OCR Text |
Show Lehi brought home first basketball championship By BOB HUDSON The Daily Herald Assistant Sports Editor During the past couple of decades Utah Valley has become the home of high school champions. But, it wasn't always so. State championships were a rarity for many years. Lehi brought home the first state Utah titles, winning the newly-forme- d High School Activities Association's crowns in boys' basketball in 1908 and again in 1909. County teams had moderate success over the next few years, winning about every other years until hitting a dry spell that stretched from 1923 to 1941. Champions during that time included BYU High (1912), Spanish Fork (1914), Pleasant Grove (1915), Springville (1917 and 1923) and Lehi (1922). Provo won the 1941 title. During the war, the UHSAA broke competition into classes for the first time and the Bulldogs won the 1944 and 1945 Class A championships. B.Y. High won consecutive Class B titles in 1948, 1949 and 1950 and Springville won in 1952. In 1956, Provo won the Class A crown while Pleasant Grove took the Class B title. Springville won Class B in 1958 with Pleasant Grove taking the title in 1961 and American Fork winning in 1962. After B.Y. High won the Class B crown in 1963, Utah County teams took a hiatus from the throne room. In 1973 and 1974. under the direction of coach Jim Spencer, Provo won a pair of Class AAA crowns after the UHSAA again reclassified, this time creating three divisions. American Fork won the 3A crown in 1976 with Lehi taking the 2A title that same year. Provo took the 1978 3A title. In 1981, Provo won another 3 A crown with Lehi taking another 2A title. The two teams accomplished the same feat in 1983. In between. Mountain View won its only boys' basketball title. Provo again won in 1985 and 1987, while Lehi took another 2A title in 10-ye-ar 1986. In 1988 and 1989, Timpview won crowns. Lehi won a 3 A title in 1993 while Provo won in 1995, this time taking the 4A championship. Provo High's new gymnasium is festooned with II state basketball championship banners, along with an assortment of banners honoring titlists back-to-ba- in other sports. Lehi has seven basketball championships. Utah high schools began competing for football championships a decade before the UHSAA came onto the scene. But, Utah County schools didn't win a title until Payson did so in 1925. The county's next crown didn't come until Lincoln High (which is now Orem High), with La Veil Edwards as an integral member of the team, claimed a Class A crown in 1947. Pleasant Grove won Class B titles in 1955 and 1956 (yes, those were great tin: years for the Vikings as they also won a track title). In 1962. Orem won the Class A crown and American Fork took the Class B crown. American Fork had also won the 196! title. Orem won again in whi'e Payson took a Class B champion hip .n 969. The Lions also won an A A championship in 1971. After that. Utah County teams had a drought. Provo reached the finals in .976, losing 10-- 7 to Skyline, hut no one the throne room until Lehi won the 2A crown in 1980. Provo beat Pleasant Grove in the 1982 Class 3A finals. In 1985, with Scott Mitchell at the controls, Springville won a 3A title. Timpview won in 1986. Orem won a 4A crown in 198" ith stars like Tyler Anderson and Rowley playing significant roles. Timpview won a 4A title in 1991. l8 1 Love heir? Show her. X . B.n with twin brothers Howard ,; and Kimball Christiansen among the stars. Pleasant Grove won in 1993. Orem took its fifth title when the Tigers claimed the initial 5A championship in 1995. Track has long been one of the more successful sports in Utah County. UHSAA competition began in 1911. By 1917, Payson had a state champi- onship. Spanish Fork won in 1930 and 193 while Provo won four straight crowns from 1935 to 1938. Springville won a Class B title in 1950 while Payson won in 1954. Pleasant Grove won in 1956 and 1958. Orem, long a hotbed for successful runners and jumpers, won Class A crowns in 1962 and 1963. The Tigers won again in 1971. In 1976, Provo won the 4A crown while Spanish Fork took the 3A title. After that, the list of state champions includes Orem in 1979. 980 and 1981; Mountain View in 1982, 1983 and 1984; and Timpview in 1987, 1988 and Utah's favorite family jeweler for nearly two decades. 1 1989. Over the years the UHSAA also added golf, wrestling, baseball, cross country, tennis and soccer to its boys' sports offerings. In 1973, the association added girls' sports. Utah County teams have fared well in nearly every one, winning titles on a regular basis. The UHSAA handbook which include numerlists records and a listous Utah County athletes r. ing of the state champions Since its creation in 1980. Mountain View has produced one of the most dominant girls' programs in the state. The Bruins have won five basketball titles, 10 cross country titles, two volleyball championships . a soccer title and six track crowns. school year. 6 During the Utah County teams have again been at the forefront in the battle for state championships. In boys' and girls' basketball, for example, Orem, Mountain Sierra-We- st JEWELERS IH H S. 800 E., Orem. Southeast of Mall 226-600- 6 Our newest location: 125 E. 6100 S., Murray North of Fashion Place Mall 266-474- 7 ZCMI Center, Downtown, Salt L.ike City Valley Fair Mall, West Valley City 521-090- 0 966-966- 2 a trf- - year-by-yea- 1995-199- View, Provo, Timpview, Pleasant Grove, Lehi and American Fork have been listed in the top five of their respective classifications throughout the season. V vs&-tuts hi . T -- 'vj' i . i |