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Show II "... ! I '1 The 3-A State Track and Field Meet at Weber State College in Ogden, Friday and Saturday was the final event on the Uintah High School sports calendar for the 1980-81 season. The Utes didn't win any state team championship crowns during the year, but the Uintah team captured region titles in wrestling, volleyball and track and placed at the state wrestling and girls' state basketball tournaments. Uintah High School's football program enjoyed a successful year as they won three games and lost a number of close encounters. The Utes defeated the Union Cougars and the Tooele Buffaloes, but the 12 to 0 win over Green River, Wyoming, was an amazing win in that the Wyoming crew had most of their players back from the year before and wanted revenge for a 43 to 21 loss to the Utes in Green River in 1979. Green River was sure that this would be the year that they would defeat the Utes, but they were wrong as the Uintah crew won the game by the score of 12 to 0. The Uintah Ute volleyball team was massacred by the Cyprus Pirates in Vernal on Sept. 20, but the Utes gained revenge in Salt Lake City, Oct. 25 when they bombed the Pirates, 15 to 4 and 15 to 6. Uintah scored seven straight points in the first game for a 10 to 2 lead and went on to win the game, 15 to 4. Tooele's wrestling team defeated Uintah High School in a dual meet in Vernal, 29 to 20, and became the first Utah team in five years to defeat the Utes, but the Vernal crew gained revenge when they captured first place in the Region 7 tournament with 182 points as compared to 178 by Tooele. A portion of the story follows as it was printed in the Vernal Express on Feb. 12, 1981. "The Uintah Utes were downed by three points to the Tooele Buffaloes, 168 to 165, with only six championship matches left, but Frank Atwood, 138; Pat Jenkins, 145; Randy Smuin, 155 and Brent Hales, 167, became heroes in the eyes of the Ute fans as they captured first place crowns and enabled the Uintah crew to edge Tooele, 182 to 178, for first place in the Region 7 Wrestling Tournament, Thursday in Vemal. ..The Utes grabbed a one point lead of 169 to 168 when Atwood thumped Van Heder of Jordan, 10 to 4. The Utes' Jenkins bombed Mike Montano of Tooele, 18 to 5 and Smuin, who had been suffering from a rib injury, nipped Derek Cooper, ' 9-7.. .A triumph by Hales in the 167 pound contest would make it impossible for the Tooele Buffaloes to overcome the Uintah Utes in the battle for first place and Hales produced and became a hero when he toppled Jon Pelletier of Murray, 3 to 1." Also nabbing region crowns for Uintah were David Gentry, 112 and Josh Reynolds, 119, Brett Brown, 98, Jeff Good, 126 and Don Bohrer, 185, placed second. Tooele ended up capturing first place in the state tournament at 137 points and Box Elder nabbed second place at 132' points. Uintah finished 9' points behind first place Tooele in third place at 127'i counters. If the Uintah Utes could have received some breaks in the tournament such as a win by Josh Reynolds over Kirt Palmer in overtime in the 119 pound championship match and if Pat Jenkins had been awarded a pin in his 145 pound championship match with Paul Phelon of Pleasant Grove the Utes would have placed first at I33i points and Tooele would have nabbed second place at 133 counters. Three Uintah Utes captured state championships. Brown downed Jim Smoot of Box Elder, 4 to 1, for first place at 98 pounds and Jenkins toppled Phelon, 10 to 5, for first place in the 145 pound class. Smuin downed Jody Nemelka, 6 to 1, for first place in the 155 pound class. Another interesting item during the year was Uintah's seventh place finish in the 3-A Girls State Tournament. The Utes placed only third in their region, but the Uintah crew placed at state and the other Region 7 teams, Judge Memorial and Cyprus, did not place. Uintah downed Cedar City in the first round and dropped a second round game. The Utes rallied to nip Judge Memorial, 58 to 56, in double overtime and were toppled by Woods Cross, 53 to 42, in the final game. Judge defeated Uintah in region games, but the Utes won the game nt the state meet. A portion of the story follows as it was printed in the Vernal Express on March 19, 1981. "Friday the 13th was living up to its name in the first three quarters as the Uintah Utes scored only 24 points and were down 36 to 24, but then the Friday the 13th spell struck the Bulldogs as Uintah poured In 34 points in the fourth quarter and two overtime periods to nip the Judge crew, 58 to 56.. .Teresa Smith ripped the hoop with a field goal, which tied up the game nt 56 56 with 45 seconds left in the second overtime. The Bulldogs Just burely missed on a field Ronl attempt and Lynnette Merrell was fouled. Morrell hadn't had too much success from the foul line, but she scoied 100 percent when she fired In two charity tosses to give the Utes a 58 to ,r lead with 16 seconds left." |
