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Show DAILY HERALD B6 Thursday, April 3, 2008 INSIDE VALLEY PREPS ' News and notes from around Utah County high school sports: American Fork American Fork's Justin Ballan- finished tyne eighth in the weight class at the NHSCA National High School Senior Wrestling Championships last weekend in Virginia Beach, Va. He was one of only eight Utahns to place in the event. WRESTLING: 103-pou- "We have a sophomore in Mackenzie Larson who knows what it takes to win and likes to make things happen. Sophomore Sam Dodson plays outfield and first and is a pretty good little hitter. We've moved Engemann back to her natural position at second after she's played elsewhere because of the team's needs the past couple of years," Gillman said. The Vikings have another pitching prospect in freshman Angie Mikalauski, who struck out 14 and also fielded a couple of hot grounders successfully in the American Fork contest Tuesday. Region4 Continued from Bl they're not going to let any- body beat them." Even before their rapid shifts from 3A to 4A to 5A in the past few yearsthe Pioneers regularly played and won against teams in the top classifications. There is no reason to think that's going to change now. "I believe there are some tough teams in other regions, d but when competing with each mdividual team, I believe that Region 4 is the most competitive in the state," said Lehi coach Leslee Warr. "It will be a fun season to watch as I think that the league standings will be changing each week." Spanish Fork coach Don Andrews agrees with that. "The race is a tough question this year," he said. While conceding that his team is the favorite, he gave a pretty good summary of what the coaches said about the other teams. "Lehi's always good. Ameri-"ca- n Fork has been a surprise so far, and Pleasant Grove is a mystery," Andrews said. "Timpanogos is and Lone Peak has good athletes and can't be counted out. "I think it's going to come down to who gets hot and who gets lucky." The results of the first league games lend some validity to these opinions, as the Dons were the only squad to win twice, four of the teams split, and one lost twice but scored against good pitching and can't be counted out. Here's a brief look at each of the teams: head-to-hea- Lehi Lehi's Mark Gantt joined six other local players on the roster of the South team for the Utah High School Hockey All-Stgame, played March 19 at the E Center in West Valley City. ICE HOCKEY: all-st- ar Lone Peak UVSC golfer Nick Nelson has been named The America Sky Conference Golfer of the Week for March 24-2- 9 after his third-plac- e finish at the Cal Poly Intercollegiate last week. Former Knight Nelson, a junior from Alpine, shot rounds of 71, 71 and 72 for a total of 214, which was just one shot back of the top spot at the tournament in Arroyo Grande, Calif. It's the second time that Nelson, who led the Wolverines to a seventh-plac- e finish in the event, has won the award. GOLF: ar well-coache- Mountain View BOYS SOCCER: The Bruin defense and keeper Michael Chesler have only allowed opponents to score two goals in eight games so far this spring (0.25 goals per game). That mark is the best in all classifications in the state. The tiger boys came in first place in the Pine View Invitational last weekend, narrowly defeating Snow Canyon by a single point. Orem was led by Mike McKell, who finished first in the run and third in the 400 meters. TRACK: Garrett Steele, a freshman at the College of Eastern Utah, is 2 with a 3.49 ERA, which is second on the team in both 3-- categories. Pleasant Grove TRACK: Senior standout Erica Porter signed a national to compete on an athletic grant for UVSC She has earned and honors the past three years and was the 2007 Region 4 champion in the 300m hurdles. She placed fifth last year at the 5A state meet and is close to breaking the school record. She also long jumps and has run all the relays for letter-of-inte- nt All-Sta- te All-Regi- thejikings. BASEBALL: Justin Smith, a sophomore at the College of Southern Idaho, is 3 and has a 3.18 ERA. In 45 innings, he's given up 37 hits. Opposing teams are hitting just .220 off him. 3-- Provo senior forward Edgar Caldera is currently leading his team in goals with six so far this season (tied for seventh in BOYS SOCCER: Bulldog Cta RLEDaily Herald Ariel Zimmerman returns for her sophomore season this year for Lehi. Her sister,Ashley, also pitches for the Pioneers. "She's better than we thought. Deven Baum is the other. The three of them have been doing . just fine. ; "Whitney is probably still the best, but it's hard to know how she'll do after that type of injury," Andrews added. "That's why you practice more than one player at a positioa We may need to score a few more runs." So far, that hasn't been a problem. DARKHORSES Timpanogos (1-- l). Spanish Fork BASEBALL: Jordan Daley is third on Dixie State's team in hitting with a .352 batting average. He has a home run, nine doubles and 12 RBI in 26 games. Riley Gordon, a sophomore at the College of Eastern Utah, leads the team in wins (3-- and in ERA (2.93). Region 7 The Don girls team again dominated an invitational, this time pulling away from the field at Pine View. Spanish Fork led by Natalie and Nachelle Stewart scored nearly twice as many points (156-8as second place Timpanogos. Springville senior Jason Chamberlain once again proved to be the best wrestler in the country in his weight class, winning the national championship in the division at the NHSCA National High School Senior Wrestling Championships on Sunday night in Virginia Beach, Va. Chamberlain handled Tee Edwards of Virginia 21-- 6 in the championship match, his second straight title at the event. 140-pou- 0) Q CONTENDERS 0) Timpanogos BASEBALL: Senior right-hande- d pitcher Gen- try Croft is off to a phenomenal start He is on the yea and has yet to give up a 5-- 0 fell run. Croft has pitched a total of 27 Vi innings and has helped Timpanogos to a 1 record. He's fanned 33 and allowed just eight hits, all singles. 9-- 1-- 2) Timpview Timpview star sophomore forward Karson Payton who is leading 4A with 12 goals so far this year was misiden-tifie- d in a story last week. The Daily Herald , apologizes for the error. BOYS SOCCER: I If you have news and Information to contribute to the Prep contact Jared Lloyd at jlloydheraldextra.com or or Nell Warner at nwamerheraldextra.com. Rally, 3) Adding them made us stronger and that can only help us. It's good to have that type of competition and those battles to prepare us for the postseason." Region 7 teams expect to Tooele (7-- 2, 3-face a number of tough chalThe Buffaloes believe that a lenges as they go for the next month and a half. change to. a larger classifica"One of the things I've tion won't stop them from beseen is that every team has ing a powerhouse once again and since Tooele has never improved," Jensen said. backed down from anyone in "Timpview and Orem have got good young players, and preseason action, it's tough to Mountain View and Provo are argue. getting better. You have to be They have a star in senior ready for every game." pitcher Lauren Folta, who puts Here's a look at each of the the ball to the plate wtih blazteams: ing speed. Other key Buffaloes include Matti Snow, Kelsey Menden-ha- ll and Brittany Gonzales. Springville (7-- 4, 3-Tooele already got a big win over Payson but still has a pair The Red Devils got past of contests with Springville and another match with the every obstacle in the 2007 4A state tournament except MurLions before it can even conray, losing twice to the power- sider a state title rua ful Spartans, but Springville brought back many of the key Payson (7-- 5, pieces and looks to make another rua The Lions had a nice run Leading the way will be the in the 4A tournament last pitching staff led by senior year but once again boast a aces Sarah Clark and Kandice young, improving squad. For but also with plen- the second straight season, Kirkham ty of depth, as the Red Devils Payson has only two seniors in have three more competent the lineup and continues to be hurlers. dangerous. Jensen said his team is beWe've got a lot of talent deginning to find its stride at the fensively," Shurtliff said. "Our bats have been a little slow plate and players throughout the lineup are hitting more to come, but they're getting consistently. Springville looks there. We're going to make a to get sophomores Brittany bigger impact toward the end head-to-hea- d Springville 9-- McCray, Nikki Brailsford and Aria Agle going, as well as Keeli Chalk and Holly Averett. The key for the Red Devils will be preparing to compete every game and working on the mental aspect of the game, according to Jensea Continued from Bl TRACK: WRESTLING: 1, 0, Payson 344-255- f 1, 5-- 7) The Knights have struggled CONTENDER 800-met- er (1-- a little with consistency so far The Timberwolves return eight seniors, seven of whom have played varsity since their freshman year, so this team has exceptional experience and leadership. Tanner will be relying on the pitching tandem of Kirsten 12-0) Spanish Fork (2-Bramall and Shiri Stevens, who has been injured and is This is a fun team and a just coming back. Kelsi Belliston has played good team," Andrews said of his squad, which returns a at second base the past few number of players from last seasons but has been moved to third. year's state runner-u- p and has exceptional depth. "Our "She's one to look for," schedule hasn't been that good Tanner said. "She's an amazso far and we may lose some ing athlete and an games, but that's fine. player." "This is probably the best Center fielder Megan Bishop is a powerhouse on both sides defensive team I've had, but our hitting outshines our de of the plate. "She hits well and will field fense. Top to bottom, rt s a dangerous lineup." anything hit her direction," At the top of everybody's Tanner said. "Even if she has list is Whitney Holm, the Valto make a diving catch, she'll ley Player of the Year last get to it somehow." Infielder Brittany Peterson year. Her pitching has been limited so far this season, as has tons of range and could she's been working through a play anywhere. She also groin injury, but she also plays swings a big bat and is a resecond base and still hits. Anally quick, solid player. Kalee drews thinks it will be another Gonzalez is the top hitter right week or two before she renow and has really come turns to full form along this year. Tanner said her senior-heav- y Ashley Chappel and Tina team has some extra Ferguson alternate at second base and catcher Katehn Elmotivation this seasoa liott is the cornerstone of the "They know it's now or defense at shortstop and bats never for them, so I expect in the Center fielder Ah them to go to every game really prepared," she said. Tingey also hits really welL With Holm unavailable, the Dons have been relying on Lehi three other pitchers. "Cami Robinson has done "We have to make sure we the best so far, and Dezlee come with the game face on Roberts has been a pleasant and ready to play every day, but we can compete in this re surprise," the coach said Orem BASEBALL: Lone Peak gion," Warr said. "I do believe we have some of the top pitching to be able to contend with the top teams in the state with the return of sophomore Ariel Zimmerman and her sister Ashley Zimmerman, who has been starting the season for us as Ariel has been recovering from an injury. "We have returning four-yestarter Marci Gray, who is consistently hitting the ball and is providing great leadership for our team," Warr added. Some younger players like Bree McBride, Ariel Zimmerman and Aly White also all have a strong bat. The Pioneers gave the Dons one of their closest games to date and put together a couple of big innings to defeat American Fork. ar PI. Grove (1-- 5-- 1, 4) as the team has been dealing with some injuries and illness, but there is plenty of potential in the lineup. "They're always a competitor in everything," Tanner said. "They always have good athletes and they're pretty well coached," Gillman added. Still just a sophomore, Raven King stands out in the minds of coaches after her debut season last year. "This is a tough pitcher who's a good hitter too," Andrews said. King has been nursing a couple of . nagging injuries, but several other pitchers have filled in well, most notably sophomore Whitney Stevens. The team returns seven seniors in Nicole Bean, Bailie Hicken, Chantelle Ouimette, Katie Schoepf, Cami Trinna-maArielle Wing and Rebecca Vincent, who all have important roles to play this n, seasoa The Knights already have one big upset to their credit, outlasting Timpanogos on . Tuesday. The reason why the Vikings Am. are something of a mystery to the other region teams is because many of the players are so new. The team has just three seniors and four juniors playing with a bunch of underclassmen. n "We're way young," said. "We have a lot of sophomores and freshmen who want to step up and play varsity. We played a lot of summer ball together but we lack a little bit of maturity. "I'll be relying on seniors Whitney Giles, Haley Enge-man- n and MeKell Miles to provide some leadership so the other girls can learn from their example," the coach continued. Juniors Kayloni Mikaluski and Torrey Best will continue to carry the bulk of the pitch" ing responsibilities. "This will be their third year throwing and I think they do a pretty fair job," Gillman said. "We should be able to rely on our defense to step up more this year and make fewer mistakes to back them up. "We should be pretty good offensively too," he added. "Giles hits the ball pretty hard and will help teach the younger kids how to do things right." Giles has already piled up hits. quite a tally of extra-bas- e Gill-ma- - of the year." Teams will have to try to get to Rikki Christensen and Taelyr Stevenson when they take their turns in the circle and it won't be easy. Shurtliff also loves what he's seeing at the plate from freshman Jessie Uresti and junior Alexis Bush--ma- a Fork 8-- 5) (0-- 2, The consensus on American Fork is that the team is loaded with athletes and has gotten off to a stronger start than many expected this year. "Their scores have been amazing so far," former coach Tanner said. "They've really been hitting the ball a lot this year. Anyone who's going to play them is going to have to have good defense that day." : Sorensen is distributing pitching duties between two n junior primaries, Annie and Kayla Sorensea "They've come a long way and we'll have them next year as well," the coach said. Any discussion of batting starts with catcher Haley the Valley Offensive Player of the Year in basketball and a pretty fair Softball player, too. "She swings the bat about as well as anybody and is a good athlete too," oilman said. She and Sandra Nessler have been providing the biggest share of the power at the plate so far, with each of them already credited with an over-- t home run and a bunch of triples. Amy Krommenhoek, Shelby Swapp and Mallory Davis are also hitting well right now. Chris-tense- d, he-fen- Woodis and catcher Mar quel Clegg to work around This is a team that if it continues to improve could be in ' the mix for that final playoff r '. spot. DUILDINQ FOR NEST YEAR The Lion head coach said his Provo (4--9, team has to come back strong the rest of the way and pick The Bulldogs have yet to get a a victory in four league games up an upset in order chance at that top spot. but third-yea- r head coach Jill Messenger is changing the attitude of the program. Provo isnt going to roll over for 2-(5-- 8, Timpview anyone, no matter how big the 0-- 4) e DARIIIIOR5E3 -- 2) Bring up the Thunderbird softball team and all coaches do is talk about Timpview pitcher Alisha Talk. She's the type of player that can get rolling and make things very difficult for opponents. If she can get some run support from the offense and playes like Kimmy Bramble and Susan Vogtman, this could be a team on its way to a surprise finish in league com-petiti- reputatioa ' Junior Sharlie Hatch will carry a big load in the pitching circle and the Bulldogs have some girls that can get hot at the plate to put runs on the board. Watch out for Provo to get a big upset before it's all over. Mtn. View (2-- 9, 1-- 3) Make no mistake, the Bru- ins are young and building . for the future, but that doesn't mean they wont be dangerous 2-now as well Orem (3-1- 0, Mountain View already put The Tigers are very young, a scare Into Payson and with but that can make them very players like seniors Hailey Bradshaw and Ahssa Olsen, dangerous as welL Some success such as what theyVe they are definitely not a team to be overlooked. experienced so far in league If the Bruins can get some play could give them a huge boost of confidence, and then consistent performances with watch out. their pitching, this team can , New coach Katrina Norris hit the ball with anyone. doesn't have any senior leadership but has some gifted play-- , I Jared Lloyd can be reached ers like juniors pitcher Delcie at jlloydheraldextra.com. 1) I |