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Show nn ru Page Bl Times Newspaper Thursday, June 5, 2003 1 JzjLzj L Dl)(S MARTIN HARRIS Times Sports Editor jis will be one of the .t Mnps I write for The fern Geneva Times. After three years and the it two as the sports editor, have to move on regretful- g0 looking back at the Jl iwu ;;iu -e orts, I wanted to remem-r remem-r all the best moments d some of my personal writes. With the Times, my iponsibility was to cover 3 three Orem high schools d I always hoped I did it 11 and unbiased, iwever, during the past 0 years several athletes ve stood out more than iers because of their proach to sports. Some ims overachieved or iyed at such a level that it ide them extremely fun to !tch. Some games were ire memorable than oth-). oth-). In this article, I hope to jig back some of those at moments, teams and tyers from the past two isons. 1 will start with baseball d softball since that is the ,t season to wrap up. In baseball, the 2003 mntain View Bruins over-lieved over-lieved the most. It was 3 of those special teams re everyone comes ether and plays to or fond their potential. It s like watching the 1991 . i ncra nt nicrn qcnnn ilanta Braves. Willie Newton and Joey e are really good pitchers d it will be interesting to ! what they can do in the me. I went to the Bruins first me of the season, a 2-1 s to Granger. Granger sn't a good team and did-even did-even make the 5A state lrnament, which really ces trying considering the -1SAA invites 16 of 21 ,ims. Newton pitched a "1 )d game giving up only J 0 hits and two walks and .iking out seven in four ings. The defense and offense both looked ane-c. ane-c. Three errors in the field d only four hits at the ite really ruined Newton's brts. I thought the team d good pitching but noth- 1 else. I was risrht for a while it about the time region ft underway the Bruins ind their bats. They were a fun team to itch and the last game I was against Bonneville the second round of the ite tourney. One of the 3t games of the season as 5 Bruins rallied back from early five-run deficit to n 16-5. The game ended th a pair of home runs. 'Speaking of home runs, em's 2003 baseball team ew how-to find the fences. The Tigers seemed t.n hit a couple of long balls every game. Trent Barney, Devin Wilkins and Mike Morgan were dangerous at the plate. With them coming to bat you just waited to see what they could do. It was one of the things that made the Tiger season so dramatic. Morgan took a two-out, two-strike pitch with the bases loaded and drove the ball over the left field fence. It was a game winner as the Tigers beat the T-Wolves for what would be the first of three times this season. In the last match up with Timpanogos, Matt McCoy provided the big hit with a two-out single in the bottom of the seventh. Also of note in that game, Wilkins hit a two-run homer earlier in the inning to tie the game. At the end of the regular season, the Tigers looked to Robbie McKinney for the big hit. His two-run homer sent the Knights home with the third-seed in the region and locked up at least a two-seed two-seed for the Tigers. It meant Orem High would host a playoff baseball game for the first time in five years. Some of the best to watch were: Mountain View's Newton, Bye and Jason Stoelk; Timpanogos' Mac Nelson, Shawn Olsen, Chris Carter, Spencer Johnson and Jace Bramwell; and Orem's Wilkins, Andy Wilding and Barney. The best quote from the baseball season comes from Newton. In his team's second sec-ond game against Orem, the Tigers started the game with back-to-back home runs off Bye. Newton, who was sitting in the dugout, could only say "This sucks." I don't know why it was so funny but just Newton saying say-ing it. The Bruins rallied to score 14 runs off nine Tiger errors to win the game. So Newton's mood improved greatly. Softball has been fun the last two years. Orem's team did well both years. Marsha Heimuli is at home on the softball field. It was exciting to watch base runners try and steal on her. With only 60 feet between the bases, you'd think it was an easy proposition. Heimuli arm made that 60 feet look like a mile. In Devrie Downey, you always knew what you going to get and rarely did she let you down. She is a competitor, who will throw till her arm falls off and if you don't get to her early then say good night. She gets better as the game progresses. pro-gresses. Maybe it's confidence confi-dence on her part or intimidation intimi-dation on the part of the offense but she is not easy to rally on if you give her a SO CHANCES adc vol id r fl; RILL READS THE SAME WAY: nMMCES ARE YOUR GAS BILL ReAU mc si n on this month's gas bill and your annual fuel cost w.ll be iom year, Uuestar will adjust your payment o en, r - 10 Sgn up for the Equal Payment Plan, watch for details in your June a year, Questar will adjust your payment to ensure you ku lead. The 2003 Timpanogos team was a lot better than the 2002 version. Unfortunately, their postseason post-season run was cut short. The senior group for the Wolves will be missed but they have enough coming back that they should be back in the tourney next year. Hayli Duke is one of the best players I saw this year and she was just a sophomore. She has a near flawless glove at third and she is a difficult out at the plate. Mountain View's team in 2002 was incredible. I did not realize how good Erika Jones was until she was gone, she was a dynamite pitcher. As good as the 2002 team was, I enjoyed watching watch-ing the 2003 team more because they also over-achieved. over-achieved. After losing several starters, it should of been a down year for the Bruins but they rallied together and found ways to win. I cannot pick out one player to salute on this team because it was truly a team effort. Chelsey Mikalauski got back just in time to pitch her team to the region title. With her on the mound, Kaycie Zimmerman's glove was of much more use at third. Seasoned juniors Mallary Gillespie, JaNae Wright and Katie Welling added leadership. The team also had a lot of young players play-ers step to the forefront. Bridgette Strickland, Cara Wright, Kaylee Worthington, ' Felicia Marzan and Amy Welling all contributed major parts to this teams success. Some of the best to watch were: Heimuli, a great catcher with an awesome arm and bat; Downey, an intimidating pitcher every year; Duke, great glove and bat and she's only going to get much, much better; Lyndsi Hill, was absolutely untouchable at times, she carries a snarl with her to the mound and don't glare at her; and the entire Mountain View team, a fun, personable team and all of them loved to just play the game and did it well. In basketball, I enjoyed the rivalry games the most. They were always so intense. The two closest in-state games the Bruins girls team got this year came from the Tigers. On the boys side, the two teams each won on each others court. Orem also beat Timpanogos at the end of the season in a must win game for the Tigers. The T-Wolves' Mac Nelson loved beating up the Bruins this year also. I enjoyed watching the last two Tiger boys teams. Both overachieved. In 2002, Higher in the winter, lower in the summer. But you can change that. Just check the box for the Equal Payment mBntc m uo'll mv the same amount evrv month. It sure makes budaetina a lot easier. And m k , , ' yi questargas.com, or call gas phi, h m ' 7 . 1Mt e rnm or rn the team had very little varsity var-sity experience but still found a way to battle to the third seed in the region. In 2003, they had experience but would they be able to outscore anyone? On the way to a third place finish in the state, the Tigers dealt Provo High one of their worst loses in years, beating them by 20. 1 doubt to many had Orem listed as one of the top teams in the state at any point during the season. Coaches Mike Conner and Greg Sheide are two of the best at getting the most out of the players they have. In 2002, the Bruin boys had all the talent and experience expe-rience but no team work. In 2003, they had more raw talent and no experience but they played like a team. Maybe that is why I liked the 2003 version a bit better and why I think coach Jason Young will have the program pro-gram back among the top teams in the state soon enough. Some of the best to watch were: Lincoln Reid, for his athleticism and dunks; Jonny Nielsen, for his leadership lead-ership and his Jason Kidd-type Kidd-type play; Andy Evans, because he played with more heart than his 6'4" frame should have allowed; Brooks Christiansen, because he was a big game player; Mac Nelson, because he had an extra gear that he hit; Mike Weitzeil, a good kid who plays a great defensive defen-sive game; Nate Allman, because I want to see what can he do next year. On the girls side, Mountain View was by far the best but other teams are gaining ground. The Bruins have a great coach with great players and you can pencil them in as state champions just about every year. The question ques-tion is will the trend change. With the departures of the Hansens this year and then Mallary Gillespie, Ashley Henry and Ashley Cheesman next year, will the program be able to reload again? Orem is also gaining ground and came within five points of the biggest win in the team's history. With what they have returning, they should again compete with the Bruins. Add Timp view ' into the mix and there are your top three in 4A next year. The last two championship champi-onship games have been the best games of each season. TimpviewMountain View in 2002 and OremMountain View in 2003 were exciting. It's the kind of games that fans love. Some of the best were: the Hansen twins, because they play hard and challenge chal-lenge opponents all the automaticaly 1 Bnn.393 1 7 1 -800-323-55 1 7. time; Gillespie, because she might be the best prep player play-er I've seen; Heather Keith, because it was fun watching her drive the lane; Aubrey Stay, because she is ferocious fero-cious on the court even though at times she might get out of control; Brynee Nelson, because she was all the Wolves had but she still tried hard. On to football. The gridiron grid-iron has not been kind to the Bruins the past couple of seasons. In 2001, the season sea-son came down to one yard against Pleasant Grove. With first-and-goal on the one, the Bruins were unable to push the ball into the endzone on four tries. It would cost them a post-season berth. Defections hurt last year and set the program pro-gram back. Timpanogos is finally starting to become a legitimate legiti-mate challenger for the region title. The Lone Peak game might again determine deter-mine the region crown. The Wolves should be a team to watch next season in the state tourney. Orem did well in 2001 but fell apart last year. In 2001, the Tigers made it to the quarterfinals and came really close to repeating the feat last year. Of course, two wins will not cut it. Some of the memorable players were: Josh Redd, Mr. Interception; Thor Pili, a great player on the line; Tai Murray, a good tight end that should of been used more; Craig Fitch, every time he touched the ball in 2001 he gained 12 yards but he didn't have a line in 2002; the Timpanogos running run-ning backs in 2002, because it was the only the Wolves could move the ball. On to girls soccer. The Bruins were unbeatable, at least they have been the last 40 times they have stepped on to the field. Orem has been competitive. If I remember correctly, the only region games the Tigers have lost the past two seasons have been to the Bruins. Timpanogos has been young. Mountain View completed complet-ed the three-peat but now have to reload. The best game I saw this year was between them and Skyline. It was a hard fought 3-3 tie. It had the fans on the edge of their seats because the streak would end. In a way it did. Instead of a winning streak, it turned into an undefeated streak. Orem's Amberlea Anderson scoring six goals in a game against Pleasant Grove in 2001 is another memorable game. Timpanogos just scoring against Mountain View last year was memorable. By the celebration, you would think they had won the game. I found out after the 4l withdrawn from your bank account. game it was the first time the Wolves had scored on the Bruins. Some of the best were: Courtney Asay, because she is just so good with the ball; Erin Salmon, because she is another Asay-type scorer; Kaycie Zimmerman, because if a forward can make it past the defense, the toughest challenge waits at the goal; Amberlea Anderson, because she scored more goals in game than some could in a season; Nicole Astle, a true senior leader. Wrap it up with volleyball. volley-ball. I knew nothing about volleyball vol-leyball two years ago and still would not call my self an expert but I did grow to love the sport. I also got to see the best player in the country pummel opponents with kills the past two seasons. sea-sons. Timpanogos' Kristin Richards is not only an amazing player but she is an equally amazing person off the court. Of course, that could be said about many of the volleyball players I have met the past two years. The past two years have been full of great matches but the 2001 championship match has to be the most; exciting and the one that really hooked me on the sport. Pleasant Grove and Timpanogos battled it out for the three games. That kind of match is why I don't like the rally scoring system. sys-tem. When the UHSAA install the system it will kill those type of matches just like it did in college. Another great match was the Mountain ViewPG match in the 2002 semifinals. semifi-nals. The Bruins should not have won but they just had more heart and the sent the defending state champs to the consolation game. Some of the best were: Richards, an amazing player, play-er, only the best in the country; coun-try; Noelle Filimoeatu, it's almost unfair the Wolves had both these players; Erika Lott, powerful hitter that led the Bruins to the title game; Heather Henrichsen, setters just don't get enough credit; Lindsey Henry, another in the line of great Henry players; play-ers; Rachel Hale and Gina Sommerfeldt, two seniors who should of played in the state tourney, both are good hitters. Well, that is an abbreviated abbrevi-ated look down memory lane. The past two years have developed a pure love of high school sports, the athletes and the coaches. I hope you enjoy the 2002-03 year in review stories on the next few pages. Here is to the best for them all. O gBPTGM B9 KJlZff X2Br GaS |