Fall sports recap for Southern Utah 1A/2A high schools

Spencer Talbot of Panguitch bats against Diamond Ranch, Hurricane, Utah, Sept. 4, 2020 | Photo by Frank Kay Richards for St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — With the high school fall sports seasons beginning to wind to a close, here’s a recap of some of the recent action involving smaller Southern Utah high schools in the 1A and 2A classifications.

Football

In the 2A South division, the defending state champion Beaver Beavers are off to an 8-0 start, 4-0 in region play, including a 56-7 win at previously unbeaten Kanab on Oct. 2.

The Cowboys dropped to 7-1 overall with the loss, 4-1 in region play.

Beaver is ranked No. 1 in the 2A RPI rankings, while Kanab is No. 3.

Baseball

Utah’s 1A classification is the only one to play fall baseball. The state tournament is already in its final rounds, with four Southern Utah teams  – Valley, Panguitch, Wayne and Piute – making it to Friday’s semifinals at Snow Canyon High.

In the first semifinal game Friday, Valley took an early 3-1 lead over Panguitch, but the Bobcats rallied to build a big lead in the fifth and sixth innings, eventually winning 15-5. In the other game, Piute got the jump on Wayne, scoring nine runs in the first inning and taking a 12-0 lead after three. The Thunderbirds ended up winning 12-0 in five innings.

Saturday’s finals game, scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m., will be a rematch of last year’s 1A championship, when Piute defeated Panguitch 3-1. Right before the Panguitch vs. Piute championship contest at Snow Canyon High, Wayne and Valley will face each other at 11 a.m. in a consolation game for third place.

Earlier this week, during the quarterfinals in Spanish Fork on Tuesday, Valley defeated Bryce Valley 12-4, Panguitch edged Tabiona 4-2, Wayne beat Wendover 11-3 and Piute defeated Diamond Ranch Academy 8-4.

Golf

Beaver won its fourth consecutive state boys golf title on Oct. 1. The Beavers were led by senior Braden Roberts, who was the top individual medalist, shooting 8-under over the two-day tournament, which was held in Saratoga Springs.

Volleyball

In 1A volleyball, Orderville’s Valley High School has a 10-1 record in Region 20, 17-3 overall, but the Buffalos are in second place in the region standings behind Piute, which has only played about half as many games (the Thunderbirds are 4-0 in region, 9-2 overall). In the statewide RPI rankings, Piute is No. 2 and Valley is No. 3.

In 2A volleyball, the defending state champion Enterprise Wolves are in first place in the statewide RPI rankings, closely followed by North Summit, who played the Wolves in the last two state championship finals. Both teams are currently 15-3 overall. Enterprise has three more region games left on its schedule, culminating with a home contest against Millard on Oct. 20, with the state playoffs to follow.

Soccer

Parowan High soccer player Zoee Oldroyd, date and location not specified. | Photo courtesy of David Mineer, St. George News / Cedar City News

In 2A girls soccer, Millard won the 2A South region with an unbeaten 6-0 record against region opponents, 11-3 overall, while Parowan placed second with a 4-2 region record, 11-4 overall. The Rams defeated Gunnison 11-0 in the season finale on Thursday, with six different players scoring, led by Laci Sissener’s four goals. The 2A teams now await the final statewide RPI rankings and playoff bracket seedings, which are scheduled to be released Saturday at 9 a.m. by the Utah High School Activities Association. The first round of the playoffs is scheduled for Oct. 14 at the home fields of the higher-seeded schools.

Cross-country

As previously reported in St. George News, the 1A and 2A (and 4A) state cross-country championships will be staged in Cedar City this year, instead of the customary location at Salt Lake City’s Sugarhouse Park.

This year’s state meet is scheduled to take place at Cedar High on Oct. 21. That same venue, but with the runners following a slightly different course path, was the site of the Cedar Invitational on Oct. 2.

The top finishers from Southern Utah 1A/2A schools at that meet were senior Nathan Bowman of Kanab, who ran the boys race in 16:24, and freshman Elle Williams of Beaver, who finished the varsity girls race in 19:52.

Looking ahead to the state meet, Southern Utah teams looking to defend their state titles from last year are the Wayne High boys and the Milford girls in 1A and the Millard girls in 2A.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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