ST. GEORGE – It was a momentous and exciting year for sports fans in southern Utah and the St. George News sports department was there to witness the thrill of victory and, at times, the agony of defeat. Thanks, southern Utahns, for letting us be a part of it all.
Below is a list of some of our favorites from 2016. It is not a comprehensive list — there were too many great moments to list them all. But it is a good list, to be sure.
A special thanks goes to the coaches, athletic directors, principals and media liaisons who provided us access to these stories.
2016 — A year of champions (List is in chronological order, starting with last January’s exciting basketball news) — click on headlines to go to archived story)
Canceled: Utah basketball cancels BYU game for 2016
In a stunning announcement spurred by recent unsportsmanlike incidents by both teams, Utah basketball coach Larry Krystkowiak said his team would no longer play in-state rival BYU. Fans from both sides criticized the decision. Despite the two teams playing in different conferences, the Utes and Cougars had maintained the rivalry since the programs both left the Mountain West Conference back in 2011.
It was announced later in the year that the two teams would resume the rivalry after a one-year hiatus.
Record 10th triple-double for Collinsworth helps BYU rally past LMU
BYU guard Kyle Collinsworth continued to redefine the college basketball point guard position with an amazing night in California. He finished with 10 points, 13 rebounds, 15 assists, five steals and two blocks in a Cougar win ver Loyola Marymount. It was the 10th triple-double of his career to add to his NCAA record and his fourth of the season.
Region 9 swim meet: Cedar boys and girls swim away with region title
Cedar dominated the pool at the region swim meet, held at the Sand Hollow Aquatic Center last January.
Led by Katelyn and Kristen Gross, the Lady Reds finished with 469 points while Desert Hills was second with 429 and Dixie was third with 398. Snow Canyon had 210, Pine View 159 and Hurricane 145.
On the boys side, Cedar won with 485 points while Desert Hills had 398 and Snow Canyon had 279. Dixie finished with 227, Pine View with 210 and Hurricane with 202.
National signing day: Region 9 studs commit to college programs
It was a day of new beginnings, or perhaps a day full of rewards for hard work. Either way, it was a good day for many local high school football players Wednesday as they signed National Letters of Intent with various colleges and universities.
Some of the notable signees on the National Letter of Intent Day for football were Tre Miller of Dixie (Utah State), Desert Hills’ Justice Alo (Southern Utah) and Pine View’s Steve Bangerter (Dixie State).
Boys basketball: Dixie Flyers clinch Region 9
Dixie was all business in clinching Region 9’s top seed Friday night in a blowout of Hurricane.
There was no party. No cutting down of the nets. Not even a chest-bump. The Flyers meant business.
Dixie clinched the No. 1 seed and at least a tie for the region championship with the dominating win over the Tigers at The Hangar. Tyler Bennett had 21 points and a handful of assists and James Eardley and Nate Crockett scored 10 points each for Dixie.
It was a foreshadowing of things to come for the Dixie basketball team in 2016.
Harlem Globetrotters treat packed house to fun, flair and frivolity
The world’s favorite basketball team entertained a packed house at Burns Arena and showed of the flair for hoops antics and comedy that only the Globetrotters can.
Scooter Christensen and Big Easy Lofton kept the capacity crowd in stitches for 90 minutes. Other Globetrotters at Burns Arena were “Too Tall” Hall, who at 5-foot-2, is the shortest player in Globetrotter history, and “TNT” Maddox, the first woman to don the red, white and blue since 1993. The current coach was none other than Sweet Lou Dunbar.
Girls basketball: Lady Warriors clinch region title, cut down nets
Snow Canyon returned to the top of the Region 9 mountain, clinching the league title at home with a win over third-place Desert Hills. The Lady Warriors were last region champs in 2011, a couple of years before any of the eight seniors on the team were even in high school.
Led by Mada Mooring, Shaylee Reed, Nikenna Durante and Natalie Coulham, SC started itself on a path toward a state title with the clinching victory.
State swimming: Park City wins title; CV’s Wallace gets individual honor
Canyon View’s Nathan Wallace and Park City’s Lucas Hess shared male athlete of the meet honors as Saturday’s Class 3A swimming championships at BYU.
Wallace won two events and anchored the Falcons to silver medals in two relays. On Saturday he won the 100-yard freestyle in 46.55 seconds with teammate Alan Anderson finishing second in 47.88. They later teamed for a silver medal in the 400-yard freestyle relay. On Friday, Wallace won the 50-yard freestyle and the Falcons got silver in the 200-yard medley relay.
State wrestling: SC’s Hafen, DH’s Williams claim state titles
Snow Canyon’s Kody Hafen had a history he wasn’t proud of at the state Class 3A wrestling tournament.
“I’ve wrestled for 15 years and never taken first (in a state meet),” Hafen said after exorcising his personal demons on Saturday. Hafen defeated Juab’s Jayce Lind 6-4 to claim the 120-pound championship.
Hafen and Desert Hills’ Liam Williams didn’t choke this time, clinching their state titles at the 3A State Meet at Utah Valley University.
Lifesavers: Hurricane wrestlers dive into action, save Idaho man’s life
Two wrestlers from Hurricane High School are being praised for prompt action during a medical emergency in Orem on Feb. 11.
According to coach Ryan Christiansen, Allan Madsen and Devin English helped him perform CPR on a man experiencing a heart attack at the Comfort Inn where he and the Tiger wrestlers were staying ahead of the Class 3A wrestling tournament at Utah Valley University.
“We were in our rooms when we heard a lady yelling for help,” Christiansen said. “We ran out the door, but didn’t know what to expect. The boys were brave. They ran in ready to do what was needed.”
Judkins gets 200th win as DSU coach
Dixie State head coach Jon Judkins recorded his 200th victory as the Red Storm’s head coach Monday night in a 75-65 victory at Dominican University’s Conlan Center.
The victory could not have come at a more crucial time as Dixie State was fighting for positioning in the PacWest Tournament.
“Hopefully I will get 200 more before my career is over,” said Judkins. “This was a tough win. Dominican is trying to get into the tournament and we are fighting for a better seed. We knew it was going to be a battle.”
Girls 3A basketball: Lady Warriors outlast Cedar to capture 2016 crown
Cedar’s Lady Reds led for about 27 of the 32 minutes in the 2016 3A Girls State Championship game at SUU’s Centrum Arena. But as we all know, it’s not who led the most, but who led last, and Snow Canyon emerged with a 58-54 victory to capture the 2016 state title.
The Lady Warriors last won state in 2012, when the current class of seniors were in eighth grade and coach Dan Roden was just an assistant.
“They are just a special group of girls,” Roden said. “They believe in each other. They love each other. They trust us, which is awesome. They never stopped. They never quit. They believed that it would happen. They knew they would come back.”
Boys 3A basketball: A year later, Flyers finally get state championship
Two moments in time dominated the conversation after Dixie captured the 2016 3A State Basketball title Saturday evening with a 65-57 victory over Juan Diego at SUU’s Centrum Arena.
The first was some time in February of 1970, when Don Lay led Dixie to its last state title in boys basketball. The second was a bit more recent.
The date was Feb. 28, 2015, a day that saw the stars align for Pine View in a 46-43 state-championship win over Dixie. Tyler Bennett, Richard Guymon, Malachi Otis and several other of Dixie’s current stars had to watch as the Panthers celebrated and cut down the nets at the Maverik Center. Although it is a painful memory, it served Dixie well for the last 364 days.
Kahuku defeats Snow Canyon in ‘big-time’ rugby tournament
A red-and-white Kahuku High School flag snapped in the breeze, framed by the green of the Snow Canyon High rugby pitch and with Red Mountain in the background as the Hawaiian team defeated the Warriors 31-14 in the final game of the Snow Canyon Invitational.
“I think it’s one of the best in the country,” Snow Canyon coach Mike Puriri said of the tournament which featured Kahuku, Snow Canyon, United out of Alpine, Utah; Red Mountain from Mesa, Ariz.; Orcas from Thousand Oaks, Calif. and Olympus from Salt Lake City.
Region 9 Hoops Show: Highlights from the 3A Tournament, plus music video
It was an incredible weekend of action at Southern Utah University with a pair of trophies heading back to St. George after Dixie’s boys championship and Snow Canyon’s girls championship.
On this show, Andy Griffin has highlights, the inside scoop in statistics and, of course, our picture of the week.
Also featured on the show: The All-Tournament team for the boys and girls and our pick for the 3A classification’s players of the year in both boys and girls basketball.
And finally, we are excited to present the Dixie championship video filmed and produced by Adam Mathews Video. It’s four minutes of high-flying fun you won’t want to miss.
Late pass leads to victory donuts in Las Vegas for Keselowski
St. George News specialty photographer Rick Johnson spent the weekend at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway for NASCAR’s Kobolt 400 and adjoining events. He was able to send us these excellent photos.
Brad Keselowski spent nearly a full year winless and watching while Team Penske teammate Joey Logano went to Victory Lane five times.
Keselowski had to drive through wind, rain, sand and Logano himself to finally hit it big in Vegas again.
Dixie christens new Flyer Field with win over Canyon View
Dixie didn’t play its best baseball and it certainly wasn’t pretty Wednesday night, but the Flyers gritted out a 6-1 win over Canyon View in the first official game played at the new Flyer Field.
Dixie drew 14 walks off of three Falcons pitchers, but also left 13 runners on base in the five-run victory. But the numbers don’t mean much to head coach Danny Ipson, who was tickled that his team could mark the momentous occasion with a victory.
“We’ve put a lot of blood, sweat and tears in being able to be here on the new field,” he said. “A lot of people have put assets and work to be able to do this and we sure appreciate it.”
No. 11-seed Gonzaga rolls over Runnin’ Utes and into Sweet Sixteen
Leave the buzzer-beaters and heart-stoppers to the other guys. For Gonzaga, these are the March Mismatches.
The Bulldogs, looking like something much different than an 11 seed, rolled over No. 3 Utah, 82-59 behind 22 points from Eric McClellan and a 19-point, 10-rebound effort from Domantas Sabonis.
This was a wire-to-wire effort even more impressive than their 16-point win over Seton Hall in the first round.
“We played as good as probably we’ve played all year, on what is the biggest stage,” coach Mark Few said.
Valpo defense rules as Crusaders hold off BYU in NIT semifinals
Despite a strong second half and three players scoring in double digits, No. 2 seed BYU basketball’s season ended after falling 72-70 to No. 1 Valparaiso in the semifinals of the National Invitational Tournament at Madison Square Garden.
Cougar senior guard Chase Fischer had his 3-point shot attempt from about 28-feet out blocked as time expired to help the Crusaders hold on for the win.
BYU ends the 2015-16 season with a 26-11 record (13-5 West Coast Conference), while Valparaiso improves to 30-6 (16-2 Horizon League) while advancing to the NIT finals against the winner of San Diego State and George Washington. The two teams combined for 38 turnovers, with the Cougars tallying 18. BYU was held to 38 percent shooting to Valparaiso’s 43 percent.
It was the final collegiate game for BYU record-setting point guard Kyle Collinsworth.
Utah 7-footer Jakob Poeltl announces intention of leaving for NBA
It didn’t come as a surprise to Jakob Poeltl’s coaches or teammates, and shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone else who has been paying even the slightest bit of attention to college basketball, but it is official, Poeltl is going to forego his last two years of college and enter the NBA draft.
“I’ve had the most amazing two years here at Utah,” Poeltl said at a press conference at the University of Utah Wednesday. “”I don’t regret anything about coming here and I do not regret staying for a second year. I think it was an unbelievable journey. I have really enjoyed it and that is why this decision was so hard on me, because I really wanted to stay for two more years, but I think this is a necessary step for me in my basketball career.”
Dixie State unveils new identity: Trailblazers
The Red Storm is dead. The Trailblazers have arrived.
As of late Monday afternoon, Dixie State University’s former athletic identity and mascot are extinct. After a 17-month process that pulled 10 years of research together and included feedback from various focus groups, Dixie State officials finally settled on an identity they felt reflected the heart, history and authenticity of the community and the institution.
Thee Trailblazers were one of three finalists presented to small focus groups after the original six options were whittled down though an online survey held in December. The other potential identities were the Raptors and Sun Warriors.
Regional pickleball tournament with 400 players descends on St. George
The USA Pickleball Association West Regional Tournament came to Utah for the first time on Friday and Saturday, with over 400 players from across the western United States descending on the Little Valley Pickleball courts in St. George to vie for a shot at the tournament championship.
The sound of paddles connecting with plastic balls filled the air around the Little Valley Sports Complex on a warm Saturday morning as hundreds of players young, old and in between competed singly or in pairs for a shot at a medal. Family members and spectators watched from lawn chairs and bleachers.
Bob Klarich, co-director of the tournament, said not only is the regional tournament being held at the Little Valley courts this year, but for the next three years as well.
Local sports star Pano Tiatia wins by unanimous decision in pro debut
It was not quite David vs. Goliath, but maybe David vs. Goliath’s smaller brother. Local sports star Pano Tiatia went against “Big John” Orr in his professional boxing debut and came out on top by unanimous decision with the score on all three cards 40-36 in the four round bout.
“That dude could hit,” said Tiatia. Orr outweighed Tiatia 320- to 230-pounds and towered over him by seven inches. Tiatia’s strategy soon became clear. “I wanted to get in quick and get out quick. Land some quick combos and get out before he could land a punch.”
Former Hurricane High star dies; remembered for infectious happiness
Charlie Sefita was so much more than one play. But the young man, who died late Saturday night from complications due to pneumonia and a weakened heart, will forever be remembered for that one play.
Sefita, a first-team all-state linebacker in 2014 for the Hurricane Tigers, made a play many fans will never forget.
It was the 2014 3AA State Semifinals at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City. Hurricane held a slim 17-14 lead with under two minutes to play, but Desert Hills had driven the length of the field and had a first-and-goal at the 7-yard line.
Someone had to make a play or the game, and the season, was lost. Thunder quarterback Nick Warmsley rolled right on an option play, but Sefita read the play and blazed a beeline to Warmsley, lowering his head just in time to knock the ball 10 feet in the air. Tyson Yardley plucked the loose pigskin out of the sky to stop the scoring threat. Hurricane then ran out the remaining time to clinch a spot in the 3AA championship game.
Prep baseball: ‘Wild Thing’ saves the day as PV captures region crown
He said he’s never seen the movie, but there’s a pretty good chance Pine View pitcher Connor Clark will be viewing “Major League” on Netflix real soon.
Doing his best impersonation of Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn, Clark struck out three straight batters with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh to help the Panthers beat Desert Hills 2-1 and capture the 2016 Region 9 baseball crown.
PA announcer and event manager Burke Staheli had clearly seen the movie as the Panther Field sound system blared “Wild Thing” as Clark went through his warm-ups. Clark’s first warm-up pitch echoed a loud pop in catcher Ryke Erickson’s glove and it was clear the right-hander was bringing gas into the situation.
Prep softball: Warriors repeat as champs; PV beats DH on senior night
It may have been a little bit more difficult this year, but Snow Canyon is Region 9 champion once again after a road win Friday afternoon in Cedar City.
Snow Canyon benefited from two home runs by Mada Mooring that propelled them to a two-run win and the Region 9 championship. A Cedar victory would have had the two teams tied at the top. With the loss, Cedar drops into a tie with Desert Hills for second place.
Snow Canyon finished with a region record of 9-1, with the only loss coming at the hands of Desert Hills, 1-0 in extra innings.
Ironman 70.3: Canadians Sanders, Wurtele rule on cool, wet race day
Battling rain, wind and cool temperatures is no big deal for Lionel Sanders and Heather Wurtele. After all, they’re Canadians.
Sanders emerged as the pro men’s winner for the first time in St. George and Wurtele captured her second straight Ironman 70.3 in St. George, earning them both the North American Pro Championship title.
“The weather was terrible, but it was fantastic for me, I’m from Alberta,” Sanders said. “When I start to lose feeling in my hands and feet, that means there are perfect conditions.”
On the pro women’s side, Wurtele, from Kelowna, British Columbia, finished in a time of 4:16:48. Holly Lawrence, from Great Britain, was the second women’s finisher, coming in at 4:18:04. Meredith Kessler, a past winner of the race, placed third with a time of 4:22:02. Kessler is from San Francisco.
Prep soccer: Game of inches as Warriors fall to Juan Diego in 3A title game
Just a few inches here and there in the final minutes of the match kept the Snow Canyon Warriors from equalizing against undefeated Juan Diego, which prevailed 1-0 and won the 3A State Championship Saturday at Alta High School.
Juan Diego, which took the lead late in the first half via Brandon Sands’ 30-yard free kick, held off Snow Canyon’s second half full-field press and a furious series of attacks on goal in the closing minutes to prevail. Juan Diego’s sophomore goalkeeper, Martin Kelly, denied Snow Canyon’s best scoring opportunity, a beautiful header from Parker Jenkins in final minute, to seal the Soaring Eagle win.
DSU baseball goes back to NCAA Tourney for fifth straight year
For the fifth-straight season, the No. 10-ranked Dixie State University baseball team earned an NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament berth. The Trailblazers (38-12) were awarded the West Region’s No. 2 seed in the six-team regional and faced No. 5 seed Cal State Monterey Bay (33-19) Thursday (time TBA) in Riverside, Calif. All games will be played at James W. Totman Stadium on the campus of the host school and top-seeded California Baptist University.
Dixie State and CBU (39-11) are the lone Pacific West Conference representatives in this year’s West Regional field, while the other four schools hail from the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). CBU will play No. 6 seed Cal State East Bay (33-20) Thursday (time TBA), while No. 3 seed and defending West Region champion Cal Poly Pomona (35-17) will play No. 4 seed Chico State (32-20) Thursday.
Prep golf: That’s 7 in a row as Desert Hills girls do it again
Desert Hills captured its seventh straight girls golf championship and Dixie junior Gracie Richens came as the individual state 3A champion as the two-day event concluded Thursday at Soldier Hollow Golf Course in Midway.
The Lady Thunder made up a three-point deficit (modified Stableford scoring) with a strong finish, though the outcome was still in doubt until the final scores were tabulated and posted. D-Hills finished with a score of 610, six points better than second-place Park City.
Richens, meanwhile, started strong on Thursday and never trailed, though Desert Hills senior Kyla Smith stayed close throughout. Richens edged Smith 174-172, with Park City’s Saylor Rabe coming in third at 163 and Pine View’s Taylor Bandley placing fourth with a 162. Bandley was second a year ago, losing in a playoff to three-time champ Katie Perkins.
Prep track and field: Thunder boys win big; Cedar girls edge DH at state
Scoring in all but one event and heavily in two distance events, Desert Hills’ boys again raced away with the state Class 3A track and field championship.
As the defending champions did a year ago, they nearly doubled up their nearest competitor. The Thunder finished with 121 points to 67 for Juab, 46 for Richfield, 42 for Logan and 38 for Cedar. Twenty-one teams scored.
Jaiden Melendrez led the Thunder as he won the 1600 on Friday and the 3200 on Saturday. Bryson King, Joshua Thatcher and Sage Discote were third, fourth and fifth in the 1600. They were fifth, seventh and eighth in the 3200.
It is the fourth consecutive state title for the D-Hills boys.
Cedar City’s girls used a slightly different formula, but with the same result, to outdistance Desert Hills. The Lady Reds finished with 135 points to 109 for the Thunder, 61 for Stansbury, 49 for Dixie and 47 for Richfield.
Prep baseball: Pine View climbs atop 3A mountain once again with win over Cedar
The Pine View pitching staff was the best in 3A all season long. Saturday night, the Panthers rode that pitching staff to a second straight state 3A championship at Gates Field with a 4-3 win over the Cedar Redmen.
Pine View head coach Troy Wall rolled the dice a little bit, starting Cole Green instead of hard-throwers Dakota Donovan and Connor Clark. But Green held the previously red-hot Cedar bats down and Donovan finished the job with two hitless innings as Pine View beat Cedar for the second straight year in the state championship game.
Region 9 Hardball Show: Highlights from 3A state playoffs, plus interviews
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