Lehi Froggie Homecoming Week

Timp Sports Weekly

October 1, 2013

Publisher's Message

This week's issue looks at the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, posting wins against the Lone Peak Loners' volleyball team and the Spanish Fork Dons' football team during the Croakers' recent Homecoming Week. Let's hop straight to those stories.

Dean Von Memmott

Publisher

magnanovelist@gmail.com

Lehi Froggies Defeat Spanish Fork Dons 45-13 in Homecoming Game

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

In a non-league football game played during Lehi's Homecoming Week, the Spanish Fork Dons, AKA the Gaytowners, tried to prove that they were as masculine as their town's girls, known very widely for being quite manly. However, still sore over having lost at home to the Ferocious Pleasant Grove Vikings on a last-minute touchdown pass caught by Malik Overstreet, a Lehite who transferred to PG High, the Friday before, the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, washed away the Gaytowners 45-13.

The game opened with Don Bennett Bradford returning the kickoff to the Spanish Fork 20-yard. Don quarterback Jason "Sho Me Dee" Money attempted to get his squad's offense into the Lehi side of the 50-yard line. However, Deryke Terrell's nailing Taylor Noles at the Don 31-yard line slowed Spanish Fork to a halt.

Long carries by Caden Calton guided the Froggies to the Don 16-yard line. Unable to move the pigskin beyond that yard line, Lehi had Hayden Hunt kick a field goal.

The score stayed at 3-0 until the early second quarter. Long passes from Money propelled Spanish Fork to the Lehi 1-yard. Noles scored a go-ahead touchdown for the Dons. They then picked up an extra point.

For a little while, the Dons looked as they would have a gay old time on Lehi's field. However, Spanish Fork found out quickly that the Froggies could be quite protective of their home marsh. After Froggie Spancer "Prince Ribbit" Blackham had returned a kickoff to the Don 42-yard line, Lehi presented a shocking drive spurred on by Calton's rushes and Chase Matua's catches of long passes. Midway through the period, Calton scored a touchdown on a four-yard carry. Though Hayden Hunt's attempted extra-point kick failed, the go-ahead TD still meant that the night was going to be something that the Dons would not feel gay about.

Don attempts to recover from Calton's first touchdown got stymied by Spanish Fork penalties of Whetzel's sacking Money for an eight-yard.

Lehi pulled far away from the Gaytowners in the half's final four minutes. Calton scored his second touchdown on a four-yard run, and quarterback Derek Beeston chipped in a two-point conversion during a keeper play. Despite a 30-yard carry by Money to the Don 48-yard line, Spanish Fork march collapsed on a fumble on the Lehi 41-yard line. The Froggies hopped quickly from there to the Don 36-yard zone. Taking a handoff from Beeston, Ryan Absher raced away for a touchdown.

For a while, he became the player that the Froggies picked to be their scorer. Absher made a 25-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. In the fourth quarter, Froggie fans croaked excitedly as they watched Absher flip flop quickly 65 yards into the Don end zone. Calton scored on a one-yard touchdown soon afterwards.

Late in the quarter, Money passed six yards to Bradford for a meaningless touchdown. While Don fans excited for a little while, they quickly realized it wasn't something for them to feel gay about.

Lehi Froggie Spikers Survive Tight Battle With Lone Peak Loners Sept. 24
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The Region Four volleyball match between the Lehi Pioneers (AKA the Froggies) and the Lone Peak Knights (AKA the Loners) didn't draw a huge crowd like the ones that would show up between the Loners and Ferocious Pleasant Grove Vikings. Nevertheless, the Froggie-Loner match, played at Leh, went down as a riveting -- correction, ribbiting contest that lasted for five games. The match ended with the Froggies defeating the Loners 26-24, 25-21. 20-25, 15-25, 20-18.

Game 1 opened with Brecken Bearson and Jaysa "What Dee" Funk guiding the Loners out to a 4-0 lead. Once a Makayla Houghton kill punt the Froggies on the scoreboard, they battled back. For a while, though, Calyn Barry and Emily Lewis delivered kills that kept the Loners narrowly ahead. However, they couldn't keep Houghton, Faitoto'a Faleao, and Courtney Walker under control. Those three Froggies' spiking soon put the Froggies ahead 24-23. Loner mistakes enabled Lehi to win Game 1 256-24.

In the second game, switches occurred frequently as Houghton, Faleao, Walker, and Reesie Tua guided Lehi in keeping Lewis and Funk from smacking the Froggies silly. Cydney White's serving allowed the Froggies to leap out to a 20-9 lead. Just as Lehi seemed certain of making short work of the Loners, Lone Peak suddenly showed it still had a lot of fight left in it. Capitalizing on Lehi errors, Makaila Jarema and Rylee Rogers, a "distant cousin" of comic strip character Buck Rogers, guided the Loners back within 24-21. A Cydney Lund ace won the game for the Froggies 25-21.

The third game also went down as a seesaw battle. However, this time, the Loners eventually grabbed control of the momentum. Natalee Gray, Carly Goff, Barry, and Funk held their own against Tua and fellow Froggie Rylin Roberts at the net. Lehi managed to stroke within 22-19, but the Froggies couldn't swim any closer to the Loners. A Lewis kill scored the game point for the Loners.

In the fourth game, the Loners quickly drained Lehi of any chance for avoiding a fifth game. For a little while, Lund and White's serving enabled Lehi to stay narrowly ahead. However, after a Funk kill had tied the game at 12, the game went downhill for Lehi. Barry, Lewis, Jarmea, and Rogers had a heyday at the net by hammering Lehi into submission. By the time the Loners got done with punching the Froggies black and blue, Lone Peak had posted a 25-15 win.

The final game went on as long as each of the first four matches. Jarema and Houghton's hits kept the lead switching hands frequently. Tua, Faleao, Walker, and Roberts kept Barry, Lewis, and Funk from dominating the net all throughout that game. It ended with a Lone Peak violation giving Lehi a 20-18 win.

Ferocious PG Viking-Lehi Froggie Rivalry

Timp Sports Weekly

September 25, 2012

Publisher's Message

For this week's issue, we look at one of the oldest sports rivalries in this state. No, we're not examining the latest Holy War, which thankfully ended in a 20-13 win which the University of Utah Utes posted at Lavelle Edwards Stadium, home of the BYU Cougars, AKA the Zoobies. The rivalry which we will be examining in this issue is the one between the Ferocious Pleasant Grove Vikings and the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies. Like my Awesome American Fork Cavemen, the Pleasant Grovers have long called Lehi Swampville and its residents Webfooters. I simply call Lehi High kids Froggies, and they tease me about it every weekday afternoon when I row in to clean up their school. Anyway, in this  issue, we will look at a soccer contest, volleyball match, and a football game that were played between the Ferocious Vikings and the Froggies. We will also look volleyball matches that the Froggies and Vikings played against the Awesome American Fork Cavwomen and the Herimman Mustangs, AKA the Pretty Ponies. As they say in Lehi, let's stroke straight to those stories.

Dean Von Memmott

Publisher

Magnanovelist@gmail.com

Lehi Froggies Kick Ferocious PG Vikings Aside 1-0 in Sept. 19 Girls' Soccer Thriller

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The Lehi Pionners, AKA the Froggies, defeated the Ferocious Pleasant Grove Vikings 1-0 in a Region Four girls' soccer game at Lehi High Sept. 19.

Both teams displayed defensive performances which made the game quite riveting -- correction, ribbiting. Nevertheless, the game's outcome got decided midway through the first half.

Lehi Coach Brett Bergholm said, "From 18 yards out, Rachel Rogers received a cross from Alisa Holmstead and kicked the ball straight over PG's goalie's head and into the net. PG continued making the game interesting with some great defensive and offensive plays. When we played PG under the lights at their place earlier this month, we beat them 3-1. Here, they caused us to miss shots that would have surely gone into the net."

Rogers said, "They were supposed to be not very good, but they gave us a very good challenge in both of the games that we played against them this month. They were quite physical today. They pushed us around a lot. That was what frustrated me the most about today's game. I sighed with relief when the game was over. Our goalie, Kirsten Josey, made some great saves for us today."

The Froggies also won the junior varsity game, played right afterwards, by a score of 1-0. Froggie Hannah Lutz scored that game's only goal on an 18-yard free kick. Lehi jayvee coach Suzy Whiting said, "Our jayvees played really good defense and passed around a lot."

Bergholm recalled, "In the jayvee game at PG, the Vikings built up a 3-0 lead in the first half. We came back in the second half and won the game 4-3."

Ferocious PG Vike Spikers Drain Lehi Froggies in 5-Game Volleyball Match in Sept. 12 Match
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The Ferocious Pleasant Grove Vikings outlasted the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, in a five-game volleyball match played at Lehi Sept. 12. The defending state 5-A champs, the Ferocious Vikings pulled through the match by scores of 20-25, 21-25, 25-23, 25-23, 15-10.

The match went down as a contest as exciting as the matches that Ferocious Vikings had played against their arch rivals, the Lone Peak Knights, AKA the Loners, for state championship titles.

Game 1 of the Sept. 12 match went set the tone for the seesaw battle that raged all night between the Froggies and the Ferocious Vikings. Lehi hopped onto the scoreboard first. A niece of former American Fork Awesome Cavewoman sports legend The Beautiful Stephanie Trane, Ferocious Viking Brisa Winterton registered a kill that tied the game at 1. Before long, the Ferocious Vikings had rowed ahead 7-3. The Froggies refused to sink to defeat. Guided by Cydney Lund,  Courtney Walker, McKayla Houghton, and Rylan Roberts, Lehi jumped back into the game.

Madison "Avenue" Walford, Stacey Dahl, Rache "Hurricane" Gale, and Alexus Sharp worked well together in keeping the Ferocious Vikings ahead for most of Game 1. They enabled PG to have a lead as wide as 12-6. However, the Froggies proved to be too jump to be contained. Aided by Lund digs and Roberts' hitting, Houghton held her own against PG's ferocious line as she led the Froggies into eventually hopping ahead 17-16. Faitoto'a Falaeo registered kills that enable Lehi to stay ahead permanently in the game. A Houghton kill gave Lehi a 25-20 win in the game.

In the second game, Sydney White's serving helped the Froggies leap ahead 3-1. With Houghton and Walker controlling the net, the Froggies soon commanded a 7-3 advantage. Walford and Gale attempted to tip the momentum to Pleasant Grove's advantage. However, Faleao and teammate Reesie Tua joined Houghton in producing kills that produced a 14-6 lead for the Froggies. Sharp and Walford organized a comeback that capitalized on missed Lehi serves. Before long, the Ferocious Vikings finally pulled ahead 19-18. A Roberts kill tied the game at 19. The game went down as another seesaw battle. However Ferocious Viking mistakes permitted Lehi to win 25-23.

The Ferocious Vikings seemed done for. Nevertheless, they went into Game 3 determined to prolong the contest to a fifth game. Even though a Faleao hit gave the Froggies a 2-1 lead in the third game, a Gale hit sent the Ferocious Vikings rowing out in front 5-4. The game then to a 20-minute break, because of a controversy over player rotations. Once the matter was resolved, Pleasant Grove took control of the game, and they won it 25-23. Guided by Gale and Winterton, the Ferocious Vikings also won the fourth game by a score of 25-23.

"Our girls played looser in the third and fourth games, and they had great offensive passing," said Pleasant Grove Coach Alyce Wilson. "In the fifth game, we battled Lehi to a 10-10 draw, but we then scored the game's last five points."

Ferocious PG Vikings Narrowly Keep Unbeaten Record Intact in Ribbiting Football Thriller at Lehi Sept. 20
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

For almost a decade now, it has been a common assumption that the Lehi Pioneer football team is a doormat for every school it plays. AKA the Froggies, the Pioneers have debunked that assumption this year by hopping out on top of three of the five games that they have played so far this year. The Ferocious Pleasant Grove Vikings would have been the fourth team to have lost to the Froggies, had it not been some last-minute breaks that enabled Pleasant Grove to row from behind to win 37-34 to improve its unbeaten season record at 5-0.

Under other circumstances, the Pleasant Grove-Lehi game, played at Pioneer Stadium Sept. 20, would have been viewed by the news media as being too insignificant to be worth covering. However, because of the Froggies' surprising improvement in football this, Central Utah press organizations decided to send reporters to the contest. It proved to be worth their time. So sportswriters like the Salt Lake Tribune's Aaron "Mr. Soccer" Falk could hardly wait to write heart-stopping copy about the game. Though I am now just a citizen journalist, the kind of soul that full-time news media people look down on, I will present you my version of that riveting -- correction, ribbiting game.

The game opened with Froggie kickoff returner Austin Whetzel catching the ball in the Lehi end zone. Quarterbacked by Derek Beeston, the Froggies' first drive penetrated the Ferocious Vikings' territory. However, Pleasant Grove's defense stopped the Froggies' cold at the Viking 32-yard line.

Sophomore Malik Overstreet's catch of a 65-yard Jeremiah Evans pass propelled the Ferocious Vikings into Lehi's 10-yard zone. At 5;52, running back T.J. Wind took a handoff from quarterback Evans and moved like a tornado into the Froggie end zone. Lehi prevented kicker Cesar "Salad" Madrigal from booting in an extra point.

Lehi had Derek Hastings, Ryan Absher, and Caden Calton take turns with rushing the ball during the Froggies' second drive of the game. Although Lehi did dive deep into the Ferocious Vikings' territory, the Pleasant Grove defense still proved to be unbreakable. The first quarter ended with Ferocious Viking Micah Jones catching a long pass that put Pleasant Grove at the Lehi 11-yard line.

The Froggies' stubborn defense in the second quarter convinced the Ferocious Vikings to go a field goal. Madrigal's kick for it failed.

Despite Beeston getting gang-sacked for an eight-yard loss, long runs by Hastings and Absher moved the Froggies clear to the Pleasant Grove 26-yard line. Unable to move the ball beyond that point, the Froggies gambled on kicker Hayden Hunt to try for a 36-yard field goal. Hunt's kick for one succeeded.

With their narrow lead slashed to just three points, the Ferocious Vikings staged an aerial attack to stay out in front. Evans' long passes to Jacob Doman and Wind blew Pleasant Grove into the Froggie 10-yard zone. After linebacker Hunter Sowell sacked Evans at the Lehi 4-yard line for a one-yard loss, Wind took a handoff from his team's quarterback. Despite getting tackled at the 1-yard line, Wind had a tip of the ball land in the Froggie end zone for a touchdown. With a Madrigal extra-point kick improving Pleasant Grove's lead at 13-3, the Froggies appeared destined to get boiled in the second half. However, they demonstrated quickly that they weren't going to throw up their flippers and let the Ferocious Vikings wipe them out.

In the first half's closing seconds, Beeston lobbed a 45-yard touchdown pass to Whetzel. A Hunt extra-point kick put Lehi within 13-10.

Wind tried to be as devastating to Lehi as a typhoon. The third quarter, for example, opened with Wind making a 40-yard rush. Wind soon scored on a nine-yard touchdown play. With Madrigal's second straight successful extra-point kick improving the Ferocious Viking lead at 20-10, the Vikings looked forward to drying up Lehi in second half.

During the first Lehi drive of the second half, running back Adam Demke got injured. The game got stopped for 20 minutes. so the injured player could be carefully extracted from the field. Lehi's cheerleaders huddled together and said a prayer for Demke. Meanwhile, Lehi players shouted, "Demke's our brother. Let's get this game for him."

As Demke finally got wheeled away by stretcher to an awaiting ambulance, the crowd shouted, "Pray for Demke! Pray for Demke!"

Motivated by a new purpose, the Froggies waged a fierce offensive effort. It paid off with Absher catching a 37-yard touchdown pass from Beeston.

Pleasant Grove efforts for recapturing the momentum failed in the third period. When the Ferocious Vikings recovered their own fumble at a cost of 18 lost yards, a crucial march for them died out.

Beginning at their 25-yard line, the Froggies hopped fiercely into the Pleasant Grove 20-yard zone. Soon, Beeston connected a 17-yard touchdown pass to Whetzel to put Lehi ahead 22-20. Though the Pleasant Grove defense blocked Hunt's extra-point kick, the Froggies still had clear control of the moment.

Lehi prevented the Ferocious Vikings from picking up a fresh first down during their final march of the third quarter. It ended with Lehi moving the ball clear to the Ferocious Viking 7-yard line.

At 10:31 in the final quarter, Caden Calton scored touchdown on a one-yard carry. Beeston gambled on a try for a two-point conversion. The attempt failed.

Lehi came really close to scoring a safety when Evans recovered his own fumble at the Pleasant Grove 2-yard line at the cost of 18 lost yards. Just as the quarterback seemed destined to get sacked on the next play, he handed the ball to Wind, who then swooped 78 yards to the Lehi 24-yard line. Aided by Spencer Romney's catch of a 12-yard pass, Wind soon scored a touchdown on an eight-yard carry. Evans soon connected a pass to Taylor "Ro" Bott for a tying two-point conversion.

The tied score of 28-28 gave the impression that the game would soon flood into overtime. Lehi battled fiercely to sweep away that prospect. Despite Zac Dawe sacking Beeston for a 12-yard loss, a passing interference penalty called against Pleasant Grove enabled the Froggies to invade Pleasant Grove's 20-yard zone. At 5:39, Beeston passed 16 yards to Absher for a go-ahead touchdown. Although the Ferocious Viking defense prevent Hunt from kicking in an extra point, Froggie fans croaked with relief at the expectation that the game would go into overtime. That expectation grew stronger when Evans threw an incomplete pass during a fourth down play in the final two minutes of regulation.

The game suddenly took a shocking turn for Lehi. On a first-down play, Beeston got gang-sacked at the Lehi 4-yard line at a cost of 16 lost yards. Lehi's attempts to get out of the deep hole proved fatal. After Beetston tossed an incomplete pass, three Ferocious Vikings nailed him in the end zone for a safety. It tipped the momentum to Pleasant Grove's way.

Romney returned a kickoff to the Lehi 36-yard line. Doman's catch of a 25-yard pass put Lehi in a fatal corner. With 27 seconds left on the clock, Evans passed to Overstreet for a go-ahead touchdown, which Madrigal frosted with an extra-point kick.

Aided by a 16-yard carry by Calton, Whetzel caught a 45-yard pass that gave Lehi hope. On the game's last play, Absher rushed the ball clear to the Pleasant Grove 11-yard line, where he got tackled out of bounds.

With a relieved look, Pleasant Grove Coach Les Hamilton, no relation to actor George Hamilton, said, "Overstreet made the catch of his career when he received that touchdown pass in the game's 30 seconds. He's just a sophomore, but he played like a longtime veteran tonight. T.J. [Wind] was possessed tonight. He made those long runs that helped to save us. Jeremiah Evans found the right guys to connect for the big plays tonight. We were luck to come out of this alive. We made a lot of mistakes and hurt ourselves with big penalties. Lehi was ready for us. Offensively and defensively, they were gritty. We're going home tonight with a lot of respect for them."

On my way out of Pioneer Stadium, an old Lehi man told me, "Write in the paper that Lehi's coach [Dave Hastings] cost us the game."

That old man may not  believe it, but Dave Hastings was not the party responsible for the game's final outcome. Overstreet was the guilty culprit, and count on him being proud of that.

Ferocious PG Vike Spikers Scuttle Awesome AF Cavewomen in 3-Game Match Sept. 17
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The Ferocious Pleasant Grove Vikings showed in a road match at American Fork Sept. 17 that their win at Lehi had not left them emotionally drained. The Ferocious Vikings scuttled the Awesome Cavewomen 25-19, 25-12, 25-11.

Pleasant Grove Coach Alyce Wilson said, "Lehi taught us what to do in matches, so we could do much better in winning quicker."

Athough Kailey Buckner, Hannah Lynde, and Kassidy Roberts guided the Awesome Cavewomen in maintaining a close fight against the Ferocious Vikings in the first game, Pleasant Grove's Rachel "Hurricane" Gale, Madison "Avenue" Walford, and Brisa Winterton (a niece of American Fork sports legend Tony Trane) guided their team in posting a 25-19 win in Game 1.

In the next two games, the Ferocious Vikings massacred the Awesome Cavewomen. Gale and Walford  guided Pleasant Grove in destroying the host team. In the third game, for instance, Pleasant Grove built up a 21-7 lead. After a Bailey Nixon kill had put them on the edge of being doomed, the Awesome Cavewomen made a short comeback guided by Roberts and Maddy "Colonel" Sanders. American Fork got within 24-11, but a hitting error ended the match.

Gale lead Pleasant Grove with 16 kills. For American Fork, Lynde produced 15 kills and Roberts 12 digs.

Lehi Froggies Gild Herriman Pretty Ponies in 3-Game Volleyball Match on Sept. 17
By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

AKA the Froggies, the Lehi Pioneers opened Region Four volleyball play at home by gilding the Herriman Mustangs, AKA the Pretty Ponies, in a three-game match Sept. 17.

In fixing the Pretty Ponies by scores of 25-20, 25-15. 25-19, the Froggies demonstrated that they could truthfully croak about the fact that they had a lot of returning veterans from last year still on staff.

The match opened with a McKayla Houghton kill putting the Froggies on the scoreboard first. The Pretty Ponies tied Game 1's score at one, two,  five, 13, and 14. Pretty Ponies Sadie "Fish" Pond, Oakley "Squint" Swint, and Elaine Asaasa provided the Froggies a strong challenge at the net, keeping the first game a close affair.

For a spell, Faitoto'a Faleao, Courtney Walker, and Houghton provided Lehi with the gas for staying narrowly ahead of the Pretty Ponies. However, Herriman eventually pulled ahead 15-14, giving the impression that the Froggies might have to play at least four games instead of three against Herriman. Lehi tied it at 15, and then the Froggies stroked ahead 16-15.

A Swint block tied the game at 16, but Lehi leaped back out in front 17-16. The Froggies never let the Pretty Ponies catch up with them again in the game, even though Herriman stayed close during that round's final minutes. A Faleao kill give Lehi a 25-20 win in the game.

The Pretty Ponies galloped ahead 1-0 in the second game, but Lehi immediately turned the game into a seesaw fight. Once the Froggies had pulled ahead 5-4 on a double block, they began leaping away from Herriman. Courtney Walker, Reesie Tua, Rylin Roberts, and Houghton joined Faleao in keeping Pond and Asaasa from tipping the tempo to the Pretty Ponies' favor. Ashley Robbins' serving lasted long enough to create a 20-10 lead for Lehi. The Froggies went on to win 25-15.

Pond's hitting and blocking enabled the Pretty Ponies to gallop out to an early 8-3 lead. Lehi fans' minds became filled with memories of their Froggies playing poorly in the third game of a recent home match against the Brighton Bengals, AKA the Bad Old Puddy Tats. Lehi had to play four games in that match to beat the Bad Old Puddy Tats.

A Faleao kill sparked a comeback for the Froggies. Capitalizing on some Herriman hitting errors, Lehi soon tied the game at eight on a Houghton kill.  The game then became a seesaw contest, which switches in the lead occur more quickly than you could say Ali Lamb Chop. Once a Walker kill put the Froggies back out in front 18-17, they built up a lead strong enough to keep the Pretty Ponies at bay for the rest of the game.

Lehi Coach Jaimie Ingersoll said, "We had some strong serving in all three games to enable us to our leads. Courtney Walker hit some great corner shots for us."

Houghton posted 13 hits for Lehi. Robbins served up four aces and made 43 assists while Cydney Lund made 16 digs for the Froggies.

Lehi Froggies' Win Over Pine View Kittens and Westlake Shocker Volleyball Action

Timp Sports Weekly

September 10, 2013

Publisher's Message

For this week's issue, we look at the 36-33 win that the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, had posted over the Pine View Panthers, AKA the Kittens, in a preseason football game played Sept. 6. We will also look at how the Westlake Thunder, AKA the Shockers, did at the Rocky Mountain Classic, hosted by the Froggies and the Lone Peak Loners, last weekend. We will also look at a brief account of the Salem Hills Skyhawks' huge win over the Stansbury Stallions, AKA the Ponies, at the Rocky Mountain Classic Sept. 7. As they say in Lehi, let's stroke straight to those stories.

Dean Von Memmott

Publisher

magnanovelist@gmail.com

Lehi Froggies Post 36-33 Win Over Pine View Kittens in Non-League Football Thriller Sept. 6

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

No can doubt that the Saint George-based Pine View Panthers, AKA the Kittens, went home disappointed Sept. 6 that they had failed to dry up the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, like the Dixie Flyers, AKA the Fly Boys, had done the week before. In the Sept. 6 non-league thriller, the Froggies defeated the Kittens 36-33 at Lehi's Pioneer Stadium.

After having been drained 50-20 by the Fly Boys, not to be confused with the Dixie University Partyin' Red Storm, Lehi wanted to redeem itself before hometown fans. However, the Kittens proved to be equally determined to soak up a win on Lehi's field.

With Derek Hastings as their main rusher, the Froggies began the game's first drive from the Lehi 25-yard line. Quarterbacked by Derek Beeston, the Froggie offense hopped clear into midfield position. However, strong resistance from the Kitten defense compelled those Croakers to punt.

A "distant cousin" of Duran Duran, a character in the 1968 film Barbarella, Triston "Duran" Duran returned the game's first punt to the Kitten 25-yard line. From there, quarterback Kody "Wild Willie" Wilstead guided the Kittens on their first successful march of the game. With Duran catching a 33-yard pass from Wilstead, the Kittens soon reached the Froggie 10-yard zone. Taking a handoff from Wilstead, Bladen Hosner rushed six yards into the end zone, and Ethan Baer, a "distant cousin" of former TV star Max Baer, kicked in an point.

The Froggies didn't let Hosner's first TD go unanswered. With Hastings and Caden Calton taking turns at rushing the ball, Lehi soon invaded the Kittens' 10-yard zone. This time, Pine View's defense couldn't stop the Foggies cold. Taking a handoff from Beeston, Calton curved around to the left to score a touchdown. A Hayden Hunt extra-point kick evened the game at seven.

The Froggie defense kept the Kittens from moving the ball into Lehi's end of the field. With Pine View having to punt, Calton broke the 7-7 tie on a 44-yard touchdown run. A Hunt extra-point kick left the Froggies with a 14-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Wilstead fired a 28-yard touchdown pass to Hosner, but Lehi prevented the Kittens from picking up an extra point.

On a second-down play, Lehi fans croaked excitedly as they watched Calton race 65 yards into the Kitten end zone like a bullfrog being chased by a hungry alligator. Lehi scored a two-point conversion. However, the Froggies couldn't hop faraway from the Kittens.

With Colton Miller catching an 11-yard pass from Wilstead in midfield, the Kittens stormed deep into the Froggies' end of the field. Aided by Blake Ence's catch of a 49-yard, Wilstead pass, Hosner scored a touchdown, and a Baer exta-point kick trimmed Lehi's lead to 22-20.

Rushes by Hastings and Ryan Absher shoved the Froggies clear to the Kitten 1-yard line. Hugging the pigskin tightly, Calton barged his way through a wall of Kitten defensive linemen to score a touchdown, which Hunt coated with another extra point. Kitten Cason Prisbrey answered that Froggie TD with another one of his own on a eight-yard rush into the Lehi end zone at 1:51. Wilstead threw an incomplete pass during a two-point conversion try.

The Kittens finally pulled back out in front 32-29 on a Jack Bangerter touchdown in the third quarter. After a Baer extra-point kick had improved the Kitten lead at 33-29, the Pine View defense held Lehi scoreless until late in the fourth quarter when Beeston scored a touchdown on a keeper play. Hunt's extra-point kick concluded the game's scoring. 

Salem Hills Sky Tweeties Defeat Stansbury Stallions in 2-Game Match in Rocky Mountain Classic Sept. 7

By Dean Von Memmott
Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

In a Rock Mountain Classic volleyball match at Lehi Sept. 7, the Salem Hills Skyhawks, AKA the Sky Tweeties, gilded the Stansbury Stallions, AKA the Ponies, by scores of 25-11 and 25-13.

The Ponies didn't have a prayer against Salem Hills, the tournament's defending Bronze Division champ. Guided by Megan Treanor, Callie "Fornya" Peterson, Jane Nelson, and Nicole Smith, the Sky Tweeties dominated the net in both games of the match.

Madison "Avenue" Alvey did a great performance as a server for the Ponies in the second game. However, despite some great front-row performance by Pony Rachel "Comrade" Kirchoff,  Stansbury couldn't get any long rallies going.

When the Sky Tweeties got a 15-7 lead  in the first game, the Ponies fell apart. Smith's serving enabled the Sky Tweeties to take a 9-0 lead early in the second game, and they never looked back.

My attention on the match got interrupted by volleyball referee Wendy Weaver wanting to show me photos she had taken at the scene of an accident in which she had hit a bull elk while she and a companion were returning from a volleyball match in Manti. As she showed me the photos on her cellphone, I felt relieved that even though Wendy's car and the elk were now goners, she was at least still among the living. The terrible fates that the car and the elk had suffered pretty much epitomized what happened to the Ponies' efforts against the Sky Tweeties. Salem Hills is one team nobody should ever underestimate, especially later on this season.

Westlake Shockers Blaze Their Way to a 2nd-Place Finish in the Rocky Mountain Classic Sept. 6

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

With this autumn being the first season that the Westlake Thunder, AKA the Shockers, are playing as a 5-A volleyball team,  they have already proved that they can do well in their new classification.

They made that clear to the Davis Darts, AKA the Tarts, in a pool match at the Rocky Mountain Classic, a volleyball tournament co-hosted by Lehi and Lone Peak. In the pool match played in Lehi's smaller gym, the Shockers defeated the Tarts 25-18 and 25-19.

Even though a Kendall Sargent kill paced the Tarts out to a 5-2 lead in Game 1, the Shockers quickly proved that they had a lot of spark. Anela Hansen, Shianne Pace, and Kelsey LaPray sparked the Shockers into blazing back into the game. Quicker than you could Ali Lamb Chop, the Shockers bolted ahead 8-7. Game 1 became a seesaw battle as Tarts Lexie Turner and Kenzie Nicol attempted to tip the momentum back to Davis' favor. However, the traditional volleyball powerhouse couldn't keep the 5-A newbies contained. Kills by Hansen, Tessa Riffle, and Aviary Shields enabled the Shockers to stay ahead through the rest of the game.

The second game also went down as a seesaw battle as Hansen proved to be an equal to towering players like Johanna Purdy and Turner. Kills by Tianna Naylor enabled the Shockers to pull away from Davis and sweep the match in two games.

In the Bronze Division's quarterfinals the Stansbury Stallions, AKA the Ponies, played much better against the Shockers. than they did against the Salem Sky Hawks, AKA the Sky Tweeties. In the first game, for instance, Westlake took an early 6-2 lead, but the Ponies narrowed it to 6-4. Guided by Rachel "Comrade" Kirchoff and Madison "Avenue" Alvey, Stansbury stayed close to the Shockers for a while. However, Hansen and Naylor's combined hitting proved to be impossible for the Ponies to overcome. Westlake won Game 1 25-17. The Ponies fell apart in the second game like they did in their match against the Sky Tweeties earlier in the day. With Stansbury's offense acting erratic, the Shockers had no trouble in corralling the Ponies. Pace, Hansen, and Naylor pooled their efforts together to produce a 25-15 over Stansbury.

In the semifinals, the Shockers found the Delta Rabbits, AKA the Wabbits, to be as cunning as the Deltans' favorite cartoon hero, Bugs Bunny. Westlake blazed its way out to an early 5-0 lead. Just as the Wabbits appeared that they would the roasted, they hopped back into the first game. Under the leadership of Sidney "What's Up Doc?" Springer and Shaylee "Cottontail" LaFevre guided the Wabbits back within 9-7. Hansen and Riffle jumped forward to stave off successfully the Wabbits' comeback effort. AKA Wabbitville, Delta kept leaping after Westlake. The Wabbits eventually got within 24-22. A Hansen kill ended the game in a 25-22 win for the Shockers.

In the second game, Wabbitville built up a 6-2 lead over Westlake. Hansen, Riffle, Sheilds, and Naylor hammered the momentum into dropping to the Shockers' favor. Finally, a LaPray kill put the Shockers ahead 11-10. The Wabbits tried controlling Hansen, but she proved to be too much for them to control. Mahealam Stone registered some hits that helped to roast Wabbitville severely. A Shields block won the game 25-15 and moved the Shockers into the championship final against the Dixie Flyers, AKA the Flyeryettes.

Not to be confused with the Dixie University Partyin' Red Storm, the Flyerettes proved to be the Shockers' toughest challenge of the tournament's medal-round matches. Under the leadership of
Tali Stevenson, Allisi Fakahua, Brittney Feala, and Jocie Bundy, the Flyerettes built up a quick lead of 14-6. The Shockers seemed done for. However, Hansen, Pace, and LaPray made sure that Dixie didn't make short work of Westlake. The Shockers battled back to tie the game at 23 on a Hansen kill. A LaPray ace put Westlake ahead 24-23. A Naylor kill gave the Shockers a 25-23 win.

In the second game, the two teams battled to tied scores of two, five, and six. A Feala kill sent the Flyerettes out an 13-6 lead. This time, Dixie proved to be tougher at the net. Brianna Duke joined in Fakahua, Bundy, and Stevenson in maintaining strong Flyerette control of the net. Dixie's lead swelled as wide as 24-8. Westlake rallied back within 24-12, but couldn't get any closer to Dixie.

In the third game, Pace's serving enabled the Shockers to blast back to tie the game at six after having let the Flyerettes take an early 4-2 lead. Westlake soon pulled ahead 8-7, but the Shockers couldn't keep control of the tempo. Feala and Stevenson's hitting sent the Flyerettes zooming ahead 9-8. Dixie never looked back. The Flyerettes won the third game 15-11.

Westlake Coach Wayne said, "Our players behaved more united in this tournament than they had done in prior matches this season. We've been working on unity quite hard all season. We stayed united in some real close matches at this tournament."

The Shockers are going to be returning their attention to Region Four play. They have opened it with a match at Lone Peak on September 4. The Shockers lost the four-game affair to the Lone Peak Loners.

Lehi Froggie Volleyball and AF Grass Relays

Timp Sports Weekly

September 3, 2013

Publisher's Message

For this week's issue, we look at the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, outlasting the Fremont Silverwolves, AKA the Silverpups, in a five-game volleyball match played at Lehi Aug. 29. We also look at how four northern Utah County schools' cross country teams did at the 17th Annual American Fork Grass Relays. As they say in Lehi, let's swim straight to those stories.

Dean Von Memmott

Publisher

magnanovelist@gmail.com

Lehi Froggies Survive Ribbiting 5-Match Against Fremont Silverpups Aug. 29

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

In a non-league volleyball action at Lehi Aug. 29, the Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, survived a five-game match against the Fremont Silverwolves, AKA the Silverpups, by scores of 25-22, 25-17, 24-26, 13-25, 15-10.

There could be no doubt that the game turned out to be more riveting -- correction, ribbiting than expected. During the match's first two games, the Froggies capitalized on the Silverpups' problem service errors to hop all over them. However, when Fremont defeated Lehi in the third game, the Froggies realized how extremely hungry for a victory the Silverpups were. Lehi Coach Jamie Ingersoll said, "In the fifth game, we managed to keep the ball in the court, so we could control the tempo all the way through. We played consistent in that game. In the third game, we let them get that early big lead, and we paid for it with having to play five games instead of three."

The first game opened with the Silverpups howling out to a 2-0 lead. Froggie Reesie Tua dumped a shot into Silverpup hole, turning the game into a nail-biting contest. Jessica Quayle, Mandi "Ms. Baad" Lamb, and Kenzie Burrows guided the Silverpups in staying ahead for a little while. Carly Ituma, Cydney Lund, Faitoto'a Faleao, and Rylin Roberts pooled their efforts together to pace the Froggies into leaping past the Silverpups 8-7. Taking a turn at serving, Ituma guided the Froggies into stroking far ahead of Fremont. Lehi  led by as far as 15-9. Lamb, Amanda Wayment, and Whitney Wray battled fiercely late in the first to prove that their Silverpups were still far from being fixed. After Lamb had chopped the Froggie lead down 23-22 on a kill, Makayala Houghton delivered hits that produced a 25-22 win for Lehi.

Ituma's hitting guided the Froggies out to an early 3-1 lead in the second game. Silverpups raced back to take a 4-3 advantage. Frequent service errors made it impossible for them to keep a tight hold on the momentum. As it kept slipping from the Silverpups' paws, the Froggies got an outstanding front-row performance from Houghton. Her hitting enabled the Froggies to stay several points ahead of Fremont despite strong efforts from Wayment, Burrows, Lamb, and Quayle. Houghton's hitting netted the Froggies a 25-17 in Game 2.

By the way the first two games had turned out, the Froggies, on paper, should have had no problem with swishing the Silverpups away in the third game. Even though it opened with Froggie Brynn Christensen registering a kill to give her team a 1-0 lead, Lehi came out flat. Aided by a Burrows ace, the Silverpups set their paws on a 4-1 lead quicker than you could say Ali Lamb Chop. A "distant cousin" of famed British actor Anthony "Tony" Quayle, Jessica Quayle held her own against Houghton, Ituma, and Faleao at the net. Quayle's hitting helped the Silverpups to stay ahead the entire game. In their attempts to catch up with Fremont, the Froggies frequently shot themselves in the fin through committing errors at very critical moments. Lehi finally did tie the game at 24-24. Wray delivered two straight kills that gave the Silverpups a 26-24 win.

The fourth game opened with Lamb registered a kill. Aided by Wayment, Burrows, and Wray, Lamb chopped Lehi to pieces in the game by a score of 25-13.

Despite the bruising loss in Game 4, Lehi put on the kind of performance that save the Froggies from getting dried up by Fremont. Tua, Houghton, Lund, Roberts, Sydney Wright, and Courtney Walker worked together to guide Lehi to a 15-10 win over the Silverpups.

Awesome AF Cavemen Win Varsity Boys' Title at AF Grass Relays Aug. 31

By Dean Von Memmott

Timp Sports Weekly Publisher

The Awesome American Fork Cavemen won the varsity boys' title at the 17th Annual American Fork Grass Relays, held behind the American Fork High School Aug. 31.

Unlike the cross country meets at which American Fork will be competing this fall, the one last Saturday involved having varsity runners each taking a turn at carrying a baton twice around a one-mile course. Each of the 20 schools competing at the meet field a team of five carriers.

The current state 5-A champs, the Awesome Cavemen showed why they were still a team of highly experienced runners. During the varsity boys' race, American Fork's No. 1 runner, Connor McMillan, built up a wide distance between himself and all of the other guys running in his turn of the race. Despite having to leap over hay bale barricades, McMillan didn't lose ground to his pursuers. With him finishing his turn of the race in first-place, he enabled his relay team's four other runners to stay way ahead of other baton carriers. The other four Awesome Caveman varsity racers included Zac "Zebra" Jacklin, Tyler "Tinker" Bell, Nate Tracy, and Caleb Thompson.

In the overall varsity boys' finishes, McMillan took first and Jacklin fourth. Lone Peak's Jacob Warner took ninth in those overall finishes.

American Fork boys' coach Timo Mostert said, "Dean, there are two kinds of runners: those who race and those who want to race. My guys wanted to race today."

The Awesome Cavemen weren't the only northern Utah County boys' cross country team that proved something at the Grass Relays. The Lone Peak Knights, AKA the Loners, proved something, too. Loner Coach Steve Ravelli said, "The varsity boys did much better than many people thought they would do. Our guys beat a nationally ranked team. Like American Fork, Riverton is nationally ranked, but we still beat the Silverwolves. We finished second in the varsity boys' relay."

Among the other three schools to finish in the varsity boys' relay's top five, Bingham took third, Riverton fourth, and Orem fifth.

The Loner runners in the varsity boys' relay included Warner, Jacob Harmer, Mikey Rossi, Jon Cahoon, and Marcor Peterson.

The Ferocious Pleasant Grove Vikings and Lehi Pioneers, AKA the Froggies, also fielded teams for the varsity boys and girls' relays. Pleasant Grove's varsity boys' quintet consisted of Zach Slater, Justin Coutts, Ethan Mitchell, Spence Palmer, and Tanner Nelson. The Froggies' varsity boys' quintet comprised of Connor Arnell, Austin Hinckley, Mikey Hinckley, Tom "Cat" Heaps, and Brady "Bunch" Taylor. Pleasant Grove finished 21st in the varsity boys' relay, and it saw Lehi take 22nd.

The Awesome American Fork Cavewomen finished fifth in the varsity girls' relay, which Bingham won. AKA the Pickers, the Bingham Miners took firm control of that race. The best American Fork could do was move from a seventh-place position to a fourth-place spot. The Awesome Cavewomen's varsity girls' relay consisted of Maddie Bench, Sophie Baird, Lexie Green, Diane Leach, and Makayla Stepps. American Fork head coach Bruno Hunziker said, "They've finished fifth in our grass relays practically every year, except that one time when they won first a few years ago. Today showed what they will need to work on, so they can get better as the season progresses.

Lehi took ninth in the varsity girls' relay. The Froggie girls' relay team consisted of Kenzie Draper, Nicole Rich, Emily Anderson, Maddy Kauffman, and Shariss Bevan.  

The Ferocious Vikings and Loners also fielded teams for the varsity girls' relay. The Ferocious Viking girls' team comprised of Annie Henninger, Aspen "Grove" Lucas, Melissa Reid, Faith Olsen, and Michaela Tanner. The Loners' varsity girls' quintet consisted of Emily Morrin, Monica Gividen, Amelia Southwick, and Jessica Smith. Lone Peak finished 10th in the varsity girls' race while  Pleasant Grove took 28th.

The meet opened with four races involving junior varsity runners. American Fork dominated the top 10 finishes in all of those races. 

A "distant cousin" of MASH character Corporal Clinger, Awesome Caveman Casey Clinger won the boys' 9th-10th grade division race. Among the other Awesome Cavemen to finish high in that race, McKay Johns took second, Joe Simmons sixth, and Hagen Hammer seventh. Loner Adam Jensen finished fourth.

In the girls' 9th-10th grade division race, Hannah Kendrick took first, Sophie Stewart second, Katie Bradshaw third, and Sammy Hollingsworth sixth. Loner Amanda Erickson took fifth in that race. Coach Ravelli said, "Amanda Erickson was the biggest surprise of the day with her fifth-place in the freshman-sophomore race. She ran well enough to have a shot at becoming our No. 3 runner on varsity."

Hunziker said, "Hannah Kendrick and Sophie Stewart are ninth graders, and they showed their race today why they deserved a chance at getting placed on varsity."

During the girls' junior-senior jayvee race, Awesome Cavewoman Nikki "Slicky" Smith finished first while teammate Amber "This is Your Night" Bardin took 10th.

American Fork practically swept the top 10 finishes of the boys' junior-senior jayvee race. During it, Awesome Caveman Dan Bentley won first while Spence Herzog took second, Jace Jenson third, Jacob Chase fourth, Luke "Use the Force" Gunther fifth, Connor Hoopes seventh, and Ashton Jensen eighth.