time for the players to adjust to his way of playing ball, but by the end of the season were playing really well.
During most of the season, the team was challenged by multiple injuries but just two games before the playoffs everyone was healthy, Vaitai said.
Vaitai said the two seniors on the team, Lauren Fiker and Cloe Bentz, were very good players. Ciaran Carter and Laulea Tavake are going to be major assets to the team next year, he said, while Annie Sokolow is a very capable player and can play any position.
The Soaring Eagle finished second in region behind Park City. At state, they lost to Spanish Fork 0-3 in the first round Oct. 24.
The girls soccer team also made it to state but lost to Orem in the first round 1-0 in overtime Oct. 10 at Orem High School.
Senior player Claire Wegner was named Academic Allstate.
“This season was a great overall experience for us,” coach Goran Golemba said. The Soaring Eagle players finished fourth in a tough region and despite some ups and downs still made the playoffs, he said. “Towards the end of the season the girls came together and started playing really good soccer as a team. It was a really fine thing to see how they showed on the field. “
Twins Laveni and Daviana Vaka, both seniors, were the best overall athletes this season, he said. “They never give up on the field. They always play the full time nonstop; it seems like they’re never tired.” Golemba described Isabella Moyer as “key in defense” while mid-fielder Sami Herrera did “an amazing job for being the smallest player on the team,” he said. He praised Maddie Orges as “one of the fastest players out there who never gave up.”
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