COMMENTARY – Region 9 softball jammed all its games this past week into two days, but they were two important days in the region race.

Snow Canyon is an amazing 11-0 on the season and 3-0 in region play after notching two Brytni Gurney wins. Gurney, who is 10-0 this season, had to be nearly perfect against Hurricane Tuesday – and she was. The Lady Tigers’ Paisley Pearson allowed just one run, but Gurney allowed no runs and just two hits in the 1-0 pitcher’s duel. The only Lady Warriors tally came on a solo home run by sophomore Skyler Gates in the second inning.

Gurney did allow two runs against Cedar on Wednesday, but her teammates had her back this time, scoring five in the 5-2 victory for SC. Kenzee Langston hit her second and third homers of the year for Snow Canyon, which plays Tuesday at home vs. Desert Hills before hitting the road for a Dixie match-up Friday afternoon.

Pine View stayed a half-game back with a pair of wins, Tuesday over Dixie 2-1 and Wednesday over Desert Hills 7-3. Kirsten Anderson got both wins and is 8-1. Cedar also has just one loss. The Panthers and reds both have just on region game this week and both will be participating in aa non-league tourney this weekend.

In baseball, Desert Hills (and the rest of the region) got an unexpected gift when Hurricane stunned Canyon View on Wednesday. The Falcons loss left the Thunder all alone in first place over the long weekend after Desert Hills beat Pine View 8-2. DH is 3-0, but faces defending state champion Snow Canyon Tuesday night at the Warriors’ Field. The Thunder also play at Canyon View Friday.

The Warriors barely escaped with a home win against Cedar Wednesday. The Redmen played well defensively and got a good outing from Kolton Harris. But it was southpaw Riley Gates who got the last laugh in the 2-1 Warriors win. Brendan Truman knocked in the game-winner in the seventh. Besides the DH game on Tuesday, Snow Canyon also travels to Dixie Friday.

Meanwhile, the Tigers have allowed 47 runs in four region games and been 10-runned three times. But Wednesday they caught a lightning in a bottle by surprising CV in that 10-6 win. Jay Williams got the win and also tripled in the game.

In soccer, Dixie jumped into first place all by itself with a pair of wins last week. The Flyers beat Canyon View 3-0 and then edged Cedar 2-1 in overtime. Goalkeeper Tristan Cowles has 17 career shutouts, including four this season.

The Flyers have 12 points, while three teams, Pine View, Desert Hills and Cedar, have nine points. It should be quite a race in the second half of region in soccer. Two teams, Dixie and PV, have allowed fewer than on goal a game, while most of the rest of the region is allowing a goal or slightly more than a gaol per game. Expect a lot of 1-0 and overtime games the rest of the way.

Region 9’s track stars continue to make waves and make their way toward the region and state tournaments, this week competing at the Hurricane Rotary Invitational. Dixie’s won the boys team title while Cedar’s girls continue to impress by easily winning the girls team title.

Some of the highlights include Hurricane’s Adam Thompson winning both the 100 meters and the long jump once again, Desert Hills’ Brad Wulfenstein and Blake Kvarfordt winning again (in the 300 hurdles and the discus, respectively) and Pine View’s Mikle Finch and Byron Warby winning the 800 and 1,600 meters. It is Warby’s first-ever varsity gold.

Dixie clinched the team title by winning both the 4 X 100 and 4 X 400 relays.

On the girls side, Cedar took the team title by winning the 4 X 100 and the sprint medley, plus taking the 100 (Brooklyn Shakespeare), 200 (Aimee Bryson) and the 100 hurdles (Kayla Shakespeare).

Snow Canyon’s Jenny Stewart won the 800 meters, while Elizabeth Empey continued her dominant ways in the shot put, taking gold with a throw of 31-feet, 5.5 inches.

Here are the winners of the Hurricane Rotary Invitational. For full results, go here.

Boys team scores
1. Dixie, 140; 2. Desert Hills, 129.5; 3. Hurricane, 122.5; 4. Pine View, 67; 5. Cedar, 53; 6 (tie) Canyon View, Snow Canyon, 23; 8. Diamond Ranch, 22.

Individual boys winners:
100 meters — Adam Thompson, Hurricane, 11.17
200 meters — Brayden Riding, Dixie, 24.19
400 meters — Jacob Beers, Dixie, 52.70
800 meters — Mike Finch, Pine View, 2:00.88
1,600 meters — Byron Warby, Pine View, 4:33.88
3,200 meters — Joshua Mcphie, Desert Hills, 9:51.11
110 hurdles — Brad Wulfenstein, Desert Hills, 14.95
300 hurdles — Lukas Hildebrandt, Dixie, 41.16
High jump — Chandler Swaney, Desert Hills, 6’03
Long jump — Adam Thompson, Hurricane, 21’00
Shot put — Jacob Nielson, Hurricane, 45’01.25
Discus — Blake Kvarfordt, Desert Hills, 135’08
Javelin — Daniel Bulloch, Hurricane, 44.35
4×100 relay — Dixie, 43.51
4×400 relay — Dixie, 3:36.80
Sprint medley relay — Desert Hills, 3:38.03

Girls team scores
1. Cedar, 158; 2. Hurricane, 134.5; 3. Dixie, 88; 4. Pine View, 81.5; 5. Desert Hills, 35; 6. Snow Canyon, 32; 7. Canyon View, 28.
Individual girls winners:
100 meters — Brooklyn Shakespeare, Cedar, 13.01
200 meters — Aimee Bryson, Cedar, 26.67
400 meters — Jenny Stewart, Snow Canyon, 1:01.99
800 meters — Courtney Allred, Desert Hills, 2:27.62
1,600 meters — Rachel Stone, Pine View, 5:30.08
3,200 meters — Rachel Slade, Desert Hills, 12:10.76
100 hurdles — Kayla Shakespeare, Cedar, 16.37
300 hurdles — Shalynne Seegmiller, Dixie, 48.56
High jump — Devon Robinson, Hurricane, 4’11
Long jump — Ivie Wittwer, Dixie, 14’09.75
Shot put — Elizabeth Empey, Dixie, 31’05.50
Discus — Kaytlin Dowdell, Pine View, 85’04
Javelin — Sydney Ballard, Hurricane, 95’02
4×100 relay — Cedar, 50.36
4×400 relay — Hurricane, 4:13.67
Sprint medley relay — Cedar, 4:18.85

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