Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School girls soccer team found the going tough as they finished the regular season with three Region 3 losses, all of them on the road. The Cavemen slipped to fourth place with their 3-5 league mark and tallied an overall 11-6 record for the season.

The Cavemen ended up ranked at No. 4 in Class 6A and No. 11 statewide. They will host #13 Riverton (10-8) in the first round of the playoffs on Tuesday (Oct. 13).

The winner of that contest will play the winner of #5 Corner Canyon (10-7) against #12 Copper Hills (11-7) in the quarterfinals on Oct. 15. The higher seed is the host team during the playoffs. Both matches are set to kick off at 4 p.m. although the schools may agree to change the time.

The Cavemen did not play the Silverwolves or the Grizzlies this year and split their Region 3 matches against the Chargers.

Sept. 29: Lone Peak 1, American Fork 0

At Lone Peak, the Cavemen held the undefeated league-leading Knights out of the net in the first period, but the hosts managed to squeeze a goal across in the second half to claim the narrow win.

Oct. 1: Corner Canyon 1, American Fork 0

The story was the same in Draper, where the Chargers finally found the target in the second period after going scoreless to the break.

Oct. 6: Lehi 3, American Fork 0

The Pioneers got one goal in the initial period and added two more in the second half to complete their home victory on Senior Night.

Senior midfielder Cambree Ballard has been the leading scorer for the Cavemen this season with seven goals followed by senior midfielder Suri Parsia with five.

Ballard is also the leader in assists with six and sophomore forward Ivy Jacobson is second with five. Freshman goalkeeper Sofia Crowley has been credited with three shutouts.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork boys golf team finished in fifth place at the Region 3 stroke play tournament on Wednesday (Oct. 7) at the Sleepy Ridge Golf Course in Orem.

Lehi earned a combined team score of 281 to outdistance Corner Canyon at 284 and the Knights at 287 for the championship. Skyridge finished at 293 and the Cavemen at 303.

Junior Sam Fairbanks carded the best score of the day for American Fork with an even-par 72, tying with three other golfers for sixth-place medalist honors.

However, the rest of the team struggled a bit with challenging course conditions that included fast greens and difficult hole placements.

The remaining individual scores contributing to the team tally were supplied by sophomore James Smith, junior Cash Van Buren and junior Cade Henneman, who all shot 77 strokes.

Finishing right behind them with 78s were senior Wes Brown and senior Chad Douglass. Junior Landon Lieu came in at 85 and junior Ben Davis scored an 88.

The 6A State Tournament is set for October 12 and 13 at Talons Cove Golf Club in Saratoga Springs.

Elizabeth Spencer | American Fork Citizen

Many generations of American Fork High School graduates returned to campus Friday evening to remember days gone by. The AFHS Cavettes hosted a reunion with past drill team members before the homecoming football game.

1988 AFHS graduate Heidi Jensen Kirby drove from Mapleton to participate. “I think it’s important to know where your roots are. It’s fun to come back and see the difference in Cavettes and what they do,” said Kirby. She thinks it’s important to come home for homecoming.

“This was a sisterhood,” said alumna Kelsey Ackley, who graduated in 2018 and returned to spend time with the Cavettes. Ackley said the group of girls was amazing. Now a mother of two young children, Ackley danced on the drill team for two years and said it was important to gather to reconnect.

That reconnection happened on the north side of the stadium, where the drill team and alums enjoyed a full soda-and-cookie bar.

Although 2013 graduate McCall McCombie wasn’t on the drill team as an AFHS student, she helped coach the Cavettes for six years. When the drill team program was at risk of being pulled from AFHS, Coach Jeanna Harmon asked McCombie to help her save the Cavettes. McCombie said she “fell in love with the drill team” while coaching. “It was the best time ever. I miss the girls. I love the girls so much. I think drill is such a cool program.”

McCombie said she would love to see the Cavettes keep thriving, and she loves the sisterhood.

Seven years ago, Cierra Potts graduated from AFHS. As a senior, she danced with the Cavettes. “The drive here was so nostalgic,” Potts said. It brought back clear memories of driving to games with her friends and performing with the team. Potts will soon be heading to New York City to model but took time out of her Friday evening to connect with the Cavettes.

During school on Friday, students celebrated homecoming weekend with their traditional annual assembly in The Cave. This year’s homecoming theme was “A Night in Radiator Springs.” Administrators kicked off the assembly by riding in on scooters in cardboard-box car costumes representing characters from Disney’s beloved “Cars” movie.

The drum line took the court, hyping students up for the big game against the Lehi Pioneers. Dance Company, the Cavettes and the cheer squad entertained students with their amazing talents. Students also met their homecoming royalty. Representing the sophomores were Cali Dooley and Walter Combs; juniors chose Ruby Dickson and Justin Rawlins; and seniors crowned Evelyn Combs homecoming queen and Jace Worthington homecoming king. The assembly concluded with students belting out the school song.

Student Body President Jace Worthington was excited for the football game. Worthington, along with other Student Council members, hosted homecoming for students.

“Being chair of homecoming, I think it’s important to emphasize how much homecoming brings people together. It sets the tone for new sophomores to get excited about the upcoming year and helps seniors realize that they’ve made it to their last year. Homecoming is a special experience that every high schooler should get to experience at least once,” said senior Caleb Fulton, who serves on student council at AFHS.

Before Friday night’s game, the school held a special club rush on the south side of the school. A variety of school clubs set up stations for students to explore. “It’s a chance for kids to learn more about clubs that AFHS offers and gives them a chance to sign up for one. It’s a great way to learn more about how you can stay involved and make new friends,” said Fulton.

During halftime, the AFHS Marching Band debuted its competition piece, which it will take to Grand Nationals next month. The Cavettes, cheer squad and Dance Company also combined to perform a special number.

“I love American Fork. The community is great. People are great. I love the traditions. We have a good balance of everything here. We have this established great community with all these awesome traditions and history,” said Assistant Principal Cole Perry of AFHS. “It’s a great place, one town, one high school; it’s great.”

Saturday evening, students attended the dance in their best dress. “My favorite thing about homecoming at AF is that our dance takes place outside. Not every school hosts a big event like homecoming outdoors,” Fulton said.

The football game may not have turned out the way AFHS students and alums had hoped, but the weekend gave them opportunities to renew connections and create new memories.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork football team made a late comeback in an intense rivalry showdown with Lehi on Friday (Oct. 2), but the Pioneers succeeded with their final drive to pull out a 20-19 win.

The teams traded the ball for the first few possessions without either of them being able to move it much against the respective stiff defenses, but the Cavemen put the first points on the board at the end of their third drive with a 22-yard field goal to go up 3-0 with 1:35 left in the initial period.

Lehi answered on their next possession, scoring on one of very few plays for big yardage allowed in the game to move in front 7-3 at the 11:03 mark of the second quarter.

The slugfest continued through the period until American Fork created a short-field opportunity when senior defensive back Lincoln Miller blocked a Pioneer punt and senior linebacker Mason Peterson recovered it at the Lehi 18-yard line.

On first down, senior running back Tani Vaki rumbled all the way to the 1-yard line and senior Sam Thompson took it over from there on the next play. With senior kicker Jace Worthington’s PAT, the Cavemen carried a 10-7 advantage into the locker room at the break.

The defenses took center stage during the third period. Neither team was able to add any points to the board, and each claimed two interceptions during the quarter, with both of American Fork’s coming at the hands of senior safety Noah Behm.

The second of those picks allowed the Cavemen their next breakthrough. Behm gave an outstanding performance on both sides of the ball during this outing and continued to help move it wearing his other hat as a wide receiver.

However, the drive stalled after a penalty and American Fork had to settle for a 35-yard Worthington field goal to extend the lead to 13-7 just 15 seconds into the final stanza.

On the ensuing kickoff, it was Lehi’s turn to cash in on good field position as the ball was returned all the way to the Caveman 30-yard line. The Pioneers eventually scored on the drive to retake the lead 14-13 with 8:10 remaining.

Undaunted, American Fork immediately responded. Sophomore quarterback Jake Matsen engineered a swift march down the field using his talented receiving corps. Junior Ty Holmstead, junior Preston Fairbanks and senior Christian Hanshaw all had receptions to bring the ball to the Lehi 24.

Matsen then tossed up a pinpoint pass to the end zone and senior Mason Brooks went up and got it with a defender in his face for a spectacular touchdown grab.

The Cavemen tried to extend the margin to seven points with a pass conversion, but they were unsuccessful and the score remained 19-14 with 5:21 left to play.

That was just enough time for Lehi to get a final touchdown with 1:01 on the clock. The Pioneers also tried a two-point conversion, but the pass was deflected, leaving the score at 20-19.

American Fork had a chance after senior Carter Jorgensen busted a huge return on the kickoff, covering half the field to reach the Lehi 49. However, the subsequent first-down pass ended up in the hands of the defender and the Pioneers were able to run out the clock to secure the win.

With leading receiver Cash Taiese sidelined due to injury, his teammates picked up the slack. Brooks finished the night with five receptions for 101 yards and Behm snagged eight catches for 90 yards. Five other players also contributed air yards in this contest.

Matsen completed 27-of-42 (64%) of his passes for 284 yards, but the Cavemen were held to 20 yards on the ground. Jorgensen tallied 96 yards on his three kickoff returns.

Miller ended his outstanding effort as the leading tackler with 13, four of them solo. Senior linebacker Rhett Jensen added five solo of 10 tackles and also had two deflections. Senior defensive back Damian Wilkinson also made 10 combined tackles.

“I was really proud of the boys for continuing to battle through all four quarters,” said head Coach Aaron Behm. “You have to be competitive in Region 3. We certainly came away feeling like we have some things to clean up and improve on, but the kids’ effort was fantastic.

“I felt like our wide receivers did a good job stepping up in Cash’s absence and our defense forced turnovers to keep us in a position to win,” he added. “We will learn from it, move forward, and be better next week.”

It doesn’t get any easier for American Fork as the Cavemen must finish the regular season playing the league’s top two teams on shortened weeks. Up next is Corner Canyon at home on Thursday (Oct. 8), and then the team visits Skyridge on Oct. 14. Both games are set for 7 p.m. kickoffs.

Photos by Jim Ballard.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School girls volleyball team posted three wins and two losses in the past two weeks. The Cavemen are in third place in Region 3 with a 3-3 mark and their overall record is 11-10. They are currently No. 5 in the Class 6A rankings.

Sept. 15: American Fork 3, Lone Peak 0

The Cavemen swept the Knights on the road 25-20, 25-21, 25-20. Senior outside hitter Macy Melville led the effort with 12 kills and 15 digs. Freshman middle blocker Alexis Brant added nine kills and senior outside hitter Destinie Hampton supplied eight kills, 10 digs and 13 serve-receives.

Senior setter Brynn Murray served four aces and dished out 32 assists. Junior setter Eleni Lisonbee also had four aces with 10 digs. Junior middle blocker Daci Roberts had four combined blocks while sophomore libero Calla Pranger took 30 serve-receives.

Sept. 17: American Fork 3, Lehi 1

The Cavemen dropped a close first set to the Pioneers 25-23, but American Fork rallied after that to take control of the match and closed it out 25-15, 25-17, 25-13. Hampton was the top hitter of the night with 17 kills while Melville had 10 along with five aces, 10 digs and 14 serve-receives.

Brant added six kills and three aces. Murray served for seven aces to go with 10 digs and 30 assists. Roberts had three kills and five block-assists. Lisonbee laid down four aces with 10 digs. Pranger had 21 serve-receives.

Sept. 23: Skyridge 3, American Fork 0

The powerful Falcons topped the Cavemen in straight sets 25-18, 25-15, 25-19. Hampton finished with 10 kills, 11 digs and 21 serve-receives in a productive outing for her. Melville contributed eight kills, two solo blocks and 15 digs.

Murray added 12 digs and 21 assists while senior libero Taanii Fielding dug 14 times and took 11 serve-receives. Junior opposite Alivia Lemon posted five kills.

Sept. 29: Corner Canyon 3, American Fork 0

The Cavemen had the same trouble as everyone else against the top-ranked Chargers, falling in three games at Corner Canyon 25-17, 25-13, 25-19. Melville was the kills leader with seven and also provided seven digs and 15 serve-receives.

Hampton garnered six kills with seven digs and 25 serve-receives. Murray served three aces with 17 assists and Pranger took 11 serve-receives.

Oct. 1: American Fork 3, Lone Peak 2

The Cavemen encountered stiffer resistance when they hosted the Knights in their second-round match, but American Fork managed to prevail in a marathon 25-21, 25-18, 21-25, 19-25, 15-11. Melville paced the offense with 24 kills and three aces along with 19 digs and 28 serve-receives.

Hampton hammered 13 kills and took 23 serve-receives. Lemon registered five kills and three combined blocks. Murray served seven aces, dug 15 times and supplied 35 assists. Pranger added 11 digs and 23 serve-receives while Lisonbee also posted 11 digs.

The Cavemen conclude the Region 3 schedule by visiting Lehi on Tuesday (Oct. 6) and Skyridge on October 20. They will also play non-league home matches against Syracuse on Thursday (Oct. 8) and West on October 22 as additional tune-ups for the state tournament. Varsity matches begin around 6:30 p.m.

CHASE HEJNY

GRADE: 11

SPORT: Cross Country

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS:

Chase was third at the UIAAA Cross Country Invitational (14:58 for 5K), and second overall at the Timpanogos Cross Country Invitational (14:52 for 3.01 miles). He won the Varsity No. 1 race at the Wahsatch Rendezvous and was also the gold medalist at the TwiKnight Invitational with a mark of 14:50.52. He has led his team to wins at all four events.

COACH’S COMMENTS:

Chase has had a great summer and is progressing through our competitive season with a series of stellar races.

– Coach Timo Mostert

Sponsored by Axio Wealth Management.

SARAH WATSON

GRADE: 11

SPORT: Cross Country

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS:

Sarah has been in the top eight at the first four major cross country races this season and has improved her time by dropping more than a minute from the best mark of her sophomore year.

COACH’S COMMENTS:

Her dedication and influence on the rest of her teammates have really made this team stronger and more competitive. At every practice she always gives it her best effort regardless of the workload.

– Coach Bruno Hunziker

Sponsored by Axio Wealth Management.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School girls tennis team entered the Region 3 tournament as the fourth seed and that’s how they finished the event at Skyridge High School on September 24 and 25.

In the first round, the Cavemen bested No. 5 Lehi 4-3. In the semifinal the next day, No. 1 Lone Peak eliminated American Fork 5-2.

On Thursday in No. 1 Singles, Caveman senior Sophia Leavitt topped Lehi senior Ella Gonzalez in straight sets 6-2, 6-1. However, the Pioneers rallied to win the remaining singles matches.

In Second Singles, junior Kinley Olson had to work hard to defeat senior Bella Harris in a marathon. The players traded set victories, with Olson winning the first set 6-2 and Harris taking the second by an identical 6-2 score. Olson prevailed in the third set 6-2 to close out the match in her favor.

In No. 3 Singles, sophomore Sahasya Sandepogu took on senior Claire Corbridge and managed a 6-4, 6-4 victory. The Fourth Singles bout saw Lehi sophomore Sophie Gonzalez best American Fork sophomore Lyla Wood 6-3, 6-1.

The results were reversed in the doubles brackets. In No. 1 Doubles, American Fork seniors Rylee Egbert and Demi Dalton comfortably outpaced seniors Liberty Salcido and Abigail Cox 6-3, 6-1.

In the Second Doubles bracket, Caveman seniors Bentley Christensen and Halie Andrews had to work a little harder to overcome senior Breckyn Holindrake and junior Claire Thatcher 6-3, 6-3.

The No. 3 Doubles duo of seniors Lacey Ernst and Macy Murdoch finished out American Fork’s narrow team win by topping senior Eden Waddell and junior Delaney Taylor 6-1, 6-4.

In the semifinal contest against Lone Peak on Friday, both Caveman victories came in the pairs competition. At No. 1 Doubles, Egbert and Dalton triumphed over the Knight duo of senior Ainsley Diederich and junior Eden Rasband 6-4, 6-4.

In No. 3 Doubles, Ernst and Murdoch played the most exciting match of the round, coming from behind to outlast Lone Peak juniors Maude Darby and Eliza Smith 4-6, 6-1, 7-5.

The brackets for the 6A state tournament will be released on Thursday (Oct. 1). The first round will be played Saturday (Sept. 27) at Brighton High School in Cottonwood Heights and the final four rounds will be played at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City next week on Oct. 2 and 4.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork boys golf team wrapped up the regular season by competing in the qualifier round of the Region 3 match play tournament, a pro-style event that does not count in any state standings.

The Cavemen played on September 24 against Skyridge to determine who would advance to the league semifinals. The teams ended in a tie, but the Falcons advanced with a scorecard playoff.

Sept. 21: Cavemen fourth at Riverbend

In the seventh and final Region 3 tournament of the regular season at the Riverbend Golf Course in Riverton, American Fork earned a combined team score of 293.

Lone Peak won the event with a 271 followed by Lehi at 276. Corner Canyon finished a distant third at 287 and Skyridge posted a 296. Due to the late start time, it was after dark before all the contestants finished.

American Fork senior Chad Douglass led his team with a four-under 68. Sophomore James Smith shot a 74 and senior Wes Brown carded a 75.

Three of their teammates tied at 76 for the other counted score: junior Landon Lieu, junior Cash Van Buren and junior Cade Henneman. Junior Ben Davis also competed in this event.

In the nine-hole JV round, freshman Will Zimmerman had the best score for the Cavemen with a 36 in that segment of the competition. The team came in third.

The final Region 3 tournament is set for Wednesday next week (Oct. 7) at the Sleepy Ridge Golf Course in Orem. The 6A State Tournament is scheduled for October 12 and 13 at Talons Cove Golf Club in Saratoga Springs.

Megan Wallgren / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School boys cross country team claimed the team title in a field of 31 programs at the TwiKnight Invitational cross country meet Friday (Sept. 25) at Mary and Art Dye Park. The Caveman boys top the DyeStat Southwest Regional XC rankings heading into the post-season.

The American Fork girls finished second out of 22 teams behind Lone Peak, the top-ranked girls team in the Southwest region. The Caveman girls are ranked fifth in the Southwest.

American Fork’s boys scored 52 points to edge second-place Lehi, which finished with 57 points. The Cavemen placed five runners among the top 24 finishers, ending with a 1:17.22 spread between the scoring group.

Junior Chase Hejny led American Fork, winning the individual title in 14:50.52. Junior David Webb followed in second place at 14:59.40, giving the Cavemen the top two individual finishers.

Sophomore Bennett Jensen finished 11th in 15:38.91, while junior Dax Jolley placed 14th with a time of 15:43.90. Sophomore Michael Jones rounded out the team’s scoring five, finishing 24th in 16:07.74.

Senior Trey Nielsen also ran varsity for the Cavemen, finishing in the top 30. He placed 29th with a time of 16:10.24.

The American Fork girls team tallied 64 points. The Cavemen placed their scoring runners in the top 23 and had a 1:22.59 spread among their top five finishers.

Senior Skye Jensen led American Fork with a fourth-place finish in 18:02.44. Junior Sarah Watson was fifth at 18:15.91, giving the Cavemen two runners inside the top five.

Senior Shay Smith finished 13th in 18:40.25, followed by sophomore Cali Dooley in 19th at 19:16.73. Junior Rebekah Jacob completed the scoring five with a 23rd-place finish in 19:25.03.

Senior Sophie Bahr finished 26th in 19:37.93, while junior Jane Sorenson placed 35th with a time of 19:58.40.

Photos by Sam Penrod.