Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

A three-medal performance from Marsha Baird highlighted the USATF Utah showing at the World Masters Athletics Outdoor Championships, contested August 22-September 3 in Daegu, South Korea.

Competing in the Women’s 50-54 division, Baird captured a pair of world titles, winning the Heptathlon with 5,479 points and helping Team USA to victory in the 4x100m Relay in 52.14 seconds.

She added a silver medal in the Javelin Throw with a mark of 36.69m to complete her three-medal championship performance and adding to her already long list of accomplishments in the sport.

Baird also recorded two additional top-five finishes, placing fifth in the Long Jump with a mark of 4.47m and fifth in the Shot Put at 11.75m.

“The part I loved most about World Masters Athletics in Korea is connecting with my friends from all over the world and making new connections,” Baird said. “Track and Field has always allowed me to connect with people; however, master’s is on a whole other level.

“As very mature adults, the connection is stronger and more genuine,” she said. “We care about the competition, but we seem to care about each other more. During competition there is a special camaraderie that takes place. The spirit of the games becomes US.”

Born in the tiny Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago, Baird started competing in the heptathlon upon her admission to Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) in 1993. Two years later, she transferred to Brigham Young University on an athletic scholarship and continued her career there.

While competing for the Cougars, Baird placed ninth in the heptathlon at the outdoor NCAA Championships and contributed to a runner-up finish for the women’s track and field team at the Western Athletic Conference meet in San Diego (CA) during her junior year.

After graduating from BYU with a master’s degree in social work, Baird began training with the goal of qualifying for an Olympic berth. In her first major global event, Baird claimed a silver medal in heptathlon at the 1998 Central American and Caribbean Games in Maracaibo, Venezuela.

On her Olympic debut in Sydney 2000, Baird became the first-ever athlete from Trinidad and Tobago to compete in the heptathlon, finishing 22^nd with 5627 points. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, she finished 25^th with a Trinidad and Tobago record total of 5962 points.

Baird was the national record holder for her country in the Javelin from 2000-2018. In August 2015, she competed in her first World Masters Championships in Lyon, France. She earned individual gold in the W40 heptathlon, javelin and long jump.

Dropping down an age group, she also anchored the victorious women’s over-35 4×100m relay squad which set a world record for their division in this event.

Baird has continued to compete on the Master’s circuit in both indoor and outdoor events, earning a pile of medals and setting new records in the W50-54 Heptathlon and Pentathlon in 2024.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School boys cross country team won both the varsity and JV competitions at the Wahsatch Rendezvous, hosted by Hillcrest High School at the Cottonwood Sports Complex in Salt Lake City on Saturday (Sept. 19). It was run on a three-mile, hilly grass course.

“The Wahsatch Rendezvous has a unique format,” said Coach Timo Mostert. “There are seven separate varsity races, one for each team position. The Cavemen won six of the seven races for a total of eight points to win overall.” The other team participant finished second.

The total time spread between the No. 1 and No. 7 runners for American Fork was about 1:25. This is a tight margin and reflects how the Cavemen finish so high in typical races where the positions run together.

Here’s the results for American Fork in the varsity races.

• Varsity #1 Race: 1. Junior Chase Hejny in 15:06.3
• Varsity #2 Race: 1. Junior David Webb in 15:09.2
• Varsity #3 Race: 1. Senior Roy Jones in 15:54.4
• Varsity #4 Race: 1. Sophomore Bennett Jensen in 16:04.2
• Varsity #5 Race: 2. Junior Dax Jolley in 16:11.49
• Varsity #6 Race: 1. Sophomore Michael Jones in 16:31.8
• Varsity #7 Race: 1. Senior Trey Nielsen in 16:21.1

The Cavemen sept the top five spots in the Junior Varsity Boys event, earning a perfect score of 15 in a field of 17 teams. American Fork’s top five in this race are all juniors and had an impressive total spread of just 10.3 seconds.

The group included Logan Wagstaff in first place at 16:33.1, followed by Will Thresher at 16:38.1, Mac Thresher at 16:38.8, Race Low at 16:41.8 and Joshua Piccolo at 16:43.4. A dozen other runners also represented the Cavemen in this event.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

After giving up a quick early lead to the Darts in their stadium, the American Fork football team roared back with 23 unanswered points to move in front and then turned back late efforts by the hosts to hang on for a 29-21 win at Davis.

The Darts received the ball to start the contest and marched right down the field to take the initial 7-0 lead at the 7:35 mark after a touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Bode Sparrow, their 4-star Oklahoma commit.

The Cavemen responded with chunk-play completions from sophomore quarterback Jake Matsen to junior wide receiver Cash Taiese and senior wide receiver Mason Brooks to reach the Davis 21.

The drive stalled there however, and American Fork settled for a 39-yard field goal from senior kicker Jace Worthington to narrow the gap to 3-7 with 6:09 remaining in the first quarter.

The Darts finished their next drive with a run from the wildcat formation to extend their advantage to 14-3 with 2:57 left in the period.

Senior running back Ben Iongi converted on a crucial 4^th-and-2 during the next Cavemen drive. However, they were stymied again close to the red zone and Worthington booted another 39-yard field goal to add a few more points to the tally at the 10:16 mark of the second quarter to begin American Fork’s run.

The subsequent Davis possession ended when senior safety Noah Behm intercepted a pass in the end zone and returned it to the 23-yard line. The Cavemen moved quickly to capitalize on the turnover.

With an improvised Matsen run and a key catch by senior tight end Christian Hanshaw sparking the advance, Iongi finally found the end zone for American Fork and Worthington’s PAT drew his team closer at 13-14 with 2:51 left to the break. That score stood to the half.

During the initial possession of the third period, the Cavemen got their first lead when Matsen connected with Hanshaw on a 1-yard touchdown toss. American Fork attempted a two-point conversion to widen the gap to a touchdown, but the effort was unsuccessful and left the score 19-14 at 8:03.

The Caveman defense scuttled the subsequent Dart drive and got the ball back for their teammates in short order. Taiese picked up 32 yards with a spectacular leaping grab to penetrate the Davis end and senior running back DC Fonua later drove in the nail with a 21-yard catch from Matsen.

Worthington’s PAT gave American Fork a two-score advantage at 26-14 with 4:37 to go in the quarter. The Darts were forced to punt again to end their next drive, but they intercepted on the first play of the Caveman series. A second Sparrow score drew his team closer at 21-26 with 1:05 remaining.

American Fork launched a long clock-chewing drive from the 18-yard line. Back-to-back rushes from senior running back Tani Vaki brought the ball to the 7-yard mark, where Worthington split the uprights for the third time with a field goal to push the spread to 29-21 with 7:29 left to the final whistle.

The final two Davis possessions ended with a punt and a turnover on downs at the AF 22-yard line after Noah Behm deflected a 4^th-and-12 pass in the end zone with seconds to go in the contest.

Matsen completed 25-of-43 passes for 314 yards with two touchdowns and one pick, also adding 29 yards on the ground. Iongi was the leading rusher with 11 carries for 41 tough yards.

Taiese was the top receiver with 10 catches for 118 yards. Brooks had three receptions for 71 yards and junior wide receiver Ty Holmstead snagged four throws yielding 64 yards.

On the other side of the ball, senior defensive lineman Dalin Afu recorded four solo and seven total tackles including four for a loss and 2.5 sacks. Noah Behm added four solo and three assisted tackles including one for loss plus the pick and two deflections.

Senior linebacker Mason Peterson had three solo of seven total tackles and senior linebacker Sam Thompson provided six combined tackles.

“I’m really proud of our kids and how they focused on every single play,” said head Coach Aaron Behm. “Davis has some amazing athletes. We knew they would make some plays and when they did, we really just needed to focus on the next play and get back to work.

“After being down at halftime, we knew our first possession of the second half was going to be critical,” the coach continued. “To go out and score on our first two offensive drives of the second half was huge to set the tone for the rest of the game.

“The defense did a great job of getting a few stops and creating a turnover, and then standing up and keeping Davis out of the end zone on their final possession to seal the game,” he concluded.

With a 5-1 record, the Cavemen are now ranked at No. 5 in the latest 6A RPI rankings heading into Region 3 play. Two other league teams, Skyridge and Corner Canyon, are ranked ahead of them. They get the gauntlet started at Lone Peak on Thursday (Sept. 24) with a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School girls volleyball team earned four wins and four losses in the past two weeks to bring their overall record to 8-8 at this point. The stretch included an appearance in a prestigious tournament during which the Cavemen played six matches in three days.

Sept. 3: American Fork 3, Farmington 0

The Cavemen collected a solid, consistent win on the road as they swept the Phoenix 25-18, 25-19, 25-18. Junior opposite Alivia Lemon was the top hitter for American Fork with 12 kills.

Senior outside hitter Macy Melville added eight kills, 12 digs and 13 serve-receives. Senior outside hitter Destinie Hampton provided seven kills, served three aces, dug 12 times and took 14 serve-receives.  Senior setter Brynn Murray dished out 27 assists.

Sept. 8: Corner Canyon 3, American Fork 0

The Cavemen opened Region 3 play against the top-ranked, undefeated Chargers. They competed well in the first two sets but Corner Canyon prevailed 25-23, 25-21, 25-13.

Melville offered a great, all-around effort with 11 kills, two solo blocks, 12 digs and 13 serve-receives. Hampton added seven kills, two aces and 12 serve-receives.

Senior libero Taanii Fielding made 10 digs and took 15 serve-receives. Murray supplied 11 digs along with 22 assists.

Sept. 10-12: American Fork goes 3-3 at Invite

The Cavemen earned split results in the three-day Utah Valley Invitational Tournament. The first day was played at local venues and American Fork had their first two matches at Mountain View High School. Tournament action moved to UVU for the final two days.

• Springville: The Cavemen got off to a slow start against the Red Devils and lost the first set 20-25, but they regrouped after that to blitz Springville 25-9, 25-16, 25-9 in the final three games to secure the match win.
• Canyon View: The Cavemen pulled out a competitive first set 25-20, but the scrappy Falcons came back to capture the second game 25-22. It wasn’t easy, but American Fork closed out the match 25-18, 25-22.
• Skyline: The Cavemen played a marathon five-set, back-and-forth match with the Eagles. Skyline won the first set 25-16, then American Fork took the next game 25-22. The Eagles responded with a 25-23 third set, and the Cavemen worked hard to counter again to prevail 28-26 in the fourth game. The tie-breaker set was a battle, but American Fork managed to get it done 15-13 for the thrilling victory.
• Orem: Coming off that emotional win, the Cavemen had to take on a very good Tiger team the same day. They started out a bit flat but got stronger as the match went on. However, Orem secured the match win 25-11, 25-19, 25-23.
• Green Canyon: The Wolves came into this match with an 11-2 record and a high ranking. The Cavemen shocked them with a hard-won 27-25 victory in the first set, but Green Canyon took the rest 25-22, 25-10, 25-21 to add their 12^th win.
• Owyhee (Meridian ID): The Cavemen got off to a great start against this highly-regarded team from Idaho, claiming the first set 25-14. The Storm bounced back to win the next two 25-21, 25-21. American Fork kept their hopes alive by capturing the fourth game 25-20, but Owyhee earned the match win by 15-11 in the tiebreaker.

The Cavemen continue the Region 3 schedule by hosting Lehi on Thursday (Sept. 17) and Skyridge on Tuesday (Sept. 24). Varsity matches begin around 6:30 p.m.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork boys golf team is continuing to hold its own competing in rugged Region 3 play. The Cavemen were narrowly third and fourth in the most recent tournaments.

Sept. 8: American Fork third at Fox Hollow

Playing on their home course, the Cavemen shot their best team score so far in the league season during the fifth Region 3 tournament at Fox Hollow Golf Club in American Fork.

The Pioneers again finished first with a 278, ahead of Corner Canyon at 282 and American Fork at 283. Lone Peak ended with a 290, just ahead of Skyridge at 293.

The entire squad turned in a great round, and the four counted scores were all under par. Sophomore James Smith was the team leader at 70 (-2) strokes.

Three golfers tied at 71 (-1): junior Sam Fairbanks, junior Landon Lieu and junior Cade Henneman, to complete the combined team score.

Senior Wes Brown was right behind them at 72, followed by junior Ben Davis and junior Cash Van Buren with 76 apiece and senior Chad Douglass at 77 for the other varsity players on this occasion.

The Cavemen finished second in the JV division, just three strokes behind the Knights. Sam Bitner tied with one other golfer to win that round with an excellent 71 (-1) result.

Sept. 14: Cavemen fourth at Soldier Hollow

The sixth Region 3 tournament was contested at Soldier Hollow Golf Course in Midway. Lone Peak earned the top spot in this one at 279, followed by Corner Canyon at 283, Lehi at 286, American Fork at 290 and Skyridge at 296.

Brown carded a 69 (-3) to finish sixth in the individual medalist race, followed by Lieu at 73 with Fairbanks and Smith tying at 74 to complete the counted scores.

The other varsity participants included Henneman at 75, Van Buren at 77, plus freshman Will Zimmerman and Brayden Stolk tied at 82.

In the JV tournament, the Cavemen once again finished second to the Knights by three strokes. Davis was the leader for American Fork with a mark of 75.

The next Region 3 tournament is set for Monday (Sept. 21) at the Riverbend Golf Course in Riverton.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School cross country teams won all four races they entered in the PM session of the Park City Invitational, held at the Quinn’s Junction Sports Park on Friday (Sept. 11). The field for this portion of the event was 10 schools, and they competed on a 3-mile grass and rocky dirt trail course.

Caveman senior Skye Jensen won the girls varsity race in 18:10.7. All of American Fork’s scoring runners finished in the top 10 to earn a combined score of 26 points, far outdistancing Timpanogos at 46 in second place and West Field at 102 in third.

Senior Shay Smith finished fourth overall at 19:29.6, followed by junior Rebekah Jacob fifth at 19:42.2, sophomore Scarlett Simkins seventh at 19:55.9 and sophomore Leila Maughan came in ninth at 20:03.3. The other varsity entrants were freshman Quincy Skousen 10^th and sophomore Addie Low 15^th.

The Cavemen did not enter their top five boys in this event, but American Fork won the varsity race anyway with 32 points over Farmington at 48 points and Timpanogos at 94 points.

Sophomore Michael Jones crossed the finish line first for the Cavemen in second place overall at 15:49.6. The other scoring runners included senior Trey Nielsen in third at 15:58.4, junior Logan Wagstaff seventh at 16:20.4, junior Race Low ninth at 16:31.6 and junior Mac Thresher 11^th at 16:41.3.

Junior Will Thresher (13^th), junior Joshua Piccolo (14^th) and sophomore Joshua Jensen (16^th) also competed for American Fork in the varsity event.

The junior varsity girls earned a perfect score of 15 by sweeping the top five spots in the race, also placing nine other runners in the top 20. Senior Sophie Bahr led the way in 19:45.8 as the gold medalist.

Junior Reid Freeman claimed the top spot in the boys JV race, with teammates finishing in second, fourth, fifth and 11^th to earn 23 points to complete the sweep for American Fork.

Rob Shelton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork football team turned a September 11 tribute night into a statement, blanking the Layton Lancers 45-0 on Friday to end the game early and push their record to 4-1 with one more game before heading into region play.

It wasn’t close from the start. The Cavemen scored on offense, defense and special teams, built a 32-0 halftime lead and invoked the mercy to end the game partway through the fourth quarter. Layton, now 2-3, never found the end zone.

“What a cool environment playing on September 11th,” head Coach Aaron Behm said. “The pregame stuff was pretty awesome. … And then to go out and play well was icing on top of the cake.”

American Fork opened the scoring on a 10-yard touchdown run by senior running back DC Fonua with 4:42 left in the first quarter, capped by a two-point conversion pass from Matsen.

Senior safety Noah Behm made it 15-0 by blocking a punt and returning it 37 yards for a touchdown. Coach Behm said this play produced a big momentum swing. “I felt like after that we really got things rolling,” he said.

Senior running back Tani Vaki’s 3-yard touchdown run and a 3-yard touchdown catch by senior tight end Zach Cowie pushed the lead to 29-0 in the second quarter. Senior kicker Jace Worthington, perfect on all four extra-point tries, added a 42-yard field goal to send American Fork to the break up 32-0.

Junior wide receiver Cash Taiese hauled in a 22-yard touchdown pass from Matsen early in the third quarter to make it 39-0, and junior running back Noah Braithwaite’s 8-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter closed out the scoring at 45-0 to end the game early.

Layton didn’t fold quietly. Sophomore quarterback Tillman Thomas found completions to receivers Carter Hughes and Denver Hicks and got work from running back Jake Strong, but the Lancers never turned a drive into points against a Caveman defense that had its way all night.

The American Fork defense forced three turnovers, which Behm called the difference-maker. “I thought our defense did a good job getting some turnovers in the first half,” he said.

Junior linebacker Ty Wilson recovered a fumble in the first quarter. Noah Behm added a second-quarter interception, and senior Nate Childs, playing safety, also made a pick for the third takeaway of the night.

The turnovers weren’t all one-sided. American Fork gave the ball away twice too, once on a fumble near the Layton 5-yard line, and again on a Matsen pass that Layton senior safety Kass Huntsman intercepted in Caveman territory.

The defense answered immediately, with Childs picking off a deflected pass on the very next play to hand the ball right back.

“We take pride in trying to take the ball away,” defensive coordinator Trevor Richins said. “Last week we were frustrated. We didn’t get any, so that was a big goal tonight.”

Defensive line coach Grant Pierce called senior Dalin Afu the anchor of a unit that kept Layton out of the end zone all night. “Dalin Afu leads us in practice every day,” Pierce said.

Pierce also highlighted freshman Scotty Bettis, who saw significant playing time at defensive tackle. “He’s strong. He works his butt off, so it’s going to be a good, bright future for the D-line at American Fork,” Pierce said.

Sophomore quarterback Jake Matsen ran the offense and connected on a 38-yard completion to Taiese in the second quarter that Layton linebacker Nate Wensel ran down before American Fork could cash it in.

“I think Jake played well at quarterback,” Behm said. “DC ran the ball very well, pretty clean. There’s still a couple penalties we need to clean up and some other things like that, but for the most part I feel like we played better than last week, which is what I want to say every Friday.”

Wide receivers coach Randan Manuela said the offense leans on moving Taiese around the formation to keep defenses guessing. “He does a great job. We move him all around.”

Manuela also credited senior Mason Brooks and junior Ty Holmstead for helping carry the passing game. “Christian is a big target with a big catch radius and everything underneath,” he said of senior tight end Christian Hanshaw.

American Fork’s backup quarterback, junior Tayt Webster, closed out the game in relief for the Cavemen mercy-rule finish.

Matsen completed 17-of-23 (74%) passes for 195 yards with two touchdowns and one pick. Taiese and Hanshaw led the receivers with five catches for 73 yards apiece. Senior running back Carter Jorgenson was the leading rusher with eight carries for 38 yards.

Senior defensive back Hayden Reutzel was the leading tackler for the outing with four solo of five combined tackles. Senior defensive lineman Dalin Afu, senior linebacker Luke Vernon and senior defensive back Lincoln Miller each had four tackles in a game where many players were used.

The win keeps American Fork rolling after a 41-13 win over Farmington, a hard-fought 28-26 victory at Timpview and a 31-11 loss at Mater Dei of Santa Ana, California.

The Cavemen, No. 4 in the latest Utah 6A rankings, close out non-region play at Davis on Friday (Sept. 18) before opening region play at Lone Peak on Thursday, September 24.

“We’ve still got one more with Davis, a non-region game, next week, and that’s a big one,” Behm said. “You know, they’re the big team in Region One. … So I think if we continue to get better this week, next week we’ll be ready to go.”

Photos by Sam Penrod.

Elizabeth Spencer | American Fork Citizen

Friday night’s football game started a little differently at American Fork High School as players and fans took a moment to remember 9/11. The Cavemen started and ended their game with a big win, honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice 25 years ago.

Players, along with volunteers from Follow the Flag (FTF), unfurled their massive “Lady Liberty” American flag on the field. Teacher Sam Beeson, in his last year of teaching at AFHS, led the national anthem, followed by a breathtaking Apache helicopter flyover.

Military, police, and firefighters received free game admission and free concessions. A generous donor made the evening possible and remains anonymous in our community. The game was a “USA-Out,” which means that students were asked to wear red, white and blue.

“We have a community that really embraces our first responders, police, fire, vets, and active military duty. It’s just a feel- good event. It’s nice when you can help put something on that supports those people that take care of us,” said Jeremy Lewis, Athletic Director at AFHS.

“It’s always important to have perspective, especially at the young age of high school,” said a member of the Navy who attended the game. He said some of these [high school] kids are going to go straight into the military, so it’s important to understand that the community respects and acknowledges that it is an important lifelong decision.”

“We are here to serve the community and those that need our help,” said AF Firefighter Justin Whatcott, who was on shift Friday evening. “As for 9/11, the biggest thing for me is remembering those who served in the military at both the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and the Flight 93 crash site. They are the ones we need to never forget, and we need to remember the sacrifice they made for our community. I feel like it’s so important to remember those that gave it all.”

Whatcott said seeing the flag ceremony stirred feelings. “It’s an honor to be here and to be a part of that with the youth and be able to support this program that they have honoring those that gave it all”

“I just love being part of something that recognizes those people who responded: the firefighters, the police, the paramedics, the military and the veterans. It’s really special to be a part of that and to recognize them without worrying about political differences. It’s really an important time just to set those things aside and say thank you,” said Lewis.

Delmar Dade was on the field during the flag ceremony. As a police officer, he has served the community of Crystal Lake, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, for 16 years. Dade flew in for the occasion and to watch his nephew, a senior, play football. “I thought it was awesome to be able to be out there and honor those who gave their life and sacrificed for our country.”

“These kids weren’t alive when 9/11 happened. It’s like they always say to ‘never forget,’ it’s easy when times are okay to kind of forget where we’ve come from or forget the sacrifices. It’s important for them to see that there are people that came before them that had to sacrifice,” added Dade.

Senior Christian Hanshaw plays tight end. He was also on the field during the pre-game event and said he could feel the sacredness and solemnity. “We are doing this to honor everyone who died and trying to honor something very sacred to our American culture. It was really cool to honor our country.”

“I hope our players honor our servicemen and women and first responders by emulating and living their lives with discipline, service, and being selfless. I think for our kids, that is the best way to honor them,” shared AFHS Football Coach Aaron Behm. “I think there is so much our kids can learn from 9/11 about unity, service, and how much we have to be grateful for living in this country.”

“It was really cool to honor everything that happened 25 years ago today. It’s nice to recognize everyone who sacrificed their lives that day. It means a lot,” said Captain Sam Thompson, who plays linebacker.

Speaking of 9/11, Lewis added, “I think for people in our generation, this is our JFK moment. This was the big moment for us where we remember where we were and what we were doing.”

“I remember hearing what was happening on the news that morning, and calling Carrie (his wife) and telling her to turn on the TV. Like so many other Americans, we couldn’t stop watching the news, and honestly, we didn’t sleep well for weeks afterward,” shared Kyle Fox, founder of FTF.

“It felt like the whole world had changed. But I also remember what happened after, when Americans seemed to forget their differences for a while and just stood together. Twenty-five years later, that’s something worth remembering. For Follow the Flag, honoring those who lost their lives and those who ran toward danger is also a way of reminding the next generation what that kind of sacrifice and unity looks like,” added Kyle.

“I think one of the most important things we can do twenty-five years later is make sure September 11th doesn’t become just another date in a history book, especially for a generation that wasn’t alive to experience it. I vividly remember watching the news that morning while my two young sons played on our living room floor. It changed me forever. There was so much heartbreak that day, but there was also an incredible sense of unity in the weeks that followed,” shared Carrie Fox.

“I love that AFHS is creating a moment where young people can stop, remember, and honor those who sacrificed. Seeing that giant flag carried onto a high school football field is an awesome reminder that remembering is now our responsibility,” concluded Carrie.

Honoring 9/11 at AFHS didn’t begin that evening on the field. During the school day between class breaks, inspiring patriotic songs played over the loudspeaker, reminding kids that 9/11 is a unique day of reflection, remembering those who sacrificed.

Fittingly, AFHS took home the win, 45-0.

ALIVIA LEMON

GRADE: 11

SPORT: Volleyball

POSITION: Opposite Hitter

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS:

Total of 19 Blocks in 33 sets played, 58 kills and 25 aces so far.

COACH’S COMMENTS:

Alivia has been such an asset to our team. She works very hard to hone her skills and perform for our team. I’m proud of the effort she makes to improve our program and be a good example of what the standard is in our gym. She is a fierce competitor.

– Coach Melissa Guymon

Sponsored by Axio Wealth Management.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School girls soccer team won the final two pre-league matches to finish that part of the season with a sterling 8-1 record. However, they were shut out in both of their first two Region 3 contests.

Aug. 25: American Fork 3, Layton 1

Playing on their home pitch, the Cavemen took a 1-0 advantage into the break and then doubled up on the visiting Lancers in the second half to earn a comfortable victory.

Senior forward Cambree Ballard scored twice for American Fork and senior midfielder Charlotte Anderson provided the other goal for the victors. Sophomore midfielder Claira Connors, senior midfielder Suri Parsia and sophomore forward Ivy Jacobson supplied the assists.

Aug. 27: American Fork 2, Weber 2 (SO 4-3)

The homestanding Warriors jumped out early and led the Cavemen 2-1 at the half. The visitors were able to net the equalizer in the second period but neither team reached the target through two overtimes to bring on a shootout.

American Fork prevailed 4-3 to claim the exciting victory. The Cavemen got penalty kick makes from senior defender Jill Kesler, junior defender Lehua Fisher, senior defender Farah Parsia and junior midfielder Eva Gunn in the win.

During regulation time, the goal scorers were Fisher and Suri Parsia with help from sophomore midfielder Sophie Judd and Jacobson.

Sept. 3: Skyridge 3, American Fork 0

The Cavemen went on the road to open region play against the Falcons. The home squad scored two goals in the initial period and one more after the break for only the second win of their season to that point.

Sept. 10: Lone Peak 6, American Fork 0

Back at home, the Cavemen managed to hold the Knights at bay for a stretch but eventually the visitors racked up an impressive total in the later stages of the contest.

The Cavemen continue Region 3 play with two home matches next week. Corner Canyon comes to town on Tuesday (Sept. 15) followed by Lehi on Thursday (Sept. 17). Both matches are set to kick off at 3:30 p.m.