Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The sixth-seeded American Fork girls volleyball team worked through the first two rounds of the 6A state tournament on Tuesday (Oct.27) to earn a spot in the semifinals.

The Cavemen (17-11) will next take on No. 2 Skyridge (24-6), a familiar Region 3 foe, on Wednesday (Oct. 28) at 10 a.m. on Court 3 at Utah Valley University’s UCCU Center. The Falcons swept through their first two opponents.

In the initial round on Tuesday, American Fork was lined up against No. 11 Farmington (17-13). The Cavemen came out hot and won the first set 25-17, but the Phoenix responded to grab the next game 25-22. American Fork took control and claimed the final two sets 25-19, 25-19.

The Cavemen were the underdogs in the quarterfinal against No. 3 Syracuse (22-7), but after running the Region 3 gauntlet, they played like the battle-tested veterans they are.

American Fork handled the first two sets 25-16, 25-22. The Titans rallied to win the third game 25-16 and pushed the fourth set to an extra point, but the Cavemen prevailed 26-24 to upset the higher seed and secure their ticket forward.

A win for American Fork in Wednesday morning’s match will mean a berth in the championship final, scheduled for 4 p.m. on Court 2. With a loss, the Cavemen will play in the 3^rd/4^th placement match at 1:30 p.m. on Court 2.

Check online at afcitizen.com or in next month’s issue of the American Fork Citizen for how the Cavemen finished their campaign.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School girls volleyball team won four of their last five matches to finish the regular season, tying for third place in Region 3 at 4-4 and ending up 15-11 overall heading into the playoffs.

Oct. 6: American Fork 3, Lehi 0

The Cavemen easily won the first two sets against the homestanding Pioneers 25-11, 25-13. However, Lehi put up more of a fight in the third round, pushing it to an extra point, but American Fork still prevailed 26-24 to secure the match.

Senior outside hitter Destinie Hampton led the attack with 14 kills, two aces, 10 digs and eight serve-receives while senior outside hitter Macy Melville added 12 kills, three aces, 11 digs and 12 serve-receives.

Senior setter Brynn Murray supplied 27 assists. Sophomore libero Calla Pranger led her team with 17 serve-receives.

Oct. 8: American Fork 3, Syracuse 2

The Cavemen had a marathon battle on the road against the Titans. They got off to an exciting start by outlasting Syracuse 26-24 in the first set, but the home squad responded by winning the next two games 25-14, 25-16.

American Fork came back to capture the fourth set 25-23 and then closed out the match by securing a 15-13 win in the tiebreaker.

Melville sparked her squad with an outstanding effort, contributing team highs of 15 kills, five aces and 11 digs to go with 19 serve-receives. Hampton added 12 kills and led the squad in serve-receives with 32. Junior middle blocker Daci Roberts tallied six kills.

Junior opposite Alivia Lemon contributed 11 kills while freshman middle blocker Alexis Brant provided eight kills with four combined blocks and Murray served three aces to go with 10 digs and 40 assists. Pranger collected 25 serve-receives.

Oct. 12: American Fork 3, Fremont 1

The host Cavemen had a lively match with the Silverwolves. They got a comfortable win in the first set 25-14 but fell just short in the next one 24-26. American Fork rallied to claim the final two sets 25-20, 26-24 to capture the match victory.

Melville had another fantastic outing with 14 kills, six aces, three combined blocks, 23 digs, four assists and 40 serve-receives. Hampton garnered 13 kills, 13 digs and 15 serve-receives.

Lemon made eight kills and three aces while Brant supplied six kills and four combined blocks. Pranger served six aces with 11 digs plus 10 serve-receives and Murray had three solo blocks, 11 digs and 37 assists.

Oct. 20: Skyridge 3, American Fork 1

The Cavemen challenged the Falcons in their gym. After dropping the first set to Skyridge 25-16, American Fork bounced back to win the second game 25-22. The Falcons took the third 25-16 and then hung on to win the final set 26-24.

Melville continued her productivity with 15 kills, three aces, 12 digs and 15 serve-receives. Hampton supplied 12 kills, 12 digs and 17 serve-receives. Lemon posted nine kills.

Murray dug 11 times and dished out 35 assists. Pranger recorded 26 serve-receives. Senior libero Taanii Fielding made 10 digs.

Oct. 22: American Fork 3, West 0

The Cavemen scheduled a competitive match to close out the regular season, but they hung on to sweep the Panthers 26-24, 25-18, 25-18.

Hampton paced the attack with 14 kills while Lemon had 10 kills and Melville made nine kills with 18 digs. Murray served five aces and made 34 assists. Fielding tallied 11 digs and 26 serve-receives. Brant provided five kills, three aces and four combined blocks.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The Cavemen competed well in the state’s toughest region, which has teams claiming three of the top four spots in the final rankings for the classification. This year only 16 teams make the field so the entire event takes place Tuesday and Wednesday at Utah Valley University’s UCCU Center.

Here’s how they are positioned going into the 6A state tournament.

American Fork

Season record: 4-4 Region 3 (T3rd), 15-11 overall

Final MaxPreps ranking: 6 in 6A, 11 statewide

Next contest: Oct. 27

Prospects: The Cavemen will take on #11 Farmington (16-12) at 10:30 a.m. on Court 4 in the first round of the playoffs. If they advance, they will face the winner of #3 Syracuse (21-6) and #14 Westlake (8-14) in the quarterfinals at 1:30 p.m. on Court 4. A loss in the first round would drop them to a consolation game at 1:30 p.m. on Court 3. American Fork has defeated all three of these teams this year, sweeping the Phoenix and Thunder and outlasting the Titans 3-2 just two weeks ago.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The No. 4 American Fork High School girls soccer team fell to top-ranked Lone Peak 3-0 in the semifinals of the 6A state tournament on Monday (Oct. 19) at the Zion’s Bank Stadium in Herriman. They finish the season with a 13-7 overall record.

The Knights got the advantage right out of the gate by scoring their first goal just 30 seconds into the contest. They added a second score with about 13 minutes remaining in the first half and held the 2-0 lead heading into the break.

Freshman goalkeeper Sofia Crowley made numerous saves in the contest and did a great job defending the net the entire match, but she was under constant pressure from Lone Peak’s speedy offense. The Knights got their final goal on a breakaway with 18 minutes left.

For their part, the Cavemen did not roll over and kept competing throughout the contest. Senior defender Jill Kesler plus junior defenders Lehua Fisher and Abby Slater worked especially hard clearing threats from the attacking third of the field.

American Fork had the best chance for a score on a counter following the third Lone Peak goal. Senior midfielder Cambree Ballard got off a rocket shot from the top of the box, but it hit the crossbar and bounced back out.

In the midfield, Ballard, senior Suri Parsia, junior Eva Gunn and junior Sophie Adams tried to keep the ball moving and kept switching it from sideline to sideline to try to find a path through the Knight defense. They took some shots but weren’t able to convert them.

Ballard finished the season as the leading offensive force for the team with 20 points from seven goals and six assists. Parsia was second with 13 points for five goals plus three assists and sophomore forward Ivy Jacobson was third with 11 points for three goals and five assists.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

Several products of our local high school teams had an impact in the first-ever meeting of two top-10 teams at LaVell Edwards Stadium on Saturday (Oct. 17), when the No. 8 Cougars pulled off a thrilling 28-24 victory over No. 2 Notre Dame.

At the top of the list is the former Lehi star, true freshman wide receiver Legend Glasker. Glasker earned a starting role in spring and fall camp, and is BYU’s leading receiver six games into the season with 24 catches for 444 yards and three touchdowns. That’s 200 yards more than the next man on the list.

He’s been averaging 18.5 yards per reception and 74 yards per game. Against the Fighting Irish, he was tied for receiving yards with 66 on five catches but added some rushing yards as well to finish with the highest all-purpose yards total of 75.

Glasker made key receptions on two critical Cougar drives. Trailing 7-10 in the second quarter, Glasker gathered a toss from sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier that he turned into a 19-yard gain, reaching the Notre Dame 28-yard line.

This drive eventually ended with a double-pass touchdown by Bachmeier which put BYU back in front 14-10.

Glasker was called on once more in the fourth quarter, after the Cougars had again fallen behind 21-24. On 2^nd-and-10, Bachmeier connected with Glasker for a 26-yard pickup that brought the ball to the Irish 15-yard line and led to the game-winning score.

This is Glasker’s third game with 5+ receptions, tied for the fourth-most by an active FBS true freshman this season. He is the only Big 12 true freshman with even one game of 5+ catches this season.

Former Skyridge standout Tausili Akana starts on the BYU defensive line. The redshirt junior has also played in all six games and is 10^th on the team in total tackles with 13, but he leads both in tackles-for-loss at 6.5 for 30 yards and sacks with 3.5 for 24 yards. In this game he had two tackles and a pass break-up.

Freshman Bott Mulitalo starts on the offensive line and could often be seen in the game making key blocks for the offense. A Lehi resident, he was a 4-star recruit out of Lone Peak.

Sophomore defensive end Hunter Clegg started this game and is a team co-captain and a member of the Leadership Council. The former Caveman star had two solo tackles and a hurry for this game. He has 10 tackles, four hurries, an interception and a pass break-up so far this season.

Redshirt senior defensive end Bodie Schoonover is also a co-captain and on the Leadership Council. Another American Fork alum, he had three tackles and hurry against the Irish and is tied for sixth on the team in tackles with 15, including three for a loss, and also has three hurries this year.

Other locals who participated in reserve roles against Notre Dame were former Cavemen tight ends Noah Moeaki and Will Zundell, both redshirt sophomores.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork boys golf team finished in a tie for sixth place at the soggy 6A State Tournament October 12 and 13 at Talons Cove Golf Club in Saratoga Springs.

The Cavemen earned fifth place in the qualifying first round with a combined team score of 289 (+1), ahead of Region 3 foes Lone Peak at 291 (+3) and Corner Canyon at 294 (+6).

Together, the Knights and the Chargers own 13 of the last 14 state championships and both finished ahead of American Fork in Region 3. However, this year Corner Canyon was the last team to make the cut at the state event.

Lehi won their first 6A title in boys golf by a landslide with a two-day total of 562 (-14). Skyridge earned a surprising second place with 569 (-7) after struggling against the league foes all season.

Lone Peak rallied behind their repeat state individual medalist, junior Blake Brown, to finish in third place. The Cavemen tied Bingham for sixth place with 584 (+8). They bested the Chargers, tied for eighth place, by four strokes.

Sophomore James Smith was the top placer for American Fork, carding a 143 (-1) over the two days to claim 14^th place. Junior Landon Lieu was next in for the squad, ending in a tie for 20^th place at 145 (+1).

The other counted scores came from junior Sam Fairbanks, tied for 28^th place right behind his teammate at 146 (+2), and senior Wes Brown rounded out the tally with a 150 (+6) in a tie for 39^th place.

Additional Cavemen who competed at the state event were junior Cade Henneman (152, +8) and senior Chad Douglass (156, +12).

Jennifer Thomas / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork football team put up a valiant effort on the road in the final game of the regular season, but the Skyridge Falcons secured the Region 3 title on their Senior Night with a thrilling 21-15 victory over the Cavemen.

The hard-fought battle captured the grueling nature of Utah high school football, showcasing standard-setting grit alongside a somber reminder of the game’s physical costs.

The intense, regular-season finale took an ominous turn during the first half that briefly silenced a roaring stadium. In a collision indicative of the Region 3 gauntlet, American Fork defensive leader Dalin Afu suffered a severe injury late in the second period.

Play halted for several minutes in a deeply emotional scene as the player was carefully stabilized and taken off the field on a stretcher, drawing a poignant mix of applause and supportive gestures from both sidelines.

The injury cast a heavy, physical toll over an already battered American Fork roster working to manage multiple depth adjustments that include the starting quarterback ahead of the playoffs.

Down 14-0 at the half, the Cavemen refused to fold and dialed up an aggressive aerial assault when senior quarterback Nate Childs connected with senior two-way player Noah Behm on a 15-yard strike in the corner of the endzone to narrow the gap to a single score in the third quarter.

The Falcons answered back before the end of the period to extend the advantage to 21-7. The energized American Fork defense relentlessly pressured the Skyridge quarterback and attacked with physicality and determination to effectively slow down the Falcons, holding them scoreless in the fourth quarter.

“We have been stressing the next play with the guys,” said Coach Aaron Behm. “We play good teams who will make plays and score some points. All we can do is bounce back and get to the next play. I think they did a really good job of doing that.

“I think they tackled really physically, when the contact was made that was the end of the play, which was a great sign. If we keep that up, we will be in great shape,” added Coach Behm.

It was the fourth quarter that nearly turned the game completely on its head. Facing an uphill battle, American Fork’s offense, led by Childs, suddenly went into hyper-drive.

The Caveman offense started slicing through the Skyridge secondary. Late in the final frame, Childs connected with senior tight end Zack Cowie on a clinical 4-yard touchdown pass.

Refusing to back down, the Cavemen went for a high-risk two-point conversion, with Childs successfully rushing it across the goal line to cut the deficit to 21-15 with just over eight minutes remaining in the game.

“Nate did a really nice job in this game,” Coach Behm said. “He had a full week of practice and came ready to play. It helped to be able to run the ball tonight as that took some of the pressure off.

“I am super proud of him. He did really well when he got flushed from the pocket keeping his eyes up and converting on some crucial downs,” the coach said. Childs finished the game completing 19-of 37 passes for 212 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Behm tallied seven catches for 87 yards while junior wide receiver Cash Taiese made four receptions for 77 yards. American Fork’s leading rusher for the contest was senior running back Tani Vaki with eight carries for 39 yards.

The defensive effort was led by senior linebacker Luke Vernon with 13 combined tackles and senior linebacker Mason Peterson with 10 tackles including a sack.

Despite the frantic, physical push from the Caveman offense, the Skyridge defense dug deep in the final minutes, forcing a decisive stand to run out the clock and secure the victory.

“I really love these guys. We’ve been on the short end of the stick the last couple of weeks, but they have continued to get better, they have continued to work. These guys continue to have great energy when they come to practice. That is all a coach can ask for,” concluded Coach Behm.

American Fork finished 1-3 in Region 3 play and 6- 4 overall. The Cavemen head into postseason play carrying plenty of momentum from a late-game offense that proved it can threaten anyone in the state.

Photos by Sam Penrod.

American Fork earned home field in the first round of the playoffs. Here’s how the Cavemen are positioned going into the 6A state tournament.

American Fork

Season record: 1-3 Region 3 (T3rd), 6-4 overall

Final RPI ranking: 8 in 6A

MaxPreps ranking: 6 in 6A, 10 statewide

Next contest: Oct. 30

Prospects: The Cavemen will welcome #9 Copper Hills (7-3) in the new initial round of the playoffs after the field was narrowed to 16 teams, resulting in an automatic bye for all 6A teams in the playoffs. If American Fork wins, the team will advance to play either #1 Skyridge (8-1) or #16 Riverton (2-8) on Nov. 6 at the home of the higher seed in the quarterfinals. The default start time for these games is 6 p.m. unless the teams agree to change it. The Cavemen did not see the Grizzlies this year and suffered a narrow loss to the Falcons in the final game of the regular season.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School girls soccer team moved confidently through the first two rounds of the 6A state tournament this week, defeating a pair of opponents with home-field shutouts to earn a berth in the semifinals on Monday (Oct. 19).

The No. 4 Cavemen (13-6) will take on No. 1 Lone Peak (16-3) at noon in Herriman at the Zion’s Bank Stadium. The Cavemen lost both Region 3 matches to the Knights this year, but the second one was only by a single goal.

Lone Peak had to secure their first-round match victory against No. 16 Skyridge in a shootout on Tuesday.

The team prevailing this Monday will play the winner of No. 2 Davis (14-4) against No. 3 Farmington (13-5) for the championship on Oct. 23 at 10 a.m. in the same location. American Fork fell to the Darts in the second game of the year but didn’t lose again for a month.

Oct. 13: American Fork 1, #13 Riverton 0

The Cavemen played a tight defensive match with the Silverwolves to open the playoffs. Neither team was able to find the net in the initial period, but junior midfielder Eva Gunn managed to hit the target in the second half to lift her team to victory.

Freshman goalkeeper Sofia Crowley earned the shutout between the pipes.

Oct. 15: American Fork 2, #5 Corner Canyon 0

The Cavemen split their league contests with the Chargers during the regular season, with Corner Canyon coming out on top in the second-round game on Oct. 1.

However, the rubber match went to American Fork at the time when it most mattered as the Cavemen eliminated the Chargers with a pair of second-period scores while Crowley earned another clean sheet.

Senior midfielder Cambree Ballard provided the offensive firepower for the home squad, as she has all season. She got an assist from senior defender Sienna Bushman on one of her two goals.

Photos by Sam Penrod.

Megan Wallgren / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School Boys Cross Country team captured the Region 3 Championship on Tuesday (Oct. 13) at Mary and Art Dye Park. The Caveman girls were runners-up in a tight battle with nationally-ranked Lone Peak.

American Fork continued to demonstrate why it is among the nation’s top cross country programs, with both its boys and girls teams ranked nationally going into post-season racing.

The Caveman boys are ranked No. 6 nationally by DyeStat, while the girls team holds the No. 13 spot. Lone Peak’s girls team is ranked No. 5 nationally.

The American Fork boys scored 31 points to top the podium in the five-team region competition, placing five runners in the top 12, including the top two finishers, with a spread of 1:52. All seven varsity runners placed in the top 15, showing the strength and depth of the Caveman roster.

Caveman junior David Webb took the individual title, crossing the 3-mile finish line in a personal-best time of 14:58.22. Junior Chase Hejny followed closely behind, finishing second in 15:09.86.

Sophomore Bennett Jensen placed seventh, crossing in 15:39.47, followed by senior Roy Jones in ninth place at 15:52.19. Senior Trey Nielsen rounded out the scoring five with a 12th-place finish in 15: 59.74.

Junior Will Thresher and sophomore Michael Jones finished off the varsity effort, placing 14th in 16:02.05 and 15th in 16:14.42, respectively.

In the girls competition, American Fork scored 43 points to finish second in their race. The Cavemen were led by senior Skye Jensen, who finished third with a time of 17:53.06. She was followed closely by junior Sarah Watson, coming in fourth in 17:53.17.

Senior Shay Smith placed ninth in 18:38.34, followed by freshman Quincy Skousen in 13th at 18:56.19 and sophomore Cali Dooley in 14th at 19:02.98. The five scoring runners finished with a close spread of 1:09.92.

Junior Rebekah Jacob finished 15th in 19:04.61, and senior Mara Jensen placed 18th in 19:24.60, rounding out the girls varsity squad.

With strong showings at the competitive Region 3 meet, both the boys and girls teams are poised for state championship runs at the 2026 UHSAA Cross Country State Championships on Oct. 27 at Sugar House Park in Salt Lake City.

Photos by Matt Paepke.