Talented Nacua brothers, Puka and Samson, will add firepower and depth to BYU’s already potent receiving corps

Ted S. Warren, AP

Washington’s Puka Nacua and Utah’s Samson Nacua have officially signed with BYU after transferring to their hometown school to be closer to family

BYU’s receivers group just got a lot better.

Head coach Kalani Sitake announced Wednesday that brothers Puka and Samson Nacua, from the University of Washington and University of Utah, respectively, have signed scholarship agreements to transfer to BYU.

Wednesday’s announcement is not a surprise; The Nacuas said on March 8 via social media accounts that they were transferring to BYU. Samson Nacua enters as a graduate transfer and a senior in 2021, while Puka Nacua is listed as a sophomore — with three seasons of eligibility remaining if he wants them.

“We are very excited about the additions of Samson and Puka. They are both experienced and talented receivers and come from an amazing family and a great bloodline of football players to come through BYU. Their character and leadership will be a great asset to our program and university and will add to the great culture that has already been established here at BYU.” — BYU football coach Kalani Sitake

Samson Nacua is immediately eligible as a graduate transfer; Puka Nacua will be eligible in 2021 as a first-time transfer if the NCAA passes pending legislation that will allow first-time transfers to be immediately eligible, as expected.

“We are very excited about the additions of Samson and Puka,” Sitake said in a school news release. “They are both experienced and talented receivers and come from an amazing family and a great bloodline of football players to come through BYU. Their character and leadership will be a great asset to our program and university and will add to the great culture that has already been established here at BYU.”

The brothers are the sons of Penina and the late Lionell Nacua. Older brothers Kaimana and Isaiah also attended BYU and were a part of the football program. Kai Nacua played at BYU from 2013-16 and is currently in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers.

Welcome to the Family @AsapPuka!! pic.twitter.com/J30AZUIY29

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) March 31, 2021

Puka Nacua was a first-team All-American and the Deseret News’ Mr. Football out of Orem High School in 2018. He averaged 19.9 yards per reception for the Huskies in his two seasons while totaling 319 yards and three touchdowns on 16 receptions. He played in 11 games overall in two abbreviated seasons in Seattle.

Samson Nacua played in 45 games for Utah, including eight starts, while totaling 1,015 yards and 11 touchdowns on 82 receptions from 2017 to 2020. He was a first-team All-State player out of Timpview High.

The brothers joined group of receivers for receivers coach and passing game coordinator Fesi Sitake that will lose Dax Milne to professional football but has Gunner Romney, Neil Pau’u, Chris Jackson and others returning from a team that went 11-1 and finished ranked No. 11 in the final AP Top 25 poll.

Welcome to the Family @lionel_nacua!! pic.twitter.com/gRqonqs0lq

— BYU FOOTBALL (@BYUfootball) March 31, 2021

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Salt Lake County launches effort to help more local businesses survive the pandemic

A hand-painted sign on a business in downtown Salt Lake City on Monday, April 13, 2020, reminds Utahns to social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic. | Steve Griffin, Deseret News

A new program hopes to help more businesses recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

This week, Salt Lake County is launching the Economic Inclusion Community Assistance Program aimed at mitigating the K-shaped economic recovery resulting from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Business Insider characterizes a K-shaped recovery as a scenario where certain industries and individuals pull out of a recession, while others stagnate, basically splitting an economy in two with separations “along class, racial, geographic or industry lines.” The K-shaped recovery typically reveals previous variances and inequities in wealth that can be exacerbated.

In the wake of the economic turmoil caused by the pandemic, the county is seeking to address those gaps in connecting diverse business owners with existing resources that have otherwise gone underutilized or unknown to potential small business recipients, said Salt Lake County Economic Development Director Jevon Gibb.

”The gaps that existed before the pandemic are becoming even wider coming out of the pandemic, and a lot of the problem is about inclusion because the companies and communities that are falling further behind faced issues of inclusion beforehand,” he said.

COVID-19 Economic Recovery Program Manager Samantha Mary Thermos said county leaders want to leverage community organizations’ relationships to help connect diverse businesses with the support they need to recover from the pandemic’s effects and achieve long-term success.

“We believe community partners have the existing relationships, established networks and cultural awareness necessary to effectively assist diverse business owners experiencing the devastating financial impacts of the pandemic, and this program will facilitate that one-on-one connection,” she said.

The program is being developed to fund partners that work with businesses in communities experiencing economic opportunity gaps, including African American, Asian American, Hispanic, Native American, Asian-Pacific, women, persons with disabilities, veterans, socially or economically disadvantaged businesses, and businesses located in areas with lower economic opportunity, Gibb said.

“We still have important work to do around inclusion. Some communities are getting left behind, and COVID-19 has made that trend worse,” Gibb said. “All too often, this lack of opportunity goes overlooked. We’re excited to work with partners to help these communities achieve their potential, which will create a stronger economy for everybody in Salt Lake County.”

The county currently has allocated $200,000 that will be used to fund trainings through partnerships with nonprofit organizations who will work as facilitators and provide assistance to small businesses that may need help in fostering the relationships required to prosper long term, she said.

“Our role would be to add capacity or money to provide more trainers or facilitators to pay nonprofits to seek answers, and as that works through, we hope that companies can do things like have a better banking relationships with their financial institution.

“Maybe they don’t understand how banking works in the U.S., so (we might have) a facilitator sit down with them and explain how banking works and what kind of records they need to keep,” Thermos said.

In addition to introducing them to a bank that understands their needs, help could include something like “Excel classes, basic business needs, but then there’s also specific needs — maybe it’s a day care facility,” she said.

“We know that women are an unfortunate example of how the recovery has been very tough and funding nonprofits to help train day care providers and day care centers to add capacity is huge,” she added. “That’s been a big hit in the economy, and so if we can help with some of those specific things, that would be an example of those (needs to be met).”

Gibb said the initial program funding rollout is targeted for six months, upon which time the county will evaluate any changes or adjustments that could be made to improve its functionality. The hope is to develop in a way that will be an asset to diverse business enterprises for years to come, he said.

“We’re talking about opportunity communities, and opportunity business enterprises,” he said. “That’s being defined as communities that have experienced less economic mobility or economic opportunity in the past.”

“We’ve taken a flexible approach there, but with the underlying goal of ‘Help us understand how this community has experienced economic opportunity gaps in the past and how you’re going to work on that,’” he explained. “It’s not just one characteristic that we’re going to say, ‘Yes, then you qualify.’ It’s open to (interpretation). Issues about the kind of opportunities you face are complex, and so we’re going to take that flexible approach to understand that complexity.”

The application deadline is April 7. Organizations interested in applying and participating in the program can visit the Economic Inclusion Community Assistance Program website or contact Samantha Mary Thermos at sthermos@slco.org.

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To cover or not to cover Trump? Unfortunately, the choice is easy

Former President Donald Trump addresses attendees during the 2021 Conservative Political Action Conference at the Hyatt Regency. | Paul Hennessy, SOPA Images/Sipa

We can plug our ears, cover our eyes, and will him to go away. But the reality is, Trump is still a big problem worth covering.

“Please stop covering the crazy stuff out Trump’s mouth (sic). The nightmare is over. Please #CNN, #NBC, #CBS, #ABC.”

That’s just one of probably thousands of similar tweets in recent months imploring the media to just ignore the former president and, to invoke a Bush-era mantra, move on.

“I can not say this enough. Stop covering donald trump. We don’t care,” read another.

“MSM STOP COVERING TRUMP. HE IS IRRELEVANT.”

The frustration is ALL-CAPS PALPABLE. After four years of round-the-clock coverage of a president who willingly inserted himself into all aspects of American life, sometimes tweeting in the middle of the night, it’s understandable that voters and viewers want a break.

It was part of Joe Biden’s direct appeal, to be less visible and less invasive. “Remember when you didn’t have to think about the president every single day?” a Biden September 2020 ad began.

I’m here for a post-MAGA America, one that resides permanently within a history book and not in a newspaper, but we don’t yet live in that America. I’m sad to say, Trump is not “irrelevant”; the “nightmare” is not over.

For one, he’s trying to influence the 2022 midterms and is likely to play a significant role in Republican efforts to win back Congress. Considering Biden’s substantial and fragile agenda, that seems, er, important.

Likewise, Trump may very well run for president again in 2024. And if you want to know what it looks like when the media doesn’t take a presidential run seriously, see the early months of 2016 and the eventual result.

After being de-platformed on multiple social media sites, he plans to launch one of his own. According to former adviser Corey Lewandowski, the site promises “an opportunity for other people to weigh in and communicate in a free format without fear of reprisal or being canceled.”

He has also just launched a new official website, 45office.com, where Trump supporters can request “participation in events, submit letters and ask for personalized greetings.”

He has established a leadership PAC, Save America, and is reportedly launching a super PAC, which can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money.

In short, this doesn’t sound like someone who is going away. And with the money he has already raised, his impact isn’t either. Covering Trump’s potential kingmaking will be an important and ongoing part of the media’s job. Ignore it at your own peril, and talk to me in November of 2022.

But the more alarming aspect we simply cannot afford to ignore is Trump’s continued influence over culture.

It wasn’t PACs or super PACs that catapulted Trump to power. It was his politics of revenge and grievances, a fetid cauldron of racism, bigotry, sexism, xenophobia, perverted populism and nihilism. All that hasn’t gone away.

While many Republicans left the party in droves over Trump’s divisive rhetoric and policies, a sizable amount have remained and calcified — nearly 26% of the country identifies as Republican — more than enough to sway elections. What those voters believe in may trouble us. But pretending they don’t exist is, I promise, not the answer.

Trump’s influence on them is well worth covering. After all, it helped shape their opinions on COVID-19 — his anti-mask and anti-science rhetoric inarguably prolonged and worsened the pandemic.

Trump is still trying to stoke their skepticism. In a statement he just released this week, Trump calls his own scientists Dr. Deborah Birx, “a proven liar,” and Dr. Anthony Fauci, “the king of ‘flip-flops.’” He collectively calls them “two self-promoters trying to reinvent history to cover for their bad instincts and faulty recommendations, which I fortunately almost always overturned.”

Just as dangerously, he’s still spreading the big lie that his election was stolen. That lie has become so fundamental to the Republican Party that Georgia just turned it into a law.

And Trump’s reawakening of white supremacist elements in the United States resulted in an insurrection at the Capitol just under three months ago, along with a rise in far-right extremism. If we agree we must root out hatred and systemic racism, we must also cover the people promoting it, including Trump.

Believe me, no one wants to be past Trumpism more than I do. It has been one of the ugliest eras of modern American history, the lasting effects of which are nowhere near complete.

And it’s because the story is unfinished that we must continue covering it. As NPR public editor Kelly McBride put it, “It’s virtually impossible to stop talking about Trump. There’s still too many questions about what he did as president.”

We can plug our ears, cover our eyes and will him to go away. But the reality is, Trump is still a big problem for America — and yes, a problem worth covering.

S.E. Cupp is the host of “S.E. Cupp Unfiltered” on CNN.

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How a career-threatening ailment helped BYU defensive lineman Atunaisa Mahe appreciate football again

BYU defensive lineman Atunaisa Mahe, shown here in a photo taken in August of 2019, had a blood clot in his brain last summer that caused him to miss the entire 2020 football season. He’s back with the Cougars, and recently completed spring camp on March 26, 2021. | Courtesy Savannah Tittle, BYU

Cougars’ defensive tackle from West Jordan High missed the entire 2020 season due to a blood clot in his brain, but is back and ready to replace graduated stars Khyiris Tonga, Zac Dawe and Bracken El-Bakri

The only word big, strong BYU defensive tackle Atunaisa Mahe could say on that scary day last summer was “help.”

Fortunately, that one word was enough.

What happened next kept Mahe, the Cougars’ 6-foot-1, 302-pound sophomore from West Jordan, from playing football the entire 2020 season, but it probably saved his life.

“I just thank the Lord that I am still here, still playing football,” he said via a video conference as BYU’s spring football camp was winding down last month.

“I was really devastated. The first thing that came into my mind was, man, I won’t be able to play football.” — BYU defensive lineman Atunaisa Mahe

Now Mahe is fighting for a starting spot on BYU’s defensive line as defensive coordinator and defensive line coach Ilaisa Tuiaki looks to replace graduated stars Khyiris Tonga, Bracken El-Bakri and Zac Dawe with a group that has faced a significant number of injuries and setbacks in previous years, guys such as Mahe, Lorenzo Fauatea, Uriah Leiataua, Alden Tofa and Earl Tuioti-Mariner.

Mahe’s was definitely the most career-threatening.

Last summer, after the Cougars had returned from a school-imposed quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Mahe noticed that when he was running the left side of his body started to get numb.

“I thought I was just dehydrated,” he said.

It was much worse.

When Mahe got back to his apartment, the whole left side of his body shut down. Fortunately, a roommate heard his cries for help and took him to the emergency room of a nearby hospital.

He was diagnosed with venous thrombosis.

“Essentially, I had a blood clot in my brain,’ he said. ‘But instead of it being in my artery, which would be a stroke, it was in my vein.”

“It was triggered by overworking,” said Mahe, known as one of the strongest players on the team. He was a state weightlifting champion in high school.

“I was really devastated,” he said. “The first thing that came into my mind was, man, I won’t be able to play football.”

The ailment didn’t require surgery, just a daily routine of taking blood thinners for about seven months. Mahe was forced to sit out the entire 2020 season and watch his aforementioned friends lead the Cougars to an 11-1 season.

Tuiaki’s defense finished the year ranked No. 10 in total defense (317.4 yards per game) and No. 4 in scoring defense (15.3 points per game). And all he could do was watch.

A few months ago, after a series of regular appointments, tests and scans, Mahe was cleared to return to football. Now he’s ready to make up for lost time.

“It has been a blessing, putting my life into the hands of the Lord,” he said. “Whatever He wants from me is what I am going to do. I have this opportunity to come back and play. I feel good. I am not 100 percent, but I am slowly, gradually getting back into everything. It has been a blessing, for sure.”

Tuiaki said Mahe, who is related to former BYU great Reno Mahe, is a natural born leader and adds joyfulness to the team, even when he’s not suiting up.

“He’s not as tall or as big as some of these other linemen, so he’s got to play with good hands and technique,” Tuiaki told the Deseret News in 2019 when Mahe emerged as one of the better defensive linemen on the team. “He could be a special player in the future. He’s earned it.”

After graduating from WJHS in 2016, ‘Naisa,’ as his teammates call him, served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Samoa. He sustained a knee injury in 2018, which caused him to take a redshirt year that season.

In 2019, he made 22 tackles and had two sacks.

“We are just working on executing our plays and our footwork and technique,” Mahe said after three weeks of camp. “And for me personally, it is just a blessing to be able to come back and be able to get out there on the field. We are not taking anything for granted.”

Especially after what happened on that unforgettable summer day in 2020.

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Utah man, 74, charged with violently attacking woman in their senior living center

The Davis County Courts Complex in Farmington is pictured on Friday, March 19, 2021. On Wednesday, a 74-year-old man was charged with five felonies accusing him of attacking a 75-year-old woman at a senior living center in Layton. | Steve Griffin, Deseret News

Criminal charges have been filed against an elderly man accused of violently assaulting an elderly woman at a senior living center in Layton where they both live.

David Scott Watson, 74, was charged Wednesday in 2nd District Court with object rape and aggravated burglary, first-degree felonies; two counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony; and aggravated assault, a third-degree felony.

Watson entered the apartment of a 75-year-old woman on Sunday at the Legacy Cottages of Layton, 250 N. Adamswood Road, wearing a robe, no shoes and “black type gloves,” according to charging documents.

“He covered her mouth with a gloved hand and her breathing was impeded. He repeatedly punched her face, jaw and chest,” the charges state.

Watson then sexually assaulted the woman who “attempted to resist but is limited due to her physical capabilities,” according to the charges. The woman told police Watson also seemed to get tired after a while.

Watson — who lives in the same complex — threatened to return the next day and assault her again, the charges state.

As he was leaving the room, however, he tripped and fell and was unable to get up for a few minutes, according to police. The woman, who was also unable to get up, tried to get her digital voice assistant to send help.

The woman said, “‘Alexa, call 911.’ Watson immediately shouted, ‘Alexa, no don’t call.’ This happened several times but no contact was ever made,” the charging documents say.

Watson was eventually able to get up and leave. The woman then called police and officers arrived about 5:15 a.m., a police booking affidavit states.

About 6:30 a.m., while police were still on scene, an officer noticed an elderly man walking to a dumpster at a nearby restaurant near the apartment complex, the affidavit states. Thinking it was odd behavior, the officer followed.

Police found Watson “disposing a trash bag of cloth gloves and blue flannel robe,” the charges say. “He also had a large scrape on the top of his head.”

Although prosecutors noted in court documents that Watson has no prior criminal history, they have requested that he be held in the Davis County Jail without bail.

The Deseret News contacted the Legacy Cottages where a woman who answered the phone said Wednesday that they had no comment.

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Letter: Think about the fear Asian American youth feel right now

Protesters Dana Liu, center front, and Kexin Huang, right, both of Newton, Mass., display placards during a rally held to support Stop Asian Hate on Sunday, March 21, 2021, in Newton. | Steven Senne, Associated Press

As a 17-year-old Asian American student, my culture looks to elders with the utmost respect. Asian American immigrants have continued to work for their success, and they succeed in many aspects. But even though our elders sacrificed their entire life in their home country to give their children a better life, they end up killed for having slanted eyes.

It hurts to see other communities not fight with us during a time of oppression. Movements become more and more seen throughout the media to get us closer to equality, and yet we still see more and more acts of hate. I beg the government and local politicians to acknowledge the hate that is happening to my community right now.

Seeing our elders getting pushed to the ground, slashed in the face, shot for no reason and killed is heartbreaking to the entire world. Think for a second about how scared Asian American youth are feeling right now. Our parents and elders sacrificed their whole lives just so we can live ours, and before they start living for themselves, they lose the life they worked so hard to endure. Our parents came for the American dream, hoping that they can have a better life for their children and possibly for themselves with financial stability and the hope a new society will welcome them. Instead, they are met with violent crimes that destroy all the hope they had for America.

Kindness is and always will be the first step to equality. Our ancestors came to this land to have a better life, and instead, they are met with discrimination and become targets of hate.

Stop Asian hate. It is a disgrace it is happening in the first place. Our culture taught us to take care of our families first, so when you hurt or disrespect our community, you disrespect all of us.

Audrey Pan

Sandy

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Why Drew Brees’ kids didn’t want him to retire

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees throws a pass during against the Detroit Lions. | Bill Feig, Associated Press

After a change of heart, the Saints quarterback’s kids helped him announce his retirement with a video

While the decision to step away from football might have come easy for Drew Brees, his family apparently needed a little convincing.

Today reports that the former New Orleans Saints quarterback reflected on his decision to retire in a recent interview with Ellen DeGeneres and shared that the idea didn’t sit well with his kids at first.

• He told Degeneres, “Last year, before this 2020 season, I’m driving in the car with the family, and Brittany and I had talked about it a little bit, and I said ‘Boys, what would you think if Dad wasn’t gonna play football anymore?’ And they’re like, ‘What do you mean?’”
• Brees continued, “They’re like, ‘Noooo, you can’t retire! We’re not gonna be able to go to the games anymore, we’re not gonna be able to go to the Saints facility.’”

NOLA.com reports that their feelings changed after the 2020 season. Brees sat out for four weeks during his 2020 campaign after he suffered multiple rib fractures and a collapsed lung. Months later, it was revealed that he also experienced a torn rotator cuff and a torn fascia during the season as well.

“This offseason ... they just looked at me and said, ‘OK dad, we’re ready,’” the quarterback said, according to Today.

Brees and his wife Brittany are parents to four children, three sons — Baylen, 12, Bowen, 10, and Callen, 8 — and a daughter, Rylen, 6.

The quarterback officially announced his retirement earlier this month through a video that was posted on Instagram, E! Online reports. The video features the Brees children sitting on a couch taking turns reciting the lines,

“After 15 years on the Saints and 20 years in the NFL ...” “Our dad ...” “Is finally going to retire” and then they exclaimed in unison, “ So he can spend more time with us! Yay!”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Drew Brees (@drewbrees)

NOLA.com reports that as Brees is putting his days with the Saint behind him, he’s joining a new team consisting of NBC broadcasters for college and NFL game-day coverage.

According to the site, come fall 2021, the future Hall of Famer will join Mike Tirico in the booth to call Notre Dame football games on Saturdays and he’ll have a role in NBC’s Sunday Night Football broadcasts.

“I am only retiring from playing football,” Brees wrote in the caption to his retirement video, “Now my real life’s work begins.”

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NBA All-Star Zion Williamson is teaming up with SLAM to release a line of NFTs

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) dribbles during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Monday, March 29, 2021, in Boston. | Associated Press

The SLAM x ZION collection features 12 NFTs designed to look like animated magazine covers

Zion Williamson, the NBA All-Star forward for the New Orleans Pelicans, is teaming up with SLAM magazine to release a line of collectible NFTs, Uproxx reports.

For those of you out there who haven’t yet been introduced to the world of NFTs, here’s a quick breakdown: NFTs (nonfungible tokens) are collectible digital objects (images, sound bytes, videos, etc.) that are bought and sold on blockchains. This writer likes to think of NFTs as trading cards or collectible works of art that exist only in the digital space.

The SLAM x ZION collection of NFTs features 12 tokens that are designed to look like animated SLAM magazine covers. Here’s a preview (courtesy of Boardroom):

Zion Williamson and @SLAMonline have partnered on an NFT release.

The SLAM x ZION collection drops this Friday on @opensea.

“I’m really excited to partner with SLAM for the first-ever NFT cover and digital basketballs.” -@Zionwilliamson

pic.twitter.com/Syqj2us4zq

— Boardroom (@boardroom) March 31, 2021

Uproxx reports that NFTs in the SLAM x ZION collection will be available for purchase on the NFT marketplace OpenSea starting on Friday, April 2.

According to SLAM, some of the NFTs will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis at a flat rate, while others will be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

SLAM describes the collaboration with Williamson as “a first-of-its-kind NFT drop.”

“I’m really excited to partner with SLAM for the first-ever NFT cover and digital basketballs,” Williamson stated in a SLAM press release, “Through this drop, we hope to deepen our connection with basketball fans, while creating a unique opportunity for them to get in on the action and own a piece of history.”

It makes sense that Williamson would participate in an NFT drop given how popular NFTs are becoming in the NBA community. CNBC reports that in February, a highlight clip of Williamson sold for nearly $200,000 on NBA Top Shot, a platform that produces tradable NFTs of NBA stars called “moments.” According to the site, NBA Top Shot has generated more than $230 million in sales since it launched in 2020.

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How tough has it been for Utah college basketball players to find success after leaving for pros early?

Utah State’s Neemias Queta, left, and Utah’s Alfonso Plummer, right, are pictured in a composite photo. Queta and Plummer have declared for the 2021 NBA draft. It’s the third straight year Queta has declared for the draft, though ESPN’s Jonathan Givony said he will hire an agent and go pro this year, while Plummer simultaneously announced he will also enter the transfer portal, leaving the option he could return to college, but not necessarily at Utah. | Deseret News and Associated Press

Here’s a look at modern-era Utah college players who left early for the NBA draft and how their careers have fared

It’s a rare sight these days to see a college basketball player in the state of Utah not only declare for the NBA draft, but follow through with it and leave school early to begin a pro career.

In recent days, two Utah college basketball players — Utah State center Neemias Queta and Utah guard Alfonso Plummer — have declared for the NBA draft. Plummer simultaneously announced he had entered the transfer portal, keeping his options open to either go pro or utilize the extra year of eligibility the NCAA is allowing due to the pandemic.

This is the third straight year Queta has declared for the draft — he ultimately returned to Logan the past two seasons — though ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported that Queta will hire an agent and go pro this time. If Plummer, too, chooses to go pro, what could await them? Queta is rated the No. 76 prospect in this year’s NBA draft class by ESPN, and Plummer is unranked — there are only 60 players taken each year in the draft.

Over the past 10 years, 20 players from Utah colleges have declared early for the NBA draft, but only six of those players ended up going pro instead of returning to college.

The good news is all six are still playing pro basketball somewhere. Half of them were taken in the NBA draft and are significant players for their respective teams.

There are challenges and questions, though, in leaving early, even for guys like Queta, the reigning Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year, or Plummer, a sharpshooter who made nearly 40% of his 3-point attempts at Utah.

Here’s how the careers of the six Utah ties who left college early for a pro career have panned out so far.

Chris O’Meara, Associated Press

Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) goes for a layup after getting around Toronto Raptors forward Stanley Johnson (5) during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Sunday, March 28, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. Lillard has been a star for the Trail Blazers from day 1 after leaving Weber State following his junior year.

Damian Lillard, G, Weber State

• Year: 2012; NBA draft: Taken No. 6 overall, Portland Trail Blazers

The 30-year-old Lillard is the cream of the crop among Utah ties who’ve gone pro early over the past decade, and he’s among the best Utah college players to ever play in the NBA. Lillard made an immediate impact in Portland, being named the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2013. He is a six-time All-Star and earned All-NBA first team honors in 2018 and All-NBA second team three other seasons.

Lillard is in peak form, as he’s averaging just a touch under 30 points per game this season (29.8) while shooting over 37% from 3-point range — he’s made 1,959 3s in his career through Tuesday, March 30. Lillard is also averaging 7.8 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game this season.

Jakob Poeltl, C, Utah

• Year: 2016; NBA draft: Taken No. 9 overall, Toronto Raptors

Poeltl left the Utes program after his sophomore season. He’s been a key reserve through much of his NBA career — he spent his first two seasons in Toronto before being traded to San Antonio, and he’s played for the Spurs the past three seasons.

Poeltl is putting up his best career numbers this season: he’s started 26 games for San Antonio and is averaging 24.7 minutes per game. He’s also averaging a career bests in several categories — 7.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.7 blocks — while shooting 62.8% from the field.

Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma scores on a breakaway dunk against the Orlando Magic during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Sunday, March 28, 2021, in Los Angeles. Kuzma has carved out a key role with the Lakers since arriving in Los Angeles after leaving the University of Utah following his junior season.

Kyle Kuzma, F, Utah

• Year: 2017; NBA draft: Taken No. 27 overall, Brooklyn Nets (dealt to Los Angeles Lakers in draft-day trade)

Kuzma has been a solid find for the Lakers through his first four NBA seasons. He’s averaged double-digit scoring every year in Los Angeles, and he’s started more than half of his career NBA games — though he’s come off the bench more in the past two seasons. Kuzma helped the Lakers win last year’s NBA championship.

Kuzma agreed to a three-year, $40 million contract extension with Los Angeles in December, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and he’s paid that off by averaging 12.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game this season through Tuesday night.

Eric Mika, F/C, BYU

• Year: 2017; NBA draft: Undrafted

Mika, who left BYU after his sophomore season, was the first of three straight Utah ties who’ve cut short their college career short and failed to be taken in the NBA draft. He’s bounced around during his pro career, from playing in the NBA’s G League with the Stockton Kings — he had a brief stint with the Sacramento Kings — to playing for several teams overseas. He’s currently as a reserve for Serbian team KK Partizan, where the Lone Peak High product is averaging 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

Elijah Bryant, G, BYU

• Year: 2018; NBA draft: Undrafted

Bryant, who transferred to BYU after one year at Elon College, went undrafted one year after his former Cougar teammate did. He’s played for a pair of teams in the Israeli Premier League during his pro career, first with Hapoel Eilat for a season, and with Maccabi Tel Aviv from 2019 until now. After being named All-Israeli League first team as a rookie, he won a league title in 2020 and is averaging 13.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

DeAngelo Isby, G, Utah State

• Year: 2018; NBA draft: Undrafted

Isby played just one season in Logan after joining the program as a junior college transfer from Wabash Valley College. While he was taken in the second round of the NBA G League’s 2018 draft by the Santa Cruz Warriors, Isby ultimately has spent his entire pro career overseas thus far. He averaged 24.1 points per game with Slovakian team BKM Lucenec during his rookie year and returned to the team earlier this season, though he was released in late January.

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Vaccinations ‘protect health and preserve life,’ Latter-day Saint handbook update says

President Russell M. Nelson receives the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Jan. 19, 2021, in Salt Lake City. The latest update to the church handbook reemphasizes the First Presidency’s long-held support for vaccinations. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The latest update in the project to streamline the handbook of policies and instructions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reemphasizes the First Presidency’s long-standing support for vaccinations.

“Vaccinations administered by competent medical professionals protect health and preserve life,” the handbook says in a new section added Wednesday to the General Handbook. “Members of the Church are encouraged to safeguard themselves, their children, and their communities through vaccination.”

The handbook update also outlines new callings available to young single adults in YSA congregations and adds both a new section on affinity fraud and a new policy against extreme preparation and survivalism.

The handbook statement on vaccinations is not a new policy. It reemphasizes consistent First Presidency direction since at least 1978, according to a news release.

The current First Presidency has modeled its position in recent weeks. The three members of the church’s leading body received COVID-19 vaccine shots on Jan. 19.

“We have prayed often for this literal godsend,” President Russell M. Nelson said in a message published that day on his Facebook and Instagram accounts after getting his shot at the Salt Lake County Health Department.

The church also gave $20 million through Latter-day Saint Charities to support COVAX, a global campaign to provide 2 billion COVID-19 vaccines to people in low- and middle-income countries. Latter-day Saint Charities has supported vaccination campaigns for decades that have eliminated deadly diseases in countries around the world.

Latter-day Saint Charities was a partner in the vaccination project that eliminated polio in Africa last year, when the World Health Organization officially declared that continent free of the wild poliovirus. It is a partner in vaccinating to eradicate the virus in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the last two polio-endemic countries in the world.

Wednesday’s handbook update includes four rewritten chapters and seven other chapters with added or revised sections. Key adjustments include:

• The added section on affinity fraud says leveraging friendship or a position of trust to take financial advantage of someone else is “a shameful betrayal of trust and confidence. Its perpetrators may be subject to criminal prosecution. Church members who commit affinity fraud may also face membership restrictions or withdrawal. … Members may not state or imply that their business dealings are sponsored by, endorsed by or represent the church or its leaders.”
• The new policy on extreme survivalism counsels “against extreme or excessive preparation for possible catastrophic events. … Efforts to prepare should be motivated by faith, not fear. Church leaders have counseled members not to go into debt to establish food storage. Instead, members should establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve over time.”
• Expanded callings for young single adult and single adult congregations are designed to eliminate perceptions that church service is limited for those who are not married.

Single adult men under 30 now may serve in YSA wards and stakes as counselors in stake presidencies as well as bishoprics, on high councils and as stake Sunday School presidents and counselors. Single adult women in YSA wards and stakes can serve as Stake Relief Society presidents and counselors.

“In recent months, our minds have been drawn with particular focus to Latter-day Saints who are single adults,” Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said in a news release. “We want you to know that you are loved — and so very needed in building the kingdom of God. For this reason, we felt to search carefully for policies and misperceptions that might limit the church service of single members. What we found was that church policy already allows for broad service by single adults — and it could be even broader. We feel today’s policy adjustments can make a big difference. We hope your leaders know to put you to work—including as counselors in bishoprics, on high councils and as organization presidents and counselors.”

• Another new section addresses the ongoing need to respect local restrictions on missionary work. The church’s missionaries “serve only in countries where they are officially recognized and welcomed by local governments. The church and its members respect all laws and requirements with regard to missionary efforts. For example, in some parts of the world, missionaries are sent only to serve humanitarian or other specialized missions. Those missionaries do not proselytize. The church does not send missionaries to some countries.”

The church announced in January 2020 that it was combining what had been Handbook 1 and Handbook 2 into a single, streamlined, universally accessible, flexible, online General Handbook with 38 chapters. The revisions are being made under the direction of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

The project is being done in chunks. Tuesday’s was the fifth section of updates released in the past 14 months. The project is now 75% complete:

• The first release in February 2020 included nine reworked chapters that reflected the church’s recent emphasis on ministering and home-centered gospel living and teaching. It also defined transgender policies for the first time and changed the name of disciplinary councils to membership councils and updated their procedures
• A second update in March 2020 completed an additional three chapters focused on Aaronic Priesthood quorums and the Young Women and Primary organizations.
• The third update in July brought updates to policies about medical marijuana, birth control and issues related to fertility treatments and completed four more chapters.
• The fourth update in December codified recent statements against prejudice made by President Nelson and his first counselor in the First Presidency, President Dallin H. Oaks.

The handbook, including Wednesday’s update, is available to the public in English both online and in the church’s Gospel Library app. It will be available in other languages in coming months.

The overall handbook project is expected to be completed in English by the end of 2021.

Newly rewritten chapters released Wednesday are:

Chapter 6: “The Bishopric.” This chapter was previously called “Ward Leadership.” The name is changed to better reflect the content. It summarizes the bishop’s responsibilities for the work of salvation and exaltation. It also explains differences between bishops and branch presidents. It includes information about the ward executive secretary.

Chapter 23: “Sharing the Gospel and Strengthening New and Returning Members.” This chapter focuses on loving others and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. It emphasizes the responsibilities of elders quorum presidencies, Relief Society presidencies, and others for sharing the gospel and strengthening new and returning members. It also includes updated information about the callings of ward mission leader and ward missionary.

Chapter 24: “Missionary Recommendations and Service.” This chapter includes updated guidelines on preparing and qualifying for missionary service. It also clarifies the different types of missionary service, updates policies on maximum age limits for young sister missionaries, and updates policies on setting apart senior service missionaries.

Chapter 29: “Meetings in the Church.” This chapter includes brief overviews about each kind of meeting the Church holds. It also explains that bishops and stake presidents may authorize the streaming of meetings and holding virtual meetings when appropriate.

The handbook also provides updates about members with disabilities with information on performing temple work, organizing special classes or congregations and calling congregational disability specialists.

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Autistic man charged with grabbing officer’s weapon during struggle

A man who police say fought with Salt Lake library employees after he refused to wear a mask was charged Wednesday with allegedly grabbing an officer’s less-lethal shotgun. | Stock image

Confrontation began when man refused to wear face mask in Salt Lake library

A man who prosecutors say reacted violently when he was told he had to wear a mask inside the Salt Lake City Library has been charged with trying to take an officer’s weapon.

Victor Anthony Michini, 18, of Salt Lake City, was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with disarming a police officer, a first-degree felony; assault and interfering with an arresting officer, both class B misdemeanors; and disorderly conduct, an infraction.

On Sunday, Michini entered the Salt Lake City Public Library, 210 E. 400 South, without a mask, according to a police affidavit. Charging documents state that Michini has autism.

“Staff asked subject to wear mask or leave. Subject refused and became angry. Subject hit a computer monitor, knocking it to the floor. Subject then kicked a chair and library staff,” the affidavit states.

Charging documents further state that when they were called, police were told that Michini was “throwing computers and chairs at employees.” A security guard later told officers that Michini bit him and punched him with a closed fist, the charges state.

Other patrons in the library helped corner Michini and hold him until police arrived. Officers then attempted to move Michini into another room away from library patrons, but he refused to walk, the charges state.

Once he was in another room, Michini continued to struggle with officers who were attempting to place his hands behind his back in order to handcuff him, according to the charges.

When the officers finally got his hands behind his back, they noticed Michini had grabbed onto the strap of a less-lethal shotgun that one of the officers was wearing, the charges state. A police sergeant “looked down and Michini had grabbed the middle of his shotgun and was pulling it down. Fearing that he would discharge the shotgun, (the sergeant) punched him in the left lower back area and commanded him to let go of his gun,” according to the charges.

After he let go of the weapon, a restraining wrap was placed on Michini, who was taken into custody.

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‘It’s free agency within college football’: How Utes are being impacted by the NCAA transfer portal

Utah quarterback Ja’Quinden Jackson prepares to take a snap during spring camp in Salt Lake City. Jackson arrived at Utah via the transfer portal after spending his first college season with the Texas Longhorns. | University of Utah Athletics

The Utes have both gained and lost talented players during the offseason

As Utah, and every other college football program in the country, is finding out, the transfer portal giveth and the transfer portal taketh away.

The Utes benefited from several key additions from the NCAA’s transfer portal during the offseason, including Baylor quarterback Charlie Brewer, Texas quarterback Ja’Quinden Jackson, Oklahoma running back T.J. Pledger and LSU running back Chris Curry.

“We feel like we’ve hit home runs,” Utah offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig said about the influx of Power Five transfers.

But the Utes have also lost players like wide receivers Bryan Thompson (Arizona State) and Samson Nacua (BYU) to the transfer portal. Last December, running backs Devin Brumfield and Jordan Wilmore entered the portal before the season ended.

As spring practices help coaches formulate the depth chart and a pecking order going into the offseason, some players might explore other options in the coming weeks and months.

“I’m sure there’s going to be more guys enter the portal. Problem is, it’s so saturated now that there’s literally one scholarship for every four or five players in the portal,” said coach Kyle Whittingham. “People have to be careful and smart in how they handle things. We come out of spring and if you’re not where you want to be, then I’m sure some guys will exit.

“You hope the majority of them will continue to fight and compete and help the team anyway they can. Hopefully, that’s not becoming completely a thing of the past, to be a team guy and help out and find a role and embrace it, whether it’s special teams or whatever the case may be, and help your team win a championship.” — Kyle Whittingham

“You hope the majority of them will continue to fight and compete and help the team anyway they can. Hopefully, that’s not becoming completely a thing of the past, to be a team guy and help out and find a role and embrace it, whether it’s special teams or whatever the case may be, and help your team win a championship. ... We’re hoping the majority of our guys take that mentality and attitude instead of sticking their name in the portal.”

Is it difficult to keep players happy these days, what with the portal so readily available and the prospect of transferring without penalty on the horizon?

“It’s a little bit different now. We’re getting ready for that one-time transfer done. Guys have an opportunity to go ahead and leave. We have the portal, that we didn’t have before,” said Utah running backs coach Kiel McDonald. “So guys can hop into the portal and wind up going. The problem is, there’s a misconception about the portal. There are a lot of guys sitting in the portal that don’t have a home.

“A lot of guys don’t understand that. I think a third of the guys that hopped into the portal wound up receiving a scholarship. You might want to transition to somewhere else, but the grass isn’t always greener on the other side. It’s a tough process.”

McDonald said situations can change.

“I have guys that wound up leaving the program because they wanted to play. We had Ty Jordan and I had four or five guys that were very talented,” he said. “For example, (running back) TJ Green went to Liberty. He’s a very good football player. I didn’t know that a freshman was going to come in here and take the reins. These guys have dreams, too. Each situation is mutually exclusive.

“It’s a case-by-case basis,” he continued. “It is different for sure. But at the end of the day, we want to make sure that we’re going to treat them as men and respect them. But that’s not going to change us coaching them hard.”

Whittingham said he wasn’t necessarily caught off guard when Thompson and Nacua decided to leave the program last winter.

“Nothing surprises you anymore. … You react and fill the void proportionately with the portal. It’s just the way college football is now. It’s free agency within college football,” he said. “The way we look at it is, your high school guys are your draftees and your free agents are the portal guys. You’ve got to have both. You have to be able to get a blend of those incoming players.”

University of Utah Athletics

Newly hired receivers coach Chad Bumphis looks on during spring camp at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. The Utes lost a few receivers through the transfer portal, but Bumphis says it’s just “next man up” for the Utes.

For newly hired wide receivers coach Chad Bumphis, it wasn’t difficult to inherit a position group where two of its top players had decided to leave.

“In this program, you know that it’s next man up. Those guys see this as an opportunity to get on the field,” he said. “Obviously, we have the (Britain) Coveys in the room, who have been very successful. We’ve got some guys coming along. There wasn’t much stress. They saw it as an opportunity to get on the field and make plays. They’re excited to show what they can do. Making plays is what it’s all about.”

Ludwig is pleased with the way his quarterback position became deeper and more experienced with the addition of Brewer and Jackson.

“Two very talented quarterbacks with different experience levels. Charlie, a multiple-year starter at the Division I level, and Ja’Quinden Jackson, a very talented freshman joining us,” he said. “We felt they were two men that could contribute and compete right away. They’re a great fit in that quarterback room.”

Part of what attracted Jackson to Utah is that “it’s an NFL-ready program. They get you ready for the NFL as a freshman. This program is amazing.”

Ultimately, McDonald said, he wants players that are willing to compete.

“We’ve got to do what’s best for the program. We went and got guys that can play. We’re going to compete. You can’t be scared of competition. If you’re scared of competition, this is not the place for you.”

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When Cardi B, Utah and porn meet in a tweet

Rapper Cardi B attends the the Road to “Fast & Furious 9” Concert at Maurice A. Ferré Park on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020, in Miami, Fla. | Scott Roth/Invision/AP

The hip-hop artist Cardi B either just made a case for mandatory religion studies or why celebrities can be some of the least credible voices on cultural change. Probably both.

The dust-up on Twitter began with the Grammy award-winning rapper slamming Utah for “restricting porn and not regulating the disgusting things that happens in the FLDS,” adding, “that cult is disturbing.”

Given the replies, it’s clear people are confusing Utah’s predominant religion, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with a fundamentalist sect that has no tie to the church or its official doctrines. The FLDS group is a small and radical offshoot that has little influence in Utah, and its leader, Warren Jeffs, is serving a life sentence in prison for sexually abusing children. So yes, Cardi B is right to describe his actions as disturbing.

The Church of Jesus Christ does not claim “molesting children” to be part of its teachings, as Cardi B suggested, and its members do care about limiting the influence of pornography, as most religious people do. Porn demonstrably undermines the aims of a religious life by crippling family units, lowering a user’s self-worth and promoting a trade that fosters violence against women and frequently engages in sex trafficking. And this is where Cardi B’s influence falters.

The “restriction” she’s most likely referring to in her Twitter attack is HB72, a bill that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox signed into law that requires wireless devices sold within the state to automatically enable filters for “blocking material that is harmful to minors.” Adults, of course, have the freedom to turn off the filter.

The common sense of the measure can’t be spelled out more plainly. The average age of exposure to pornography varies from survey to survey, but the American Psychological Association pins it at 13 years old. The youngest participants in that study reported coming across pornography as early as age 5.

Young minds aren’t spared from the effects. Per Jennifer Johnson, a professor of sociology at the Virginia Commonwealth University, porn is strongly linked to shaping views about intimacy and sexual activity. It’s correlated with sexual violence, toxic attitudes of masculinity and degraded sexual health. The porn industry is rampant with sexually transmitted infections and abuse. It has strong ties to sex trafficking and child exploitation.

Pornhub, the foremost website for the sleaze, is estimated to be the fourth most popular website in the world after filtering for portals like Google and Facebook. It recently came under fire for profiting off videos of minors, sexual assaults and revenge porn.

In short, it’s everywhere, and children are getting exposed to it at alarmingly young ages. Utah’s law, then, makes perfect sense, and it dovetails nicely with the state becoming the first in the nation to label pornography as a public health crisis in 2016. Consider the Utah law preventive care.

Utah’s lawmakers have given the state some credibility when it comes to limiting the scope of adult content. Cardi B, unfortunately, doesn’t have the same credentials.

Her music and videos flirt with content that would make even a “mature” audience blush. Her controversial song “WAP” made it to Billboard’s No. 1 last year while breaking streaming records along the way. At the Grammys two weeks ago she performed a rendition of the track that left entertainment types fawning and conservative commentators nonplussed at how network television could air the number.

To be clear, I’m not suggesting Cardi B’s work is on par with videos on Pornhub, but the fact that most of her 17.6 million Twitter followers probably support her in questioning why a backward state in the West would care about restricting porn consumption speaks to a larger cultural appetite for entertainment that openly mocks sanctity and denigrates the value of life.

I’ll give her a pass for confusing religions — as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I’ve heard it all — but we shouldn’t be so quick to brush aside a culture that delights in offense and celebrates the salacious. Thankfully, maybe a few less children in Utah will accidentally bump into it.

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Letter: We don’t need a third party. We need term limits

FILE - In this Jan. 18, 2016 file photo, Stuart Rubio, left, signs a petition to limit lawmakers terms in Little Rock, Ark. | Gareth Patterson, Associated Press

I disagree with Max Evans’ opinion of the need for a third party (“America desperately needs a third political party,” March 27). A third party would strengthen the dominant party currently in the White House and the majority party in both houses of Congress.

A better solution would be to limit the terms of the members of the Congress. This way there would be a better opportunity to avoid the abuses that we have seen.

The original concept by the authors of the Constitution was to have a rotation of members of Congress. Unfortunately, since the beginning of our republic, people do not give up power easily.

Therefore, since Congress will not reform itself constitutionally, we the people have to do it for them. I support the movement of calling for a convention of states by two-thirds of the states, of which Utah has done so. Currently 16 states have also done so. And there are many states in the process of calling for a convention.

Rodney Dale Walker

Taylorsville

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BYU football gets commitment from Weber ATH Cannon DeVries

The BYU Cougars received a commitment from Weber’s Cannon DeVries for their 2022 recruiting class. | Steve Griffin, Deseret News

The BYU football program has received another commitment for its 2022 class from an in-state prospect who has seen his recruitment pick up significant steam over the past few weeks.

On Tuesday night, Weber athlete Cannon DeVries announced his pledge to the Cougar program via Twitter less than a month after receiving a scholarship offer from the Provo school.

COMMITTED! #GOCOUGS @kalanifsitake

Commitment video down below:
⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️https://t.co/tH0p41C6DH pic.twitter.com/OFIJy55fR5

— Cannon DeVries (@CannonDevries) March 31, 2021

Listed by 247 Sports at 6 feet and 160 pounds and a 3-star prospect, DeVries had also received an offer from the Colorado Buffaloes after a strong showing at the Battle Phoenix 7-on-7 tournament.

In 2020, DeVries did it all for Weber, as he led the team in all receiving categories, was second in tackles and had three special teams touchdowns.

DeVries becomes the fourth prospect to commit to BYU for 2022, and all four are from Utah. Beside DeVries, American Fork’s Noah Moeaki, Alta’s Maika Kaufusi and Wasatch’s Jarinn Kalama have also pledged.

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High school baseball: In a duel between two of Region 6’s best pitchers, Murray bests Skyline

Murray’s Daniel Brousseau delivers a pitch during a high school baseball game at Skyline in Murray at Ken Price Ballpark on Tuesday, March 30, 2021. Murray won 7-5. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Two of Region 6’s best pitchers, Skyline’s Sam Evans and Murray’s Daniel Brousseau, took the mound to square off against each other Tuesday afternoon.

Although both pitchers put on a solid display, it was Brousseau’s side that gained the edge and secured a 7-5 victory over Evans and the Eagles at Ken Price Field, Murray’s home ballpark.

Brousseau finished with nine strikeouts and three earned runs in six innings, while Evans finished with five strikeouts and two earned runs in just over four innings.

“They’re both very similar,” Murray head coach Marce Wilson said of the two pitchers. “They’re both great competitors. When I found out we were facing Evans I knew we were going to be in for a tough game because of the way he competes. That’s what we got to see today, two very competitive seniors going at each other.”

Brousseau’s moment of the game came at the end of the fourth inning when he threw a strikeout for the third out on a full count with the bases loaded for Skyline. The pitch capped off a great rebound for Brousseau, who finished the inning with two consecutive strikeouts after he struggled to find the zone for most of the frame.

“I gave him the green light to go with what he felt was his best pitch,” Wilson said. “As a coach, you’ve got to trust that he knows better than you at the time what’s working for him, and that’s why I gave him the choice to throw what he wanted to throw.”

Through the first four and a half innings, Evans and Skyline had a one run advantage over Murray when the Eagles elected to make a pitching change after Evans walked Murray’s first at-bat, a change that ended up giving Murray the chance it needed to retake the lead.

Murray scored four of its seven runs in the fifth inning following the change to take the lead, and Murray’s defense made the plays it needed to make in order to hang onto the win over the final two innings.

According to Wilson, a big reason why Murray was able to ultimately hang onto the win was the pitching of Ian Winterhalder, who came on for Rousseau to close the game.

“Winterhalder coming in and pitching brings a lot of confidence to the team because he competes and wants to win, so that gave us the chance to believe that we could win and shut the door,” Wilson said.

While Winterhalder was on the mound, Skyline scored one run off of a sacrifice fly, but a strikeout and a ground out got Murray the remaining two outs it needed to seal the deal.

Murray finished with its first region win of the season despite having more errors than hits, typically a bad combination.

“You can tell it was our first region game,” Wilson said. “Both teams kind of played like it was the first game of the season with a lot of uncharacteristic mistakes.”

Although the Spartans committed more official errors for the game, Skyline’s errors and mistakes were more costly to the final result. Two high, catchable fly balls were misjudged by the Skyline outfielders in the second and fourth innings, which resulted in three of Murray’s seven runs.

Wilson expects that Skyline will clean up the errors and mistakes when the teams meet again on Thursday and hopes that his team will do the same.

“I’m sure they’ll address the uncharacteristic mistakes made on defense,” Wilson said. “I’m sure they’re going to come at us with another good pitcher and I expect runs to be at a premium if we can get them. I don’t think Thursday’s game is going to resemble this game.”

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