Goliath wins: Snow Canyon proves dominance through perfect state tournament run

Written by Rich Allen
May 22, 2021

WEST JORDAN — Across the backs of the now-state champion Snow Canyon Warrior pinstriped uniforms aren’t the traditional last names of the players. Instead, in the space over the player numbers, is one word, “Unity.”

No. 5 Mountain Crest vs. No. 2 Snow Canyon, 4A state baseball playoffs, Cate Field, Salt Lake Community College, West Jordan, Utah, May 22, 2021 | Photo by Rich Allen, St. George News

The Warriors tied for the Region 9 title but were rarely ranked No. 1 at the top of the RPI rankings. For them to truly assert their dominance across the 4A baseball diamond in Utah, a unified effort was required from top to bottom.

Snow Canyon won all eight games they played in the tournament, culminating in a 6-4 championship win over Mountain Crest Saturday. They relyied on a full roster effort. A senior group that has played together for a decade meshed with some younger, instrumental talent to take them to the promised land.

“It means everything,” senior catcher Mason Strong said. “I’ve been with these guys since I was 7-years old. Knowing the last time I was playing with them, I just got really emotional.”

Sophomore Sam Lindsey drove in the game-winning run, one of his two RBIs, in the championship game. Junior Isaac Lyon started the game on the mound and fellow junior Luke Anderson finished it.

In the fourth-year player group, standouts Landon Frei, Strong, Mayze Mosher and Carston Herman all showed why they earned commitments to colleges. Josh Akins brought a supporting role, watching from the dugout for much of the year before contributing key innings in the playoffs. Jackson Ence and Easton Rigby helped anchor the bottom of the lineup. Tanner Truman played stellar defense when called upon.

No. 5 Mountain Crest vs. No. 2 Snow Canyon, 4A state baseball playoffs, Cate Field, Salt Lake Community College, West Jordan, Utah, May 22, 2021 | Photo by Rich Allen, St. George News

Even Easton Schwendiman, who pitched 1.1 innings in-game all year, contributed by providing a left-handed option for batting practice when preparing for Dixie’s Malcolm Bartholomew in the playoffs.

It was a moment of making up for lost time for the 10 seniors total, who knew they had a shot at the same finish in 2020 before COVID-19 canceled the season.

“This was our goal the whole time,” Mosher said.

The team survived the tournament because of their depth. Desert Hills, which sported maybe the best 1-2 pitching combo in Payton Gubler and Kaden Terry, tied Snow Canyon for the Region 9 title. However, the Thunder were eliminated in three games in West Jordan after their pitching depth was strained. Dixie faced the same problem. So did Pine View.

No. 5 Mountain Crest vs. No. 2 Snow Canyon, 4A state baseball playoffs, Cate Field, Salt Lake Community College, West Jordan, Utah, May 22, 2021 | Photo by Rich Allen, St. George News

Snow Canyon was able to turn to Akins to start, who allowed a lone run against Dixie on Wednesday. They could go to Anderson and Frei out of the bullpen.

In the finals, Snow Canyon swept Mountain Crest. They won 3-1 on Friday and 6-4 on Saturday. The victories, while sweet, ended the prep careers of the senior group.

Mosher is headed to College of Southern Nevada. Frei is going to University of Utah. Herman is going to Dixie State. Strong is going to BYU.

Head coach Reed Secrist was able to work in his younger depth under the guidance of his senior leadership, bearing fruit not only this season but maybe for years to come.

“We’ve been right there all the time but to get there and get that state championship and show the younger guys what it’s all about is huge,” Secrist said. “The group of seniors we had this year, great guys. If you can keep that going for the next four or five years, it creates that pipeline. The kids care about each other, love each other and anything can happen.

“Getting that first one in 2021, especially after COVID, sends a signal for the next decade and hopefully we continue to get some.”

The state championship is the fifth in Snow Canyon history but first in 4A and first since going back-to-back in 2012 and 2013. In the wake of a senior class peppered with collegiate commitments to play on, there may be more in store for the Warriors in the future.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rich joined St. George News in October 2020. The Colorado native graduated from Metropolitan State University of Denver in December 2018, where he was a sports and managing editor at the student publication, The Metropolitan. He worked as a media relations assistant for the minor league baseball club New Orleans Baby Cakes in 2019.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @RAllenSTGNews@STGnews

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