Rob Shelton / America Fork Citizen

American Fork High School’s softball program has played nine games in less than two weeks. Five wins, four losses, and a roster that head coach Sara Park says is still figuring out just how good it can be.

“I feel like this team is gelling really well together,” Park said. “They just want to play together. That’s been fun.”

She’d have a hard time arguing with the offense. American Fork racked up 14 or more hits in four of the nine games.

March 5: Orem 22, American Fork 12

It looked like Sydney Adamson was going to single-handedly win this one. She went 4-for-5 — home run, three doubles — and the Cavemen had a 9-3 lead through two innings.

However, Orem’s Cheyanne Wells went 5-for-5 with seven RBI and basically dismantled the American Fork advantage on her own. Her three-run homer to center in the fifth tied it at 12-9.

Then in the seventh, Orem sent nine batters to the plate and scored seven runs — a walk, a two-run double, a dropped third strike, an error and two more hits piled on before the Cavemen could get out of the inning.

Adamson’s first-inning shot had driven in three and helped American Fork score five in the opening frame. Lacie Fleming and Nataanii Fielding both had multi-hit days. The Cavemen drew six walks and still lost by 10. Orem’s 18 hits and eight walks of their own were just too much.

March 10: Cedar Valley 7, American Fork 4

It took exactly one inning for Cedar Valley to make things very uncomfortable. Mariah Hights hit a grand slam to left field — and just like that, the Aviators led 4-1 and the Cavemen spent the rest of the afternoon chasing.

Aspen Langi added a solo shot in the third. Meanwhile, Cedar Valley starter Centry Lundberg was mowing through American Fork’s lineup, holding the Cavemen to two hits over four innings with seven strikeouts. Mazie Walters took the loss, allowing nine hits and seven runs.

Adamson drove in two runs from the No. 3 spot, going 1-for-2. American Fork drew six walks and committed zero errors.

March 11: American Fork 7, Alta 3

Fielding tripled and Adamson grounded out to score in the first. Sara Jensen’s sacrifice fly in the third made it 3-0. Alta tied it on a Caveman error in the fourth.

Then Jensen — the one constant in the lineup all week — settled it. Her three-run homer to center in the fifth put the Caveman back up 6-3, and Naomi Silversmith singled to extend the lead to 7-3.

Jensen finished with four RBI on three hits. Mazie Walters went seven innings, giving up 10 hits but only two earned runs. The Cavemen had 15 hits and turned a double play for a solid all-around win.

March 13: American Fork 13, Shelley (ID) 1

Miah Walters drove in four runs on three hits and was the best player on the field. She doubled for two runs in the second and singled for two more in the sixth. Andi Gardner and Lacie Fleming each went 3-for-3 in the 14-hit effort.

The Caveman scored five runs on single hits by Flemming, Karissa Shelton and Miah Walters to seal the game in the top f the sixth inning. Mazie Walters made it easy in the circle — three hits, one unearned run over six innings, five strikeouts.

The Cavemen played clean defense throughout with not a single error.

March 13: Farmington 8, American Fork 7

The Caveman outhit Farmington 14-8 and still came up short. It’s that kind of loss that stings for a while.

Caveman’s Gardner went 3-for-3 and drove in two. Adamson and Fielding each had two RBI as well. But Eleni Lisonbee allowed eight runs over six innings in the circle, and the Cavemen just couldn’t get enough back late.

March 14: American Fork 12, Legacy 4

The Cavemen sent 11 batters to the plate before Legacy recorded the third out of the first inning. Six walks scored six runs. Fielding and Jensen added RBI singles. Legacy’s starter Audrie McClerkin didn’t make it out of the first inning, retiring just one batter while walking six.

Mazie Walters pitched five solid innings in relief of that chaos, striking out seven and finishing off the win for American Fork.

Legacy’s Madison Castellon hit a homer in the third and went 3-for-3 with three RBI — but the Cavemen’s cushion was too much. Keaton Routson, the No. 8 hitter, led the team with two RBI and went 1-for-1. The Cavemen walked eight times and made no errors.

March 14: American Fork 16, Altamont 7

Jensen homered in the first. The Cavemen fell behind 4-3 in the third. Then they erupted for seven runs, the biggest blow a two-run single by Gardner, to take a 10-4 lead they never relinquished. Six more runs in the fourth, including a Routson three-run homer over center field, closed things out.

Jensen went 3-for-3 with four RBI. Fleming and Gardner both had multiple hits. Lisonbee struck out nine over five innings. The Cavemen drew nine walks and scored 16 times. 

March 14: Duchesne 7, American Fork 1

Playing three games in one day will catch up with a team eventually. Duchesne’s pitcher worked seven innings without walking anyone, allowed nine hits and one run. The Thunderbirds built their lead a run or two at a time and never let American Fork get comfortable.

Lisonbee went 2-for-3 and drove in the Cavemen’s only run. Adamson, Fielding, Fleming and Lisonbee each had two hits, but nothing came in bunches.

March 16: American Fork 11, Brighton 1

The Cavemen’s Jensen went 3-for-3 again. Miah Walters struck out nine in five innings and the Cavemen stole 12 bases.

American Fork scored two in the first on an Adamson groundout, added four more in the second and kept rolling. Mikelle Arnson, Fielding, Gardner and Jensen each stole multiple bases. Routson drove in two from the No. 8 spot.

Brighton’s starter lasted two innings. The Cavemen made no errors and held Brighton to one run, ending the game early under the mercy rule.

Park has liked what the early results say about this group, even where it’s been messy. The returners — several freshmen from last year’s squad — came back different this spring.

“They came in with a little bit more pep in their step, kind of a little bit more want, and not so much nervousness,” she said. “That really helps. And then we’ve got some really good seniors this year that just really know how to lead.”

She’s asked for one thing above everything else this season. One word to describe what she wants from her team. “Focus,” Park said.

The Cavemen have a break for a few days before beginning the Region 3 schedule on Tuesday (Mar. 24) at 3:30 p.m. when they will host Lehi.

Megan Wallgren / Lehi Free Press

The American Fork High School track and field teams turned in an impressive early-season performance during the Early Bird Invitational March 12-14 at Mountain View High School in Orem, signaling a strong start as the Cavemen look to defend their state titles this spring.

Competing against 23 boys teams and 23 girls teams, American Fork placed second in the boys standings and fourth in the girls, finishing third overall out of 28 combined teams.

“The meet went really well,” said American Fork coach Brett Myrup. “Our athletes improved their marks from our previous meet and competed really well. Our team scores were right up with the top teams in the state.

“It was a good start to the season and helped us progress towards defending our state championships from last year,” he added.

Leading the way for the Cavemen was senior sprinter Kaden Fairbanks, who delivered one of the top individual performances of the meet and was the team’s top scorer.

Fairbanks scored 20 points, winning both the 100-meter dash in 10.81 seconds and the 400-meter race in 48.92 seconds. Both were state-qualifying times, and it was also a personal best for Fairbanks in the 100m.

American Fork also saw multiple athletes claim gold medals. Senior Austin Plewe won the 800-meter run with a time of 1:51.27, a personal record and state-qualifying time. Sophomore Hazel Jenkins cleared 10- feet-6-inches to win the girls pole vault.

American Fork had several athletes hit state-qualifying marks across multiple events. Freshman Mae Glassford secured a qualifying mark in the girls 800 meters with a time of 2:14.98. Senior Ginger Ballstaedt reached the standard in the girls long jump at 16-4.25 feet.

Senior Madden Jensen qualified in both throwing events, recording marks of 50-10.0 feet in the boys shot put and 149-10.0 feet in the boys discus, rounding out a deep and balanced group of Caveman state qualifiers.

With multiple event wins, several state qualifying marks and strong team finishes across the board, American Fork showed early that it will once again be a contender at the state level as the season progresses.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

For the sixth year in a row, American Fork tennis coach Jason Herrud trained and prepared a group of local student athletes to go down and work on the ball crew at the BNP Paribas Open, a full-spectrum professional tennis tournament that ranks right below the acknowledged four “majors” in the pro sport.

Herrud supervises a ball crew at the event and also conducts the intense training required to prepare youngsters for this service, which involves much more than retrieving balls on the court, though that’s the most visible evidence of the job.

“This year, we had four boys from our team and probably three future Cavemen come down and train,” Herrud said. “We also had players from Corner Canyon and Lone Peak and other area schools, 35 total trainees here at our American Fork location.”

Herrud said the ball boys and girls perform what amounts to a community service by their participation. “They couldn’t run the tournament without these ball kids,” he said. “This year, they had an overwhelming response to requests for student volunteers.

“So, we had to be on top of things, because there were over 500 kids who applied to be ball kids, and many of them didn’t get in. So the ones that went and got to perform service were pretty lucky and pretty fortunate to have the opportunity.”

The American Fork contingent this year included parents, administrators and three other teachers who went down to experience the spectacle. The program boys included Matt Davis, Drew Jacobsmeyer, Bridger Hansen and Truman Jones.

“From my standpoint and from the other teachers that went down, it was pretty neat to see everything about how a tournament of that magnitude works, how it’s organized, how corralling that many kids and getting them to lock in on what they do each day works,” he said.

“It’s not for the faint of heart,” Herrud continued. “They’ll work six-hour shifts. A lot of the kids are working a double shift a day, so that’s 12 hours. And out of those 12 hours, they will physically be on the court at least six of those hours.

“They’re out there running around, grabbing towels for the players, servicing them while they play a match in any way they need. And they have to be on point, because the last thing they want to do is be a distraction.”

Davis, a senior, is a repeat participant. He explained, “We were required to do six shifts throughout the week where each shift is six hours—we would work an hour and be off an hour so really only working three hours a shift.

“It’s always fun to have a road trip with your friends, but it’s especially fun when you’re going down to California with your close-knit tennis team working for a professional,” he said.

“Being a ball boy at first is a little nerve-racking, but after your first shift of working, you pretty much get the hang of it. It’s really fun to be on court with the players because you see them from a level no one else gets to see.”

Although the time to staff the event is donated, it does come with some perks. “We didn’t get paid but we got credit for food there. It was enough for a cheeseburger and fries just because the food is so expensive,” Davis said.

“We got shoes, socks, pants, a shirt, sweats, a hat, wristbands and a sweatshirt that we got to keep as uniforms,” he added. “Additionally, we got two grounds pass tickets that we could give to people like our parents.”

Davis loved the whole experience, but there were still a few things that stood out. “I enjoyed the community of friends we brought down. We made (new) friends there and we met some really cool people, but our group was really the best.

“One of the greatest parts about this event is to meet your favorite players and see them play,” he said. “I think my favorite part of the tournament was watching Joao Fonseca play Karen Khachanov with my family on the first row of seats on the sideline. The energy that the Brazilian brought to that match was next level. It is really awesome to see!”

Jones was excited about his chance to serve at the event. “It was a really cool experience being a ball boy at BNP,” he said. “I loved being so close to the matches and seeing how fast and competitive the game is at that level.

“One thing I learned was how organized professional tournaments have to be, with everyone working together to keep matches running smoothly,” Jones said.

“I also learned how important it is to stay alert and react quickly so you can do the job well without getting in the way of play. It was exciting to be part of such a big event, and it gave me a new appreciation for the sport,” he concluded.

“It’s a great opportunity for the boys and the girls from other schools that do it as well, just to foster their love for tennis and to perform a pretty cool service for these professionals,” Herrud said.

“They get to be on court with some of the best players in the world. They get to see them up close. They get to service them, be part of the game. The tournament itself is pretty overwhelming with how many people come through there. They set a record for attendance this year,” he added.

The Indian Wells Tennis Garden hosts the event. It’s located near Palm Springs in California and this year lasted from March 4-15. The American Fork participants were there for a week in the earlier part of the event, when the need for staffing is greatest because of the number of matches being played.

According to the venue’s website, it includes 29 world-class courts, including the 16,000-seat Stadium 1 which is center court for the BNP Paribas Open. Last year, tournament attendance surpassed 500,000 people. The men’s and women’s singles winners each received a prize of $1,151,380 in 2026.

“To see people from all over the world, top athletes, it’s pretty inspiring to up your game and to work on your own game,” Herrud said. “That’s one of the reasons we love our players to go down and do that.

“With the new tennis club being built over in Lehi, the Utah Valley Tennis Club, we’ve got a bona fide training facility for this in years to come,” Herrud said. “It really does just empower kids to have a little more confidence, to be around the game. It gives them knowledge of the game.

“And you know, that’s why everyone’s doing it,” the coach added. “It’s because they love it, and tennis is one of those sports that we love around here, just because, no matter what the age, no matter what the level, you’re out there on the court, getting a good workout and really enjoying life.”

Photos courtesy of Sam Penrod.

HAZEL JENKINS

GRADE: 10

SPORT: Track and Field

EVENTS: Pole vault, hurdles

RECENT HIGHLIGHT:

Hazel got a huge personal best of 10-feet-6-inches in the pole vault on March 12, becoming the first American Fork track state qualifier of 2026.

COACH’S COMMENTS:

She has been working so hard and it paid off earlier than expected this season. She is now ranked amongst the top few in 6A.

– Coach Brett Myrup

Sponsored by the Utah National Guard.

Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press

Although the state basketball tournaments were still going on, tryouts for spring sports took place last week and the first contests are being played this week.

The spring season is the busiest part of the sports year at our local high schools, which field teams in 10 sports where state trophies are awarded. This promises to be an exciting season for the Cavemen as two teams were ranked in the 6A preseason coaches polls and others have top talent returning.

Here’s a sport-by-sport look at some of what’s ahead for American Fork fans this spring:

BASEBALL

To no one’s surprise, the defending state champion Cavemen were tabbed No. 1 in the preseason poll. American Fork has won three of the last five 6A state titles. Despite significant graduation losses, the team still returns significant talent with varsity experience and has a bunch of developed players ready to try their hands at the varsity level. As always, the program has a purposely-brutal schedule, but even early losses against good teams have a way of translating into big wins come tournament time.

SOFTBALL

The Cavemen are coming off a rebuilding season under a new head coach. The team lost just two seniors, so virtually the entire squad returns with another year of experience under their belts. That should translate to more success on the field this season.

BOYS SOCCER

The two-time defending state champion Cavemen start the season as the No. 3 pick in the preseason poll, listed after Region 3 foes No. 1 Lone Peak and No. 2 Skyridge, which suggests a lively battle this year for league supremacy. Keep in mind that American Fork finished third in the region last year but still won the title. The team graduated a bunch of seniors, but the ranking reflects the fact that this is a solid program that just reloads every year.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Highly-successful basketball coach Ryan Cuff takes the reins of this team for the first time this season. He’s excited about the challenge and has hired an excellent staff to assist him. The team lost some seniors, but Cuff said he has talented athletes to work with and the team is ready to compete.

GIRLS LACROSSE

The Cavemen return a solid core of experienced players including their leading scorer from last year, who is still just a junior. The team anticipates continued improvement under their second-year head coach, who plans to emphasize the development of the program’s younger players this season.

BOYS LACROSSE

This team brings back most of its starters on both sides of the ball from last season, giving the Cavemen some experience to build on under their second-year head coach.

BOYS and GIRLS TRACK

The Cavemen are the defending state champions in both divisions and return some of their top medalists from last season. As always, American Fork will have a cadre of outstanding entrants in the long- and middle-distance events, but they also have returning talent in the sprints and field events as well.

BOYS TENNIS

The Cavemen earned their second 6A state title in three years last season and their prospects are excellent again, led by reigning Mr. Tennis and 6A First Singles champion Braeden Johnson, now a senior and a BYU commit. The team also returns three of last year’s four silver medalists with capable players coming up to fill the other slots.

GIRLS GOLF The Cavemen have four players back who competed both days at the state tournament last season and will provide a great foundation to build the team around.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

American Fork High School tennis player Braeden Johnson has added another honor to his already-impressive list of achievements. He’s now the 2025 recipient of the Lee Hammel Outstanding Male High School Tennis Player Award from the Utah Tennis Association.

According to the organization’s website, this award was named after Lee Hammel, who coached high school tennis in Utah for more than 40 years and led his teams to multiple state championships.

“This award recognizes a male athlete for his achievements in high school tennis and also recognizes the individual for their overall performance, team spirit, sportsmanship and attitude both on and off the court,” the award description says.

“Braeden Johnson is currently the No. 1 ranked junior in both our Utah district and the Intermountain section,” said Cherstin Harris, Junior Competition Manager for the USTA Intermountain Utah. She said that Johnson earned the award for his outstanding 2025 junior season at American Fork High School.

“Braeden went undefeated for two straight high school seasons and led his team to the 6A Championship by defeating the reigning state champion during his junior year in 2025,” Harris said.

“His excellence on the court, competitive spirit, and leadership make him a deserving recipient of this honor. We look forward to seeing what he accomplishes in his senior season,” she said.

Last year as a junior, Johnson was the top-ranked player in the 6A classification and earned the gold medal as the bracket champion. He was dominant in all of his state tournament matches leading up to the First Singles final with a combined total score of 36-5.

However, he then faced off against a formidable opponent: senior defending state champion and No. 2 seed Calvin Armstrong of Skyridge.

Armstrong easily won the first set 6-2, so Johnson had to come from behind to earn his title. He proved equal to the task, securing the final two sets 6-4, 6-3.

“Our region is extremely tough and that actually really helped us, not only to get us ready for State, but it bumped our Braeden Johnson right over the edge of Cal Armstrong for the number one seed in the tournament,” AFHS Coach Jason Herrud said after the state meet last spring.

This was important because it meant that Armstrong had to play a challenging opponent in the semifinal before Johnson. “It was just an extremely physical final,” the coach said. “That was kind of the difference, just who could outlast who in that last set.”

Johnson was also Utah’s 2025 Mr. Tennis and received a  Tennis Outstanding Athlete award, both from the Deseret News.

Photos courtesy of Sam Penrod.

Beky Beaton / America Fork Citizen

The No. 2 American Fork High School boys basketball team pushed a game they had once controlled to overtime with a buzzer-beater but were unable to keep pace with No. 3 Bingham in the extra stanza, and the Miners (18-8) prevailed 69-65 to move on to play No. 1 Westlake (22-3) for the 6A title.

The Cavemen started out hot and nearly doubled up Bingham in the initial period, which ended with American Fork ahead 15-8. The lead ballooned to 34-21 by the half with the team converting 58 percent from the field.

The gap reached its widest point at the 6:30 mark of the third quarter when it topped out at 17 points. The Miners were held under 30 percent shooting in the first half, but at this point they started to see the ball go in and the momentum began to swing in their direction.

By the end of the period, the deficit had narrowed to just six points at 41-47. Bingham erased it with 2:39 to play and took over the lead at the 1:12 mark. They owned a 59-56 margin with 11 seconds to go.

After two timeouts with a miss in between, the Cavemen had one final chance with less than a second on the clock. Junior guard Jax Oyler was able to connect the in-bounds pass to senior guard Ashton Hucks, who put up a 3-pointer that dropped through the net as the buzzer sounded to extend the game.

However, there were no more late heroics in the overtime as Bingham scored first and maintained its advantage most of the rest of the way.

Senior forward Jax Clark jump-started American Fork in the first quarter and finished with 24 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Bryce Mella added 19 points and nine boards. Check back later for the full story with more photos.

Beky Beaton / America Fork Citizen

The No. 2 American Fork High School boys basketball team blew open a close contest in the second half of the quarterfinal against No. 10 Herriman (16-9) on Wednesday (Feb. 25), posting a 46-39 victory at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Center.

The Cavemen (18-7) now move on to the semifinals Thursday (Feb. 26) to play No. 3 Bingham (17-8) at 9 p.m. at the Huntsman Center. The Miners survived a rugged quarterfinal contest against No. 6 Mountain Ridge (17-8). They needed 42 points from one player to advance with a two-point win.

American Fork got things started right out of the gate with a triple from junior guard Jax Oyler. The Cavemen led 11-4 with two minutes to go in the first period, but the Mustangs scored the next four points to close the gap by the end of the quarter. They did a similar thing as the break approached, and American Fork went to the locker room up just 17-15.

There was a seismic shift in momentum in the third period as the Cavemen netted seven points in the first two minutes for a 24-15 margin. Herriman continued to run at them, but the rugged American Fork defense prevailed as the Mustangs never got closer than seven points the rest of the night.

Senior guard Bryce Mella was his usual efficient self, totaling 22 points to lead the offensive effort. Senior forward Jax Clark added eight points, eight boards and three blocked shots.

Check back later for more details and photos.

Beky Beaton and Ryann Anderegg / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School swim team finished third in the boys events and 18^th in the girls division of the 6A state championships concluding Saturday (Feb. 21) at Brigham Young University.

It was a close race for the boys trophies but Lone Peak edged Mountain Ridge 315-302 to get the title. The Cavemen tallied 247 points to outdistance Wasatch at 222 for third place. The Wasps won the earlier contest between the two programs at the Region 3 meet by a considerable amount.

American Fork Coach Michael King was named co-winner of the Utah Swimming Coaches Association 6A Men’s Team Coach of the Year award with Catherine Crenshaw of Mountain Ridge. This is a peer honor voted on by members of the Association.

The small contingent of Caveman girls earned 35 points. Wasatch won the girls title as expected with 311 points, but Skyridge surprised for second place by sneaking past Lone Peak 257-251.5.

“We started the meet off really, really well,” King said. “Our boys team relay came out of nowhere and got second, something that we had talked about all year, and we knew there was a potential of doing that.

“And then we just kind of carried that momentum through the competition,” the coach said. “You don’t really know what other teams are dealing with in terms of kids being sick or disqualifications.

“We got to swim better than what we thought was possible, in the relays especially just because if the team qualifies, that opens the door right?” he said. “And that happened on the first event. We made it through and finished strong.”

Following are the American Fork athletes who earned points for the team in their state events.

In the boys events:

• Battling an illness on top of his competitors, junior Sam Petersen had to fight hard to get a top medal in the 500-yard freestyle, cutting nearly six seconds from his seed time to capture the silver just a third of a second behind the winner. He earned the bronze medal in the 200-yard freestyle with a drop from his seed time there as well.

“It didn’t really go how I wanted it to, but I’m still happy with what I placed,” he said. “I’ve been working a lot on my top speed, so that I can get out faster in the races. I think that’s going to be a big thing for me next year too. I’m really excited to see what I can do next year.”

• Junior Oakley James took about 1.5 seconds off his seed time and finished only behind the new 6A record holder for the silver medal in the 100-yard backstroke. He also reduced his mark in the prelims but then had to swim even faster in the final to stay in sixth place in the 200-yard individual medley.

“I feel great,” he said after the backstroke event. “There is always room for improvement, but I worked hard and am really proud.”

• Sophomore Conner Fellingham finished fourth in a super-close 100-yard breaststroke race where the top four swimmers were separated by a tiny fraction of a second. He also came in 14^th in the 50-yard freestyle.
• Junior Luke Nelson came in fourth in the 100-yard backstroke and placed 15^th in the 100-yard freestyle event with a 2.5-second time drop just to make the final.
• Junior Noah Christensen shaved four seconds from his seed time to move up in the 200-yard individual medley for fifth place and also bumped up a spot to sixth place in the 100-yard butterfly.
• Senior Zack Stevens cut about 1.5 seconds from his seed time to claim seventh place in the 100-yard breaststroke and reduced his seed time by nearly four seconds to place 10^th in the 200-yard individual medley.
• Senior Kyle Robinson garnered eighth place in the 100-yard butterfly.

• The Cavemen captured silver in the 200-yard medley relay in dramatic fashion, dropping a second from their time in the prelims and out-touching the Sentinels with Nelson, Fellingham, Robinson and James. The winners from Brighton set a new 6A record.
• In the 200-yard freestyle relay, American Fork placed fourth with Petersen, Robinson, Fellingham and Christensen.
• In the 400-yard freestyle relay where another 6A record was set, the Cavemen earned fifth place with Petersen, Nelson, Christensen and James.

In the girls division:

• Sophomore Darcee Smith improved her seed time by more than nine seconds to earn a spot in top final group and finished eighth in the 500-yard freestyle. She also earned sixth place in the 100-yard backstroke.
• A Caveman team took 12^th place in the 200-yard medley relay with senior Tenley Anderson, sophomore Gracee Marlowe, Smith and sophomore Mayla Harward.
• American Fork reduced the squad’s seed time exponentially to advance to the final and then came in 16th in the 400-yard freestyle relay with Smith, freshman Jane Ririe, Harward and senior Anisten Evans. The group improved their entry mark by more than 10 seconds in the final.

Megan Wallgren / America Fork Citizen

The No. 2 American Fork High School boys basketball team dominated in its first game of the 6A state tournament, defeating No. 15 Copper Hills 67-35 on Friday (Feb. 20) in The Cave. Both teams earned a bye in the first round.

With the victory, the Cavemen (17-7) advance to the quarterfinals, where they will face No. 10 Herriman (16-8) on Wednesday (Feb. 25) at 12:50 p.m. in the University of Utah’s Huntsman Center.

Adding extra intrigue to this matchup, the coach of the Mustangs is Doug Meacham, who spent many years as an assistant and later head coach at American Fork. Herriman ended up in a three-way tie for first place in Region 2 with Westlake and Bingham. The Mustangs eliminated No. 7 Skyridge on Friday.

The Cavemen showcased their depth with 12 players scoring and everyone in uniform getting some time on the floor. The team’s big men controlled both the paint and the boards, shutting down Copper Hill’s offensive and defensive efforts.

The Grizzlies led in the opening minutes as American Fork turnovers allowed the visitors to start the game with a couple of three-pointers. American Fork quickly settled in however, making threes of their own. They led 15–13 by the end of the first quarter.

The Cavemen took firm control in the second period, outscoring the Grizzlies 17–6. Strong defense and rebounding limited scoring opportunities for Copper Hills, while American Fork capitalized on high-percentage shots around the rim for a 32-19 advantage at the break.

The home squad’s momentum carried into the second half. The Caveman defense was especially strong in the third quarter, holding the Grizzlies to just four points. On offense, American Fork extended the lead even farther, moving ahead 48-23 by the end of the third quarter.

Although the Grizzlies made an offensive rally in the final period against some younger players, they couldn’t stop the Cavemen, who scored 19 points in their most productive quarter of the game.

American Fork finished the night shooting at 53-percent efficiency from the field, compared to just 25 percent for Copper Hills, highlighting the Cavemen’s skill on both ends of the floor. They claimed the rebound battle 43-18 and recorded 19 assists on 26 field goals.

Senior forward Jax Clark led the way for American Fork with 14 points on 6-of-9 attempts, most of them coming in the paint, along with one three-pointer. He completed a double-double with 11 rebounds and also made three assists.

Senior guard Bryce Mella also had an efficient outing with nine points on six shots plus six boards and three assists. Sophomore forward Lincoln Zimmerman made the most of his minutes with nine points plus three rebounds.

Junior guard Jax Oyler contributed eight points with four boards and senior guard Ashton Hucks scored six points with three assists. Senior guard Bridger Burnside collected six rebounds.

“The key for us was defense,” said Coach Ryan Cuff. “Our team continues to focus on our defensive principles and play as a team. Tonight was special as every member of our 20-person roster got in the game, and each person played hard. It was a great team effort.”