Bulldogs duo claims state title in fall sports season

Friday, Nov. 14, 2025

SALT LAKE CITY — The fall sports season was fairly quiet for Utah Catholic high schools, but several teams delivered standout performances, led by state-level success in tennis, soccer and volleyball.

The Bulldogs girls’ tennis team wrapped up its season with a strong showing in the 4A classification, securing a state championship victory in second doubles and finishing fourth overall at the state tournament. The team successfully navigated its move up from 3A this year.

The senior second doubles team of Emma Evensen and Sophia Valles captured the state title on Oct. 6 at Liberty Park, marking a repeat championship for both players, who also won the title as sophomores.

Coach Christie Brightwell praised their late-season surge. 

“They really peaked toward the end of the season,” she said. “They really came through in the state tournament. They really exceeded; I think they exceeded their own expectations.”

The path for Evensen and Valles to the title included a tight semifinal win over Green Canyon’s Sophie Anderson and Evelyn Wilkinson (6:7, 6:1, 6:5). In the final, they defeated Ridgeline’s Taylor Southam and Erica Wang with scores of 6:2, 7:5.

“We helped them shake off the fear of [winning state], and they got it together,” coach Tracey Valentine said of the tight second set. “And I think they won the last five games straight to win 7-5 in the second set. … They really put the icing on the cake when they came back and won that match.”

In singles play, freshman Mara Johncock reached the quarterfinals at state, losing to Snow Canyon’s Maggie Crosby 6:3, 6:2, but showed significant future promise, Brightwell said. “Stepping up to that role of first singles is always big shoes to fill and Mara really rose to the occasion, I think, and gave it her all.”

Second singles senior Avery Khalil also advanced to the quarterfinals at the state meet, playing what Valentine described as her “best tennis ever” in her round of 16 match.

The Bulldogs finished the season with a 9-2 record in matches and second place in the region. Despite initial nervousness about the move to 4A, the team “rose to the occasion,” Valentine said.

The Jayhawks girls’ soccer team concluded its season with a heart-breaking trip to the state semifinals on Oct. 23 at Zions Bank Stadium, falling 2-1 to the American Heritage Patriots, the same team and score that defeated them at this stage last year.

Coach Tom Evans called the season “the end of the beginning” for a group of seniors who were his first class when he took over the program four years ago, noting that this season the team overcame a rocky start, including an 8-1 loss to Carbon in its first game. However, they went on to an 8-0 home victory over Enterprise on Oct. 15, followed by a 5-1 home win over Grand County in the quarterfinals on Oct. 18.

“I wasn’t sure what we had and then they clawed back, finished second region, you know, went all the way to the semi-finals,” Evans said.

In the semifinal match against American Heritage, the team showed tenacity. 

“We had it tied at 1-1 during a certain stretch and had some chances to tie it, push it over time, so it was a really fun game,” Evans said. 

Despite the Jayhawks’ effort, the Patriots ultimately prevailed 2-1.

St. Joseph’s soccer team Jayhawks finished fourth in their region with a 4-2 record in 2A play and a 12-5 overall record.

Senior striker Sofia Evans (the coach’s daughter) powered the team’s success, leading the state in scoring with 56 goals and 131 points for the season. During the quarterfinal win over Grand County, Evans, who is committed to playing college soccer at the University of Puget Sound in Washington, scored eight goals, tying a state record.

Volleyball

The Jayhawks volleyball team capped off what coach Cindy White called a “building season” with a third-place finish at the state tournament, the program’s best placement since 2013.

The team lost several varsity starters from last year, and “at the beginning of the season, we were just trying to find our connection,” White said.

They struggled early in the season, with a crucial turning point coming after “some key rotation adjustments” were made a few weeks before the state tournament, she said.

At state, the Jayhawks received a first-round bye. They defeated Whitehorse 3-1 in the second round on Oct. 24, then swept Tintic 3-0 in the quarterfinals at Utah Valley University the same day. In the state semifinals on Oct. 2, the team lost to Rich 3-1. However, they quickly regrouped to secure the third-place trophy with a 2-0 victory over Tabiona.

The Jayhawks finished second in 1A region with a 9-3 record and a 22-10 overall record.

White said she is excited for the team’s future. “Our key players were actually juniors, so we’ll have all of them back next year.”

Individually, junior Maya Rogers was number one in 1A with kills, and Sophie Yates, also a junior, was third in 1A with digs and eighth in overall classifications.

“This team exceeded every expectation for this season,” White said.