The Woods Cross girls’ swim team was one of two sports to take home a state title for the first time this year. The golf team also won its first title in the fall.
Courtesy Photo
This year was no exception. From a first-time state winner to a another heart-breaking let down, the 2011 year for sports has brought us the good, the bad and the not-so-bad happenings in local sporting news.
Below is a list of the top 10 sports stories of the 2011 year. The stories were selected by the entire editorial staff and include some of the biggest stories to cover Davis County sports in the calendar year. While some may seem more important than others, they are not necessarily ranked in the order given
Wildcats claim first swim, golf state titles
The Woods Cross Wildcats went through a lot of changes this year, particularly in its coaching staff.
However, the girls’ swim team and boys’ golf team were on fire from start to finish in 2011, winning state titles for the high school for the first time in their specific sport.
For the swimmers, their 50-plus point victory at the state competition followed the team’s second region title, while the golfers were led by junior left-hander Peyton Hastings, Spencer Hale, Jordan Warnock, Kyle Beard, Payton Halls and Austin Crest.
Other top programs continue tradition
While some schools were claiming their first-ever state titles in their respective sports, others were continuing their dominance in claiming state titles.
The Davis Darts girls’ and boys’ cross-country teams continued to showcase their skills, finishing at or near the top in 2011.
The volleyball team also won its first title in 36 years, with Lori Salvo having claimed the other two as a player for Davis.
Braves continue football win streak
There are winning streaks, and then there are winning streaks that span decades.
Once again the Bountiful Braves football team was able to continue its winning streak over rival Woods Cross, which now spans over two decades.
With nothing on the line this year except more bragging rights, the Braves took care of business at home to claim their fourth region win of the season. The 44-21 score was the biggest margin of victory for the Braves since 2008, when they won 33-0.
Braves, Wildcats meet at semi-finals
In one of the most anticipated winter match-ups of the season, the Braves and Wildcats boys’ basketball teams met for a third time at the 4A boys’ basketball semi-finals, with the winner taking on fellow region foe Highland.
The game was full of ebbs and flows that eventually ended when the Mike Maxwell-coached Braves took down the Wildcats 62-52.
Bountiful went on to lose in the finals to Highland, 48-42.
Lady Vikings fall again in finals
The Viewmont Lady Vikings girls’ soccer team was on a mission to take home a state title after falling short in overtime in 2010 to Brighton.
They dominated their schedule, ripped through Region 2 with an unblemished record and reached the finals for the second year in a row, this time against Alta.
And once again, they were turned away by a 1-0 score to finish in second place.
Braves fall short of finals berth, again
The Bountiful Braves football team have had a run of winning seasons without claiming a state title.
This year was no different. The team finished with a near unblemished Region 6 mark and once again found themselves in position to play for the 4A state football title.
Their opponent this year: the Logan Grizzlies, who beat the Braves 56-31 the second week of the season. The result: another year ending in a semi-finals loss, this time with the score at 59-30.
Coaches coming, coaches going
The summer season brought about many coaching changes, none more noticeable than at Woods Cross.
The high school went about coaching changes both in football and girls’ basketball as Fred Fernandes and Craig Geis parted with the school under different circumstances.
Fernandes ended up being hired by his alma mater Roy, while Geis’ dismissal followed a season that nearly saw the team win a region title, despite a 1-7 preseason record.
Darts’ cross-country dominate Relay, Nike
The Davis Darts’ cross-country teams not only dominated during their season, but well after it also.
With the boys’ and girls’ teams competing in the 2011 Ragnar Relay, both finished in the top three by less than one minute.
More recently, they finished third in the Nike Nationals event, eight spots better than last year’s showing at the same event.
Vikings’ soccer player trains in Spain
It isn’t very often that an athlete gets the chance to train with a team like Real Madrid.
But current Viewmont Vikings soccer player Lucas Cawley did, travelling to Spain over the summer to train with the European team for a few days.
Cawley will be playing for the Vikings boys’ soccer team in the spring.
Ragnar Relay brings thousands of runners
The annual Ragnar Relay had its share of great stories to tell. From locals competing for the first time ever to local high schools finishing near the top. Registration for the event was full almost as soon as it opened, and the race was considered by many to be another success.
While there were several other stories that were taken into consideration, these were the ones that were chosen as the top stories for the entire year.
May next year be filled with even more stories as the sporting world nears the 2012 calendar.
sgillet@davisclipper.com
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