High school cross-country: Farmington boys, American Fork girls walk away with 6A titles

American Fork’s Avalon Mecham looks ahead as she runs in the 6A girls cross-country state championship at the Regional Athletic Complex in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Oct. 27, 2021. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

The Farmington High School boys cross-country team arrived at Wednesday’s state meet wearing T-shirts that read, “Fear the Phoenix.”

A bold statement for a team its first year as a 6A (Utah’s largest) school.

The Phoenix, however, lived up to their reputation by earning first place in the team standings at the Regional Athletic Complex in Rose Park. Led by sixth-place finisher Matthew Neuenschwander, who led four teammates in the top 10, Farmington had 49 points, holding off American Fork (64), Riverton (127), Corner Canyon (137) and Skyridge (167).

“We knew we would be a good team after what we saw last year,” said Farmington coach Christopher Brower. “We’re senior heavy, so we’ve been building to this.

“Obviously, we knew how good we could be. We wanted to come out and make a statement.”

American Fork’s Nathan Jaster took first place, finishing the flat, damp, course in 14 minutes, 55 seconds. Brower said he was hoping the Phoenix could land four runners in the top 10, and had to be concerned when Jaster was followed by Lone Peak’s Jaron Hartshorn, Jayden Fitzgarrald of American Fork, Skyridge’s Seth Wallgren and then Noah Jenkins of Herriman.

Then came Neuenschwander, who recorded his personal best and never considered himself to be among Farmington’s elite. Britton Austin was seventh, Ethan Peterson ninth and Isaac Halverson took 10th place.

“We’re a deep team,” said Brower. “The kids worked hard all season, preparing for this race, especially Matthew.”

Neuenschwander said he and his teammates were spread out at the start of the 5K (3.1-mile) race, but moved to the front near the end.

“I couldn’t tell where anyone was, but I heard my coach yelling, ‘You’ve got a kicker behind you,’ so I knew to speed up because I didn’t want to settle.”

With the win, Farmington added another keepsake to the 4-year-old school’s trophy cabinet, and hopes to earn more in a few weeks when it joins a few of Utah’s other elite teams at national meets in Tempe, Arizona, and Huntsville, Alabama.

“We know where we rank in Utah, but now it’s time to test ourselves against the best nationally,” Brower said.

The girls ranks set the tone for an exciting finish for the day as longtime running power American Fork regained its grasp on the top of the Utah ranks. The Cavemen took advantage of sophomore Avalon Meacham’s second-place finish to hold off two-time defending champion Lone Peak.

“A great meet for our girls,” said Cavemen coach Bruno Hunziker, “although Lone Peak was a challenge for us all year.”

Hunziker didn’t want to take any credit. Instead, he pointed to the team’s tradition, depth and the newcomer, Meacham, who pressed Herriman’s Addi Bruening all the way to the tape, finally finishing 1.7 seconds behind Bruening’s 17:28.3.

Hailey Lowe of Layton and Lone Peak’s Taylor Rohatinsky followed, but American Fork’s Abigail Barlow claimed fifth place and Avery Moore 10th as the Cavemen won with 70 points. Lone Peak was second with 89, followed by Corner Canyon (132), Westlake (135), Mountain Ridge (148) and Herriman (175).

Hunziker admitted, at his age, he can’t keep up with his torrid athletes, but noted that his assistant coach, Lindsey Dunkley, kept them in shape and inspired in their season-long battle against Region 4 opponents. Hunziker said the Cavemen have been one of the state’s top teams for the last decade and continue to push each other to keep the program moving forward.

The three-month high school season is just a small part of American Fork’s year-around running program, which also includes national meets against the country’s top team.

“The girls are proud to be part what we’ve done here,” he said. “We’ve built it into something special.”

The Cavemen were recently ranked 12th nationally and, after a brief break to celebrate this state crown, will start working toward another. Along the way, they’ll be a fixture running around American Fork’s narrow side streets.

---

Class 6A state championships

At Regional Athletic Complex

Girls team scores

1. American Fork, 70
2. Lone Peak, 89
3. Corner Canyon, 132
4. Westlake, 135
5. Mountain Ridge, 148
6. Herriman, 175
7. Farmington, 202
8. Riverton, 208.5

Girls Individual results

1. Addi Bruening, Herriman, 17:28.3
2. Avalon Mecham, American Fork, 17:30.0
3. Hailey Low, Layton, 17:44.0
4. Taylor Rohatinsky, Lone Peak, 17:47.7
5. Abigail Barlow, American Fork, 17:56.1
6. Shelby Jensen, Westlake, 18:01.5
7. Boston Bybee, Lone Peak, 18:09.9
8. Natalie Swain, Bingham, 18:12.9
9. Taylor Jorgensen, Mountain Ridge, 18:14.4
10. Avery Moore, American Fork, 18:17.1
11. Kenedy Maudsley, Davis, 18:17.4
12. Ellie Zaugg, Davis, 18:18.9
13. Mya Curtis, Westlake, 18:33.8
14. Eliza Mason, Lone Peak, 18:34.0
15. Kylie Olsen, Skyridge, 18:34.3
16. Chloe Christy, Farmington, 18:44.9
17. Addison Dalton, Fremont, 18:45.4
18. Sarah Dye, Weber, 18:45.8
19. Makayla Pitcher, Westlake, 18:48.0
20. Avery Garcia, Corner Canyon, 18:49.0
21. Courtney Madsen, Corner Canyon, 18:51.2
22. Maggie Featherstone, Herriman, 18:53.1
23. Skye Siddoway, Farmington, 18:54.5
24. Anna Nelson, Corner Canyon, 18:56.4
25. Amelia Robinson, Westlake, 18:58.0
26. Hazel Baird, American Fork, 18:59.3
27. Natalie Jensen, American Fork, 18:59.8
28. Cailey Bracken, Mountain Ridge, 18:59.9
29. Elayna Loveridge, Mountain Ridge, 19:00.1
30. Sydney Horner, Riverton, 19:00.8
31. Shea Conroy, Lone Peak, 19:02.3
32. Charly Murie, Corner Canyon, 19:03.7
33. Mara Holmes, Lone Peak, 19:08.1
34. Addison Gibson, Riverton, 19:11.6
35. Lindsey Glod, Corner Canyon, 19:14.7
36. Courtney Giebel, Weber, 19:14.9
37. Whitney Bartlett, Mountain Ridge, 19:17.7
38. Katie Bybee, Lone Peak, 19:18.3
39. Taylor O’Farrell, Riverton, 19:18.3
40. Tori Stratton, American Fork, 19:20.6
41. Laureli Edmunds, Corner Canyon, 19:24.4
42. Audrey Hales, Herriman, 19:25.4
43. Emerald Kehr, Lone Peak, 19:25.6
44. Lily Neff, Syracuse, 19:25.9
45. Ellie Sorensen, Mountain Ridge, 19:26.9
46. Natalia Boltz, American Fork, 19:28.2
47. Taylor Miller, Farmington, 19:29.8
48. Ryann Jones, Riverton, 19:29.9
49. Addison Hoopes, Corner Canyon, 19:30.1
50. Claire Stephenson, Herriman, 19:30.5
51. Ayla Kazmar, Farmington, 19:33.5
52. Whitley Kidd, Copper Hills, 19:38.4
53. Lauren Thornley, Layton, 19:39.1
54. Carli Nelson, Layton, 19:39.3
55. Marryn Poll, Skyridge, 19:40.6
56. Fiel Woods, Layton, 19:41.5
57. Becca Ferre, Bingham, 19:41.6
58. Mya Oyler, Riverton, 19:42.8
59. Samantha Carver, Pleasant Grove, 19:48.0
60. Alayna Wardle, Herriman, 19:48.6
61. Eden Burton, Weber, 19:49.0
62. Kenzy Thomson, West Jordan, 19:49.2
63. Skylie Barker, Copper Hills, 19:49.7
64. Maggie Lund, Riverton, 19:51.9
65. Livia Olson, Farmington, 19:53.1
66. Kathryn Reaveley, Farmington, 19:53.4
67. Bella Jones, Mountain Ridge, 19:53.9
68. Kali Woolf, Herriman, 19:54.3
69. Merin Urban, Weber, 19:54.8
70. Halle Mehr, Skyridge, 19:55.4
71. Hope Stanley, Davis, 19:59.0
72. Austyn Feller, Westlake, 20:00.4
73. Andilusia Manwaring, Copper Hills, 20:01.2
74. Emma Lund, Herriman, 20:01.9
75. Angela Knobel, Riverton, 20:03.1
76. Lucy Huler, Layton, 20:03.3
77. Allyson Nelson, West Jordan, 20:08.0
78. Gretchen Higley, Clearfield, 20:08.6
79. Allie Allen, Davis, 20:10.5
80. Kate Larsen, Davis, 20:11.9
81. Eliza Sandberg, Skyridge, 20:13.8
82. Savannah Davies, Copper Hills, 20:14.9
83. Taylee Richards, Fremont, 20:17.6
84. Emma Jensen, Layton, 20:26.8
85. Avery Benson, Bingham, 20:28.2
86. Lily Brown, Fremont, 20:29.7
87. Emma Hooper, Bingham, 20:32.3
88. Holly Taylor, Skyridge, 20:33.6
89. Lauren Horsley, Mountain Ridge, 20:36.1
90. Grace Frodsham, Davis, 20:37.3
91. Aspen Gardner, Pleasant Grove, 20:37.5
92. Lucy Lundberg, Copper Hills, 20:37.8
93. Natalie May, Farmington, 20:38.8
94. Ashley Watson, Weber, 20:40.3
95. Katelyn Perry, Bingham, 20:40.6
96. Breckyln Bugnet, Fremont, 20:42.3
97. Emily Harrison, Pleasant Grove, 20:43.2
98. Reagan Wright, Layton, 20:44.3
99. Ally Welsh, Skyridge, 20:44.5
100. Crisite Bastidas, West Jordan, 20:46.2
101. Bailey Tolman, Weber, 20:46.7
102. Brooklyn Bryant, Pleasant Grove, 20:47.9
103. Lizzy Bastidas, West Jordan, 20:49.1
104. Elise Hartsell, Skyridge, 20:52.7
105. Tayleigh Ward, West Jordan, 20:53.5
106. Natalya Callister, Hunter, 20:57.7
107. Emma Griffin, Syracuse, 21:07.9
108. Eliza Rains, Bingham, 21:08.4
109. Bethany Esplin, Bingham, 21:14.7
110. Kate Terry, Fremont, 21:18.9
111. Anna Fotheringham, West Jordan, 21:19.8
112. Naiya Coffman, Copper Hills, 21:20.1
113. Ava McMurtrey, Pleasant Grove, 21:20.2
114. Stephania Hernandez, Pleasant Grove, 21:21.1
115. McCall Dalpais, Weber, 21:21.7
116. Hannah Elliss, Cyprus, 21:22.1
117. Indianna Lundell, Fremont, 21:22.7
118. Brooklynn Oldroyd, Copper Hills, 21:30.7
119. Ari James, Westlake, 21:32.7
120. Anna Hatt, Syracuse, 21:35.1
121. Annika Roth, Westlake, 21:37.0
122. Lily Shawcroft, Cyprus, 21:39.8
123. Jaycee Page, Syracuse, 21:46.3
124. Claire Frodsham, Davis, 21:51.9
125. Macee Tueller, Pleasant Grove, 21:54.4
126. Cici Smith, Clearfield, 21:57.3
127. Olivia Richards, West Jordan, 21:59.1
128. Isabelle Rodriguez, Cyprus, 21:59.9
129. Reagan Vanderlinden, Taylorsville, 22:04.9
130. Natalie Roberts, West, 22:16.0
131. Kathryn Erkelens, Fremont, 22:19.3
132. Christine Qualls, Syracuse, 22:21.7
133. Tally Humble, Roy, 22:26.0
134. Greeley Johnson, West, 22:34.1
135. Kenzie Chambers, Syracuse, 22:40.4
136. Kennedi Lambert, Syracuse, 22:56.0
137. Emily Rich, Roy, 23:18.7
138. Karina Toro, Roy, 23:52.9

---

Boys team scores

1. Farmington, 49
2. American Fork, 68
3. Riverton, 127
4. Corner Canyon, 137
5. Skyridge, 167
6. Lone Peak, 172
7. Weber, 215
8. Davis, 216

Boys Individual results

1. Nathan Jaster, American Fork, 14:55.5
2. Jaron Hartshorn, Lone Peak, 15:06.6
3. Jayden Fitzgarrald, American Fork, 15:08.6
4. Seth Wallgren, Skyridge, 15:16.3
5. Noah Jenkins, Herriman, 15:18.3
6. Matthew Neuenschwander, Farmington, 15:24.6
7. Britton Austin, Farmington, 15:26.6
8. Tyler McDougal, Riverton, 15:27.3
9. Ethan Peterson, Farmington, 15:27.4
10. Isaac Halverson, Farmington, 15:28.7
11. Jake Seegmiller, Riverton, 15:29.4
12. Connor Whatcott, Corner Canyon, 15:29.9
13. Alex Maxfield, West Jordan, 15:30.3
14. William Horne, Herriman, 15:33.4
15. Andrew Harris, Weber, 15:33.5
16. Tyler Spencer, Davis, 15:33.7
17. Ryan Bennett, Farmington, 15:36.0
18. Jacob Jones, Davis, 15:36.7
19. Jeffrey Shields, Lone Peak, 15:38.1
20. Ben Bradshaw, American Fork, 15:41.1
21. Jared Thomas, American Fork, 15:42.8
22. Spencer Sharp, Riverton, 15:44.7
23. Ben Jaster, American Fork, 15:44.9
24. Chase Evans, American Fork, 15:46.1
25. Kaden Dunn, Weber, 15:47.0
26. Spencer Bradshaw, Farmington, 15:47.3
27. Jeff Lewis, Corner Canyon, 15:48.1
28. Erol Yellowhair, Skyridge, 15:51.9
29. Anderson Perry, Davis, 15:54.0
30. Seth Kjar, Skyridge, 15:54.1
31. Eli Kimball, Corner Canyon, 15:57.3
32. Jayden Loeser, Corner Canyon, 15:59.7
33. Sam Sorensen, Bingham, 16:00.6
34. Zach Hillhouse, Pleasant Grove, 16:00.8
35. Grayson Milne, Corner Canyon, 16:01.5
36. Simon Peterson, Fremont, 16:01.8
37. Drew Hildreth, Farmington, 16:03.1
38. Nathan Hillhouse, Pleasant Grove, 16:03.4
39. Nick Soter, Riverton, 16:06.5
40. Jayden Gibson, Skyridge, 16:07.9
41. Tanner Orton, Bingham, 16:09.1
42. Keatyn Perkins, Mountain Ridge, 16:09.5
43. Jacob Perry, Mountain Ridge, 16:10.4
44. Cooper Bybee, Lone Peak, 16:10.6
45. Kason Palmer, Copper Hills, 16:11.5
46. Michael Ballard, Copper Hills, 16:11.7
47. Andrew Ludwig, Riverton, 16:12.6
48. Landon Hart, Weber, 16:13.3
49. Joshua Hernandez, American Fork, 16:14.4
50. Eli Gibby, Westlake, 16:16.1
51. Spencer Leininger, Lone Peak, 16:16.2
52. Nathan Horsley, Mountain Ridge, 16:17.2
53. Cole Jameson, Taylorsville, 16:18.2
54. Tevan Albrecht, Riverton, 16:20.8
55. Carter Cutting, Corner Canyon, 16:21.0
56. Easton Wakefield, Lone Peak, 16:21.1
57. Jake Atwater, Fremont, 16:21.7
58. Zach Tew, Lone Peak, 16:22.6
59. Luke Briggs, Herriman, 16:25.9
60. Trevin Harbertson, Pleasant Grove, 16:26.2
61. Spencer Havey, Weber, 16:26.8
62. Tanner Partridge, Corner Canyon, 16:27.1
63. Preston Gledhill, Taylorsville, 16:28.1
64. Bentley LeBaron, Mountain Ridge, 16:28.2
65. Jonah Denison, Skyridge, 16:28.4
66. Jacob Stowers, Weber, 16:28.5
67. Corbin Randall, Riverton, 16:29.0
68. Isaac Jensen, Skyridge, 16:29.4
69. Noah Horne, Syracuse, 16:29.7
70. Davis Alcorn, Lone Peak, 16:29.9
71. Bridger Kelley, Bingham, 16:31.0
72. Asher Bowen, Fremont, 16:31.2
73. Zealand Riser, Copper Hills, 16:31.6
74. Chayse Vickers, Mountain Ridge, 16:33.4
75. Steven Keogh, Westlake, 16:34.4
76. Steven Carver, Pleasant Grove, 16:35.1
77. Carter Green, Davis, 16:35.6
78. Myles Rawlings, Davis, 16:36.5
79. Dallen James, Clearfield, 16:37.4
80. Dallyn Wright, Skyridge, 16:38.2
81. Isaac Allen, Bingham, 16:38.9
82. Conner Smedley, Fremont, 16:42.5
83. Kaden Salle, Westlake, 16:43.3
84. Matthew Curtis, West Jordan, 16:43.7
85. Conner Pedersen, Mountain Ridge, 16:46.5
86. Luke Stowers, Weber, 16:48.4
87. Nathan Wardle, Herriman, 16:49.3
88. Franklin Monson, Weber, 16:50.2
89. Braden Smith, Copper Hills, 16:52.4
90. Jacob Hudson, Westlake, 16:52.6
91. Ezra Glissmeyer, Westlake, 16:53.8
92. Cuauhtemoc Fitiao, Cyprus, 16:54.1
93. Chase Durham, Westlake, 16:57.9
94. Tayshaun Ogomo, Herriman, 17:00.5
95. Aidan Horstmann, Fremont, 17:00.6
96. Trevor Carlton, Fremont, 17:01.2
97. Jaren Barnes, Mountain Ridge, 17:05.2
98. Jake McArthur, Pleasant Grove, 17:10.0
99. Roman Mendoza, Layton, 17:10.2
100. Trevin Anderson, Westlake, 17:10.4
101. Todd Handy, Clearfield, 17:13.9
102. Noah Tucker, Taylorsville, 17:14.7
103. Nathan Boren, Pleasant Grove, 17:15.0
104. Davis Rydman, Layton, 17:16.9
105. Cody Bancroft, Pleasant Grove, 17:17.8
106. Chris Hercules, Cyprus, 17:18.1
107. Broc Carrigan, Fremont, 17:18.9
108. Collin Black, Layton, 17:20.3
109. Dalin Holje, Layton, 17:21.3
110. Elijah Tolton, Syracuse, 17:21.9
111. Jaden Denison, Bingham, 17:24.4
112. James Batt, Davis, 17:27.2
113. Easton Higley, Clearfield, 17:28.0
114. Tekehu Munanui, Copper Hills, 17:28.7
115. Sebastian Nielson, Herriman, 17:30.1
116. Corbin Riser, Copper Hills, 17:33.2
117. Regan Gibby, Roy, 17:33.4
118. Jason Hugh, Roy, 17:35.2
119. Todd Koch, Layton, 17:35.3
120. Tyson Bullock, Bingham, 17:35.5
121. Schyler Denison, Bingham, 17:38.5
122. Mason Otteson, Davis, 17:39.5
123. Larkin Hancuff, Kearns, 17:47.9
124. Nathan Morrison, West Jordan, 17:48.7
125. Jeff Gerhart, Herriman, 17:50.5
126. Carson Rasmussen, Copper Hills, 17:52.4
127. Jordan Bruening, Clearfield, 18:10.5
128. Glenn Reitzel, West Jordan, 18:10.7
129. Jacob Wright, Taylorsville, 18:26.8
130. Grant Minchey, Layton, 18:29.1
131. Joseph White, Taylorsville, 18:33.2
132. Elias Nalder, Layton, 18:35.7
133. Jaydale Hansen, Taylorsville, 18:40.4
134. Mariano Garnica OCampo, West Jordan, 18:40.9
135. Jeff Qualls, Syracuse, 18:41.3
136. Ethan Tucker, Taylorsville, 18:42.7
137. Thomas Gudgell, West Jordan, 18:44.5
138. Ian Reitzel, West Jordan, 18:46.8

from Deseret News https://ift.tt/3bh7J7M