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.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School girls tennis team finished in fifth place at the 6A state tournament, played at Liberty Park in Salt Lake City on October 8 and 10. The Cavemen reached the semifinals in the First Singles and No. 2 Doubles brackets.

Three of the other four Region 3 teams earned spots in the top four. Lone Peak claimed the championship with 53 points, Skyridge was second with 46, Corner Canyon came in fourth with 27, and American Fork tallied 21 points.

On Thursday in No. 1 Singles, Caveman senior Sophia Leavitt entered as the No. 3 seed and swept plus shut out No. 14 Briahna Sayer of Riverton 6-0, 6-0. Later that day in her quarterfinal match, Leavitt easily bested No. 11 Macie Peterson of Farmington 6-1, 6-0.

She played hard in the Saturday semifinal against No. 2 Ava Jensen of Lone Peak. Jensen won the first set 6-3, but Leavitt responded to take the next set 6-4, necessitating a third round to settle the outcome. Jensen eventually prevailed after a lengthy battle 7-5.

In Second Singles, No. 10 senior Bella Harris upset No. 7 Kinley Olson of Lehi 6-3, 6-4 in the first round. However, her season ended with a loss to No. 2 Elizabeth Ludlow of Skyridge 6-4, 6-1 in the quarterfinal.

In No. 3 Singles, No. 7 senior Claire Corbridge had to come from behind to eliminate No. 10 Jane Blackburn of Herriman 2-6, 6-4, 7(7)-6(2). She fell to No. 2 Maezie Oswald of Skyridge 6-2, 6-2 in the quarterfinal.

In No. 1 Doubles, No. 4 American Fork seniors Rylee Egbert and Demi Dalton ousted No. 13 Brooklyn Jeppesen and Paityn King of Syracuse 6-1, 6-2. In a hard-fought quarterfinal, they bowed out to No. 5 Ruchi Pawar and Anna Dorny of Corner Canyon 7-5, 7(7)-6(4).

In the Second Doubles bracket, No. 4 Caveman seniors Bentley Christensen and Halie Andrews comfortably advanced after defeating the No. 13 Herriman duo of Violet Freeman and Eleanor Elshaug 6-0, 6-1.

The pair earned a semifinal berth with a little more work by topping No. 5 Kate Anderson and Savannah White of Corner Canyon 6-4, 6-4. Their run ended with a loss to No. 1 Anabelle Rowley and Chloe Barker of Skyridge 6-3, 6-4. The Falcons went on to claim the bracket title.

Photos by Sam Penrod.

Jennifer Thomas / American Fork Citizen

In a highly anticipated Week 9 Region 3 clash, Corner Canyon (7-2) flexed its offensive muscle early to stun the home crowd and hand the American Fork football team (6-3) its second consecutive loss on Thursday (Oct. 8).

The game’s outcome was effectively determined in a decisive opening stretch. The Chargers completely dominated American Fork right from the kickoff, exploding for 27 points in just over seven minutes.

The Jaxon Pehrson-to-Kelen Gold connection proved completely unstoppable for the Cavemen. Corner Canyon quarterback Pehrson started the game flawlessly, finding junior wideout Kelen Gold for three touchdown strikes in the first quarter alone—from 17, 16, and 32 yards out.

Despite a valiant effort by the American Fork secondary, American Fork could not stop the physical junior wideout from Corner Canyon.

The Caveman defensive front consistently pressured the Charger quarterback, but his experience allowed him to escape the pocket, pick up crucial first downs and keep American Fork’s offense off the field.

The home squad regrouped in the second quarter, trying to orchestrate a Senior Night comeback. The Cavemen got on the scoreboard with a 20-yard field goal from senior kicker Jace Worthington.

Later in the period, American Fork added a touchdown on a 31-yard strike from sophomore quarterback Jake Matsen to senior two-way player Noah Behm.

Matsen faced relentless pressure all night, enduring multiple sacks before an injury forced him out in the second quarter. He completed 18-of-26 passes for 173 yards and one touchdown before leaving the game. The Chargers took a 41-10 advantage into the break.

Following halftime adjustments, American Fork’s defense locked down in the second half and kept Corner Canyon out of the end zone for the rest of the game.

Senior quarterback Nate Childs stepped up in relief, delivering precision passes that marched American Fork down the field for their final touchdown late in the third period with a three-yard dive into the endzone by senior running back Ben Iongi, but a scoreless fourth quarter sealed the 41-17 victory for the Chargers.

Childs completed 9-of-18 passes for 71 yards. Worthington and senior kicker David Lambourne each had a PAT in the game. Iongi was the team’s leading rusher on the night with 10 carries for 40 yards.

Senior wide receiver Mason Brooks picked up 90 yards with six catches while Noah Behm had six receptions for 66 yards to lead the air force. Junior wide receiver Cash Taiese was back in action and had five grabs for 42 yards.

Caveman senior tight end Christian Hanshaw effectively tracked down several passes for significant yardage during the second period of the game.

“I’m proud of their resiliency and the way they bounced back,” said American Fork head coach Aaron Behm. “That’s exactly what we challenged them to do at halftime. We had two quarters left to get better and they made the most of them.

“I thought we ran the ball better in the second half and we were more physical. But with good teams you can’t start down 28-0 and that is unfortunately what we did,” added Coach Behm.

American Fork senior defensive lineman Dalin Afu gave a standout performance with several run stops and kept up his relentless pass rush, helping to thwart the Chargers passing game.

Led by the Caveman senior linebackers Mason Petersen and Luke Vernon, who made crucial stops and several tackles each, the defense delivered a strong performance, highlighted by the leadership of Behm who racked up a sack and multiple tackles.

Senior defensive back Lincoln Miller contributed to the effort with a drive-stopping interception in the second period. Vernon also intercepted a Corner Canyon pass in the third quarter and later recovered a fumble to rally the Caveman defense.

Senior linebacker Sam Thompson was the leading tackler with seven combined. Sophomore defensive back Brayden Litke, senior linebacker Rhett Jensen and junior linebacker Ty Wilson all made significant defensive contributions as well.

“Defense did a great job stopping the run,” said Coach Behm. “We let out a few big plays in the pass game in the first half, but once we played the run and the pass in the second half, Corner Canyon didn’t score.

“That second half is something we will celebrate but we have to put four quarters of football together,” the coach said.

“Nate stepped it up and did a great job for us tonight. We haven’t heard anything official yet regarding Jake, we will see and hope for the best,” said Behm. Matsen has since been ruled out for the rest of the season.

American Fork visits Region 3 rival Skyridge for the regular-season finale on Wednesday (Oct. 14) at 7 p.m.

Photos by Sam Penrod.

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.