Desert Hills girls, Snow Canyon boys repeat as state champions; highlights from state track meet – St George News

PROVO — The Desert Hills girls and Snow Canyon boys repeated as 4A champions at the Utah High School Activities Association’s state track meet at Brigham Young University on Saturday.

Southern Utah schools endurance prevailed at the state championships as Panguitch, won both boys and girls 1A titles, and Kanab claimed the boys 2A crown.

Two Southern Utah high schools brought home runner-up trophies, with the Cedar boys taking second in 4A and the Water Canyon boys placing second in 1A.

The multi-day event, which started on Thursday for the 5A and 6A schools and on Friday for the other four classifications, is the only championship event that brings together high schools from all six classifications, UHSAA director Rob Cuff told St. George News on Saturday.

Cuff and UHSAA officials started handing out trophies around 7:30 p.m., exactly 12 hours since the 1A girls 1600 meter run, had kicked off Saturday’s final day of competition.

Following are highlights from the state meet, focusing on Southern Utah team and individual winners. For complete meet results on runnercard.com, click here.

4A girls

With senior distance runner Addison Pettingill leading the way, the Desert Hills Thunder won its second straight state title almost exclusively at the track.

Only 4.5 of the Thunder’s 108.5 total team points came in field events, as Jenna Brown tied for fifth in the high jump and fellow junior Lexie Hermandson placed eighth in the shot.

All the rest of the Thunder’s points were earned in timed races. Pettingill, a senior, capped off her career by winning the 1600 meter race on Saturday morning and the 800-meter run later in the day. She’d also placed fifth in the 3200 on Friday.

“Our state team consisted of only 14 athletes but they are all gritty and determined competitors,” head coach Emily George told St. George News.

“Our coaching staff knew the points race was going to be tight and our athletes had to be prepared to compete through all 17 events,” George added. “We knew every single point was crucial and it was likely there would be a fight to the finish in the 4×400. Bottom line, our girls showed up and performed when it mattered most. I could not be more proud.”

With a slim 102.5 to 98 lead over Green Canyon heading into the final race of the day, the 4×400 relay, Desert Hills ended up taking third place; however the Wolves took fifth in that same event and didn’t gain any ground.

Earlier, the Thunder had won both the 4×100 and 4×200 relays. Desert Hills’ winning time in Friday’s 4×200 was 1:42.33, a new 4A state record.  

Anchoring both of the Thunder’s relay victories was senior Kooper Dennison, who also placed in both of her individual events, taking third in the 200 and fourth in the 100. 

Meanwhile teammate Drew Schwartz, a junior, placed second in both the 100 and 200, while freshman Emery Simister picked up another three points by taking sixth in the 200.

Sophomore Lucy Harris was another key point-earner for the Thunder, winning the 300 hurdles in a time of 44.88 seconds. Earlier in the day on Saturday, Harris had placed second in the 100 hurdles, with Crimson Cliffs’ Samiyah Jones edging her at the finish line by .02 of a second (14.99 to 15.01). Harris also placed fifth in the 200.

“Whether it was our all-underclassman 4×800 team, our two athletes that competed in the field events, or the state record breaking 4×200 team, I knew that no matter who we put on the track they were going to give everything they had for their team,” George added.  “Because of their efforts, we’re fortunate to get to come home with the win.”

George also commended and congratulated the athletes and coaches of the other Region 10 teams.

“We have a crazy competitive region with so many strong athletes,” she said. “You can see by how many athletes from Region 10 were top finishers this weekend, that it makes all of our athletes better. They compete hard on the track and are good friends off of it. I love to see the friendship and support they show each other. That shows great character in the competitors and a good culture throughout all the programs of Region 10.” 

The top individual medalist among 4A girls was Snow Canyon freshman Amelia Nadauld, who won all four of her events, the 100-, 200- and 400-yard races, plus the long jump. Three of those events took place within the space of an hour Saturday morning, with her 200 win coming a few hours later.

In addition, Cedar High senior Quincy Esplin won the discus with a throw measuring 130 feet, 6.25 inches. Although that mark was just shy of her own personal best and school record, it was still the farthest throw at the meet, across all classifications.

4A girls top 5 team results

1. Desert Hills, 108.5
2. Green Canyon, 102.
3. Pine View, 95.5.
4. Snow Canyon, 91.5
5. Cedar, 84.

4A boys

The Snow Canyon boys won their second straight 4A state title in convincing fashion, amassing 214 team points, more than double the total of runner-up Cedar’s 97.

The Warriors’ green uniforms were a familiar sight atop the medals podium throughout the meet, at times placing as many as four different athletes in the same event.

“What a weekend,” Snow Canyon head coach Justin Redfearn told St. George News after the meet. “So incredibly proud of our amazing athletes. They absolutely blew me away in not just how they performed but by how they supported each other. It truly was a team performance.”

“We scored everywhere,” he noted. “No one can say we are only good in one area, as we won nine of the 17 events. We had several athletes try track this year who were key contributors. We are so thankful for them for trusting us.”

Redfearn said the Warriors exceeded their coaches’ expectations across the board.

“We knew we were going to score but not with the totals we actually did,” he said. “The commitment of our athletes this year in every part of their lives is what really made them special.”

Among the highlights for Snow Canyon was senior Bo Hickman winning the javelin at state for the third straight year. His top throw of 206 feet 0.5 inches, made on his final attempt, didn’t quite break his personal best but was still by far the farthest throw at the meet

“Bo solidified himself as one of the greatest throwers this state has ever seen,” Redfearn said. “As a three-time state champion, what more can be said about this amazing young man? He continued to show up for the big meets, just like he has done for the past three years.”

More importantly, Redfearn noted, Hickman has helped his teammates become better throwers who believe in themselves. Besides Hickman, three other Warriors all placed among the top seven at state.

Redfearn cited a similar example in the 110- and 300 meter hurdles races. While Snow Canyon senior Trevor Gough won both events, he was accompanied at the podium by multiple teammates each time.

“Our hurdlers were amazing,” Redfearn said. “Trevor, Semaj (Thompson) and Matt (Maclennan) have been so solid for us all year and really are the glue that holds our team together. I am also very impressed by hurdler Phoenix Oliver, who just a week before state didn’t make the finals at region. Yet, he not only made the 110 finals at state but finished sixth overall. Just another example of our athletes stepping up big for us.”

Winning the high jump for Snow Canyon was junior Owen Mackay, who successfully cleared 6 feet, 8 inches, the best mark of the day across all classifications (only Water Canyon senior Jonathan Timpson, who cleared 6 feet, 7.5 inches, came close). 

“To set a new personal best and win state is what it is all about,” Redfearn said of Mackay. Also scoring points for the Warriors in the high jump were Nyken Bott and Bear Leavitt.

Also stepping up for Snow Canyon was senior thrower Carson Nowatzke, Redfearn added. 

There was less than one inch difference among the best marks of the top three finishers in the 4A boys shot put, with Nowatzke winning at 49 feet, 11.25 inches, Cedar’s Dallan DeMille placing second at 49 feet, 10.75 inches and Pine View’s Colton Sam Fong coming in third at 49 feet, 10.5 inches.

“Carson was projected to finish fourth coming into state, yet once the competition started he locked in and had the greatest throws of his life,” he said. “You could see it during warmups that this was his day. He set a personal best by almost two feet in winning the event.”

Last but not least, Redfearn credited the teams formidable sprinters, noting that the Warriors had four athletes in the 100 finals and five in the 200 finals. They also won the 4×100 and 4×200 relays, the coach noted.

“Will West, Will Warner, Kolter Stuart, Brooks Esplin and Corbin Christian were so big for us all year, leading our deep sprinting group at state,” Redfearn said 

“A year ago after the finals of the 200, Will Warner came up to me and said, ‘I am going to win this race next year,’” Redfearn recalled. “So when he came to me at the beginning of this year and said, ‘Coach, I want to play soccer and do track this year,’I knew it was going to be hard to get the practices in.”

“Yet, this amazing athlete did it all,” Redfearn added. “He not only kept himself healthy but went out and accomplished what he said he would do, win the 200.”

Coming in second place in the 200 was Dixie’s standout senior sprinter Caidan Cooper, who earlier in the day had won the 100-meter dash in a time of 10.75 seconds, exactly the same as his qualifying time the previous day. Cooper is expected to sign a letter of intent to compete collegiately later this week. 

Other individual 4A boys highlights included Pine View senior Trey Despain winning all three of his distance races, the 3200, 1600 and 800. In the 3200 on Friday, Despain won in 9:23.80; all of the top seven runners were from Region 10 schools and finished in under 9:50. Region 10 also dominated the podium at Saturday’s 1600.

The Cedar High boys, who won the final event of the meet, the 4×400 relay, ended up with the runner-up trophy.

4A boys top 5 team results

1. Snow Canyon, 314.
2. Cedar, 97.
3. Pine View, 67.
4. Crimson Cliffs, 49.
5. Desert Hills, 47.

2A boys

Led by senior Travis Stewart, the Kanab Cowboys won the school’s fourth-ever state championship.

Stewart, a senior, sustained a serious knee injury at the beginning of football season this past August and underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL. After months of rehabilitation, he sufficiently recovered in time to sweep the 100, 200 and 400 races at the state track meet for the third year in a row.

In addition to his 30 points for winning the three races, Stewart also picked up another five points for taking fourth in the javelin. Several other Kanab athletes earned points in throwing events, while others like Waylon White, Rider Allen and Jackson Clark contributed on the track.

2A boys top 5 team results

1. Kanab, 96.
2. Millard, 80.
3. North Sevier, 74.
4. South Sevier, 50.
5. San Juan, 49.

Meanwhile, the Kanab girls placed fourth overall among 2A girls teams. Leading the way was freshman Kenidee Glazier, who won all three of her races, the 3200, 1600 and 800. 

1A girls

The Panguitch Bobcats won their 10th consecutive state 1A girls track title on Saturday, their 177.5 team points easily outdistancing runner-up Rich High’s 110.5. Panguitch senior Adelaide Englestead won the 3200-meter run by .02 of a second to Rich freshman Paige Smith on Friday. In Saturday’s 1600, the positions were reversed, with Smith taking first and Englestead finishing second. 

Also for Panguitch, junior Tabi Henrie won the 800 and placed second in both the high jump and the long jump, while senior Alexis Allen won the discus.

1A girls top 5 team results

1. Panguitch, 177.5
2. Rich, 110.5.
3. Altamont, 78.
4. Valley, 50.
5. Milford, 49.5.

1A boys

Panguitch won its third straight state title, thanks to strong performances both on the track and in field events. The Bobcats’ leading point-earners included seniors Klyn Fullmer, Tucker Chappell, Carter Yardley and Cole Harland. 

Heading into the final event of the meet, the 4×400 relay, the Bobcats led Water Canyon by just two points. However, Panguitch went on to lead the race wire-to-wire, while the Wildcats ended taking fourth in the event and stayed in second place overall.

Water Canyon, whose head coach Hunter Wixom was named the 1A coach of the year, saw strong performances in multiple distance races, led by Theil Cooke, Rulon Barlow and David Barlow. 

1A boys top 5 team results

1. Panguitch, 124.
2. Water Canyon, 117.
3. Milford, 108.
4. Altamont, 59.
5. Monticello, 50.

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