Reboot of my feature on an amazing prep QB from Wasatch

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Pictured above is James Delacenserie, Wasatch High's senior quarterback who was just selected 2nd Team All-State by the Deseret News and below is the feature I wrote on him back in October.  It must have been an amazing year for qb's in Utah's 3A class for Delacenserie to fall to second team.  His individual numbers were comparable to that of the 3A MVP and better than the two young men selected first team.  No offense to them, they had amazing seasons and their teams went deeper into the post season than Delacenserie's Wasps.  Football is a team game, as we all know, so winning is the most important statistic.  James, however, led his Wasps to an 8-2 regular season record and a playoff berth where they unfortunately lost in the first round.  Still an incredible year by an outstanding young quarterback.  Congrats to James on his All State selection.

 ALL THE RIGHT MOVES

Choosing Wasatch Two Years Ago

The Right Call For Wasp Quarterback

BY KENNY BRISTOW

Wave Sports Writer

It’s starts with the name.  Delacenserie.  It can be a mouthful at first, but the more you say it, the easier it becomes.  Just ask Wright-Tree Stadium PA announcer, Brent Kelly, who has had to say the name hundreds of times this season.

James Delacenserie is the starting quarterback for the Wasatch Wasps.  He is currently Utah’s 3A leader in yards passing (2,257), average yards per completion (16.1), average yards per game (250.8) and touchdown passes with 30.  His offensive coordinator Craig Davis quips that the only thing he has more of than touchdown passes is girl friends.  On the surface that’s just a little ribbing between a player and one of his coaches, but underneath it’s a testament to how comfortable the fit has become for Delacenserie and his Wasatch football team.

James stands 6 foot 3, and weighs in at a solid 225 pounds.  He throws a football with such zip you can hear it whistle through the air.  In addition to the astounding numbers, the status of being the quarterback for a very good 7-2 team, the bigger-than-life size – even the girlfriends – this young man carries a near 4.0 GPA.  He is a true total package of a student athlete.  It is no surprise that he is being widely recruited by universities from coast to coast.

The path the senior quarterback took to Wasatch was a bit unconventional.  In the spring of 2011, after circumstances beyond his control would force him to leave Judge Memorial, Delacenserie, a Park City resident, would chose to attend Wasatch High School and bring his football talents to Heber.  Not an easy choice considering he had lived in Park City since his family moved to Utah from Wisconsin when he was 10 years old.  He went to elementary school in Park City, his friends were all there and he cut his teeth as a quarterback in the Miner’s youth leagues there.  It would take a big heart and a sound mind to decide to wear the black and gold when simply staying at home would have been the easy choice.  “I just liked everything about Wasatch,” he said with a smile, recalling the time he made his choice.  “I came here for the second semester of my sophomore year when it wasn’t during the football season.  So there wasn’t a lot of pressure at first, trying to get to know everyone and a new team at the same time,” he added.

Delacenserie’s first full year at Wasatch could have been a tumultuous one, but the new kid on campus made the best of it.  Davis had taken on the role of head coach after Steve North left.  “I had Coach North for weights when I first came and I liked him a lot and was looking forward to playing for him,” said Delacenserie.  “What happened with Coach North was unfortunate, but it was totally cool with Coach Davis last year.  We had a lot of fun and learned a lot about each other.”  That has obviously translated well into this season, where the Wasatch offense has had some explosive passing moments.  Three of the Wasp’s receivers Gavin Nebeker, Kayden Conner and Jake Larson are right there with Delacenserie among 3A division leaders.  Together, they have become a well-oiled scoring machine averaging over 250 yards passing per game.  “This year has been so much fun so far.  I love playing for (new Head) Coach Coburn.  He’s been tough, but you don’t get better if you aren’t challenged.  Or yelled at a lot,” James added with a laugh.   “He’s taught me a lot about the game and about being a leader.  He’s been a big help talking to me about playing at the next level.  I respect him a lot.“ 

The 2012 season, under the guidance of Coburn, has been very successful for Delacenserie and his Wasps.  After starting with a 6-point loss to Grantsville, Wasatch rattled off six straight wins where Delacenserie’s numbers were off the charts.  Two weeks ago when then 13^th-ranked Juan Diego came to Heber, the senior quarterback, along with his team, were brought to Earth a bit with a dud of an offensive night.  “We couldn’t really seem to get anything going.  It was just a bad game,” he said.  The Wasps bounced back quickly, however, with a dominating road performance over Union last Thursday with Delacenserie running for a touchdown and throwing for four more while completing a near perfect 17 of 18 passes.  

This weekend, the high-powered Wasatch offense heads up Highway 40, to meet rival Park City.  Wasatch has not beaten the Miners since 2002 and although Delacenserie would love to get a win up there, he downplays any extra incentive for himself.  “I believe in our team and our coaches,” he said.  “We’ll be prepared to play and we’ll go for the win.”  Spoken like a true leader with a knack for making all the right moves.

Wasatch Soccer Stars Receive All State Honors

                                                   1st Team senior midfielder Linzie Hills

                                                 1st Team junior midfielder Whitney Orgill

The Salt Lake Tribune and Deseret News have chosen their 2012 All State Teams in girls soccer with four young ladies from Wasatch High School receiving notice. 

The Tribune announced that Senior midfielder Linzie Hills and Junior Whitney Orgill, who also plays midfield, were selected to their 1^st Team.  Sharee Woodruff, a midfielder playing in her senior year was chosen to the 2^nd Team.  The Deseret News also recognized Hills and Orgill as 1st Team midfielders and gave Honorable Mention to senior defender Taylor Firth.  Hills and Firth represented the Wasps as team captains.

It comes as no surprise that the girls selected from Wasatch were all successful defenders.  As a team, the lady Wasps only gave up two goals, three times this season in 19 games played.  Six of their 12 victories were shutouts as was their lone tie, a 0-0 match.

Congratulations to all four young ladies on a great season and their well deserved individual honors.

Not MY words, but...

This steroids and baseball soap opera has been going on for 20 years now.  Probably longer.  But since the media has become omnipresent, the stance has been taken that any player who has participated in the game between the years of 1990 up to the present be held accountable for possibly being a no-good, dirty-rotten cheater.  It's kind of unfair, but baseball I suppose brought it onto itself.  I for one, have been on the fence about performance enhancing drug use in baseball.  I even wrote and drew an entire comic strip serial on the subject searching for an answer, and still I waiver.  I'm not condoning PED use, but I'm also not throwing an entire sect of professional athlete into the fire because of something that was basically part of the culture... and allowed to continue by the greedy governing bodies of the sport.  But now a certain moment of truth is upon us.  The steroid monsters are knocking on the doors to the Hall of Fame... and they want in.  As a true baseball fan, I will sit on pins and needles anxiously awaiting to see how this turns out.  Anyway...  
I enjoyed this piece on the subject by Ian O'Conner, so I thought I'd share it here on In A Nutshell.
http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/8688524/roger-clemens-barry-bonds-mike-piazza-belong-hall-fame  

Girls Outlast Stansbury

A fast start and strong finish are the keys in 55-42 win

BY KENNY BRISTOW

Wave Sports Writer

Last Tuesday night the Wasatch girls basketball team welcomed Stansbury High to the Nest and promptly sent them home with a 55-42 defeat.  Although the final score indicates a 13-point blowout by the Wasps, the Stallions made a game of it for the first three quarters forcing the home team to reach deep and find a way to hold on to victory.

Wasatch jumped out to a quick lead behind strong guard play from senior Rebecca MaWhinney, who lead all scorers with 22 points and junior Hailey Hardman, who added 13 of her own.  The two were aggressive early on taking the ball to the basket, either scoring, drawing a foul, or both.  They each converted on and-ones during the game.  The first quarter was over quickly and the Wasps were up 16-5 and on their way to a second straight runaway win.

The visiting Stallions would not go that easy, however, and began to apply an effective full-court press to start the second quarter.  The tactic slowed the Wasp breakaway offense and forced a few turnovers.  Both teams took several shots that would not fall creating a rebounding frenzy at times.  Senior forward Riley Gagon was again strong underneath with nine rebounds on the night.  Wasatch grabbed 31 total team boards over the tall physical Stansbury girls.  Renee Fagg had six of those rebounds with Heather Evans and Hardman grabbing five apiece.  The put backs would not fall for Wasatch, however and Stansbury tenaciously outscored the Wasps 14-12 in the second quarter to tighten the score to 28-19 at the half.

The third quarter saw more of the same as the Stallion’s physical style of play wore on the Wasps, especially during substitutions.  Wasatch was cold from the field and only mustered six points in the third allowing Stansbury to pull within four points.  But that was as close as it would get.

Head Coach Tom Perkins switched his squad into man-to-man defense and moved his star guard to the post.  MaWhinney, and the rest of the lady Wasps found a new rhythm and got hot again in the fourth, scoring 21 points and pulling away from the tiring Stallions.

“We ended up keeping our starters in for more minutes than we’d like,” said a pleased Coach Perkins afterwards.  “Stansbury is a good team.  They have a lot of size.  Our bench players weren’t matching up with them very well tonight and I wanted to keep us ahead.  Becca had a great game tonight despite cramping up there at the end and Hailey really came up big for us.  Overall I’m pleased with our play tonight,” he added.  Both MaWhinney and Hardman sank a pair of three-pointers to add to their big scoring nights.  Sophmore point guard, Ashlyn Coleman, added two rebounds, two assists and a steal to go along with her eight points in the win.

The lady Wasps head to Uintah High School in Vernal Friday afternoon for the  Shanon Johnson Classic.  The girls face Tooele Friday night, Moffat, Colorado Saturday morning, then close out their tournament schedule against Orem in the afternoon.

Full and thankful for it

It’s a good thing Thanksgiving only comes once a year.  Not for turkey-related reasons either.  I know we are all thankful a couple of days later when the tryptophan has worn off, but let’s face it… we love to eat the bird.  We romanticize and conceptualize ways to prepare that bird, but really it’s all about the supporting cast.   The extras.  The things that go with it.

Right now you’re saying stuffing.  You’re whispering mashed potatoes and gravy.  Yams.  Carrots, green beans and corn casserole.  Those warm buttered rolls and cornbread.  You love to top it all off with pumpkin, cherry or pecan pies.  But that’s not the side dish I’m having trouble with curbing.  It’s football, my friends.

Aaahh… the pig.  That glorious pig.  Not ham (although I love a good ham.)  That brown, torpedo shaped air-filled ball that has become a national symbol since it’s inception of an actual game piece made of a real pork belly.  The pigskin.  The football.  The very object that the entire game was named after that has now imbedded itself as official grounds for divorce… and that’s the women leaving the men.  Heck, with high-def television and in-depth interviews on these players the women have gotten in on the act – and who could blame them?  That is how big the pig has become.

I can recall this a little more clearly now that Thanksgiving weekend is several days behind.   I know, as we all do, that the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys play home games on Thanksgiving Day as a tradition.  Side note:  I’m for both of those teams losing that.  Detroit is a perennial loser and Dallas fans… well, they simply don’t deserve to have their dinner ruined any longer.  The night game, which has been added in recent years, if for no other reason than gluttony, was an embarrassment for the media’s favorite team… the overrated New York Jets.  Please do not let Tom Brady and the Patriots play on Thanksgiving anymore.  Brady plays too good in these games and he hates turkey legs. 

That’s just day one though folks!  The best football on the landscape began Friday with the CFA.  Sneaky good college contests from morning until night.  Nothing beats

Arkansas trying to muster a comeback on LSU and Utah getting a coach fired with a high scoring victory against fellow PAC 12 newby Colorado.  Throw in four or five visits to the kitchen for microwaved turkey and stuffing and you have officially entered the glutton bowl.  Do they have that?

Saturday morning I was facing the doghouse… not in it, but facing it.  Despite my bloated midsection, I was instructed to put Christmas lights on the house.  This would definitely mess up my game plan, but like any good offensive coordinator, I made early morning adjustments.   That allowed me to get it on the end of Michigan/Ohio State and move on to Utah State, BYU, South Carolina, Stanford and eventually Notre Dame versus USC.  At this point, if football was a drug I would be dead or in rehab with little chance to recuperate.

Sunday of course was the NFL.  Day four.  Hello, my name is Kenny and I’m a footballholic.  Once my fantasy teams were set, I was ready to watch the action unfold.  No Jets, no Cowboys, only Broncos and 49’ers… but those games turned out to be pretty decent.  I’m not even sure if it would have made a difference.  You see, anything in a helmet would have worked.  As a matter of fact, the Canadian Football League crowned it’s champion in the 100^th playing of the Grey Cup on this very day.  I didn’t watch, but by damn, I was aware of it.  Take that hockey fans!

Okay, so now I’m full.  Everyone says that at the dinner table when the food has been aplenty and the company has been heartwarming.  Family, friends and of course that goofy bird are what Thanksgiving is all about.  But after I come to… Monday morning, and it’s time to return to work and normal life… I can’t help but be thankful for many, many things.  My wife.  My kids.  My home and even all the bills that strangle me daily… I am thankful for football.  How else could I possibly spend four days away from the routine?  Thanksgiving 2012 has passed.  I am full and thankful for it.

Irish looking they don't need any luck

Let it be written.  Notre Dame's beloved Fighting Irish football team has finished the regular season 12-0.  No matter how you slice it... that's 12 victories against 12 opponents.  No matter who they were against or where they played, the Irish came away with the win.  Even before last night's tilt against USC in Los Angeles, many experts (and when will we be able to officially title these people "so-called" experts?) predicted that Notre Dame was going to lose.  That they had not faced an opponent with the Trojan's speed on offense and their defense would be exposed.  As ESPN's Lee Corso, who wisely chose Notre Dame in this one, says... not so fast my friend.

In the preseason polls, Notre Dame was no where to be found.  Filling up those top spots were, surprisingly, USC and Oregon and the usual cast of SEC powerhouses Alabama, LSU and Georgia.  Well, the SEC teams held up their end of the bargain and are basically in the hunt, while the Trojans came apart early and often losing four games before last night.

This game was supposed to be the chance for redemption of a lost season for USC.  The opportunity to knock off the nation's number one team, not to mention a bitter rival, was at their disposal.  Their star quarterback, and former Heisman Trophy hopeful, Matt Barkley was out with an injury.  USC would be able to open up their offensive arsenal, in full throttle fashion with a stong-armed redshirt freshman quarterback named Max Wittek in a nationally televised contest where they had nothing to lose.  Notre Dame, however, wearing the face of the disrespected underdog, even though they were in the driver's seat as the better team, showed up and won. 

The Irish by no means opened a can of whoop-ass on Southern Cal.  You could even go so far as to say the Trojans blew a few chances to tighten the game, or even win it.  But as the game unfolded, it brought to mind many other championship football teams who have won their titles in this manner.  Ball control, time consuming offense and bend-but-don't-break defense.

Notre Dame began the game with a strong drive capped by a 27 yard field goal, then added a nine yard touchdown run by Theo Riddick and extra point to go up 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.  The Trojans untested quarterback was shaky on his first few attempts and it looked like it could be a lopsided battle.  No sooner than that was the direction we writers were going to go, Wittek hit Robert Woods for an 11 yard touchdown pass to start the second quarter.  That would bring the score to 10-7 and suddenly the red and gold side of the L.A. Coliseum was back to rocking.  That, however, was the last touchdown of the game.

The rest of the way Notre Dame showed us what championship programs are all about.  It starts at the top.  In South Bend, Indiana that's Athletic Director Jack Swarbrick.  He has endured nearly 20 years of Irish football that has failed to meet the expectations of even "Touchdown Jesus."  Most of that ineptitude he has taken responsibility for with his choices of head coaches.  All the hires that he did make over the last few years were mostly consensus choices that simply didn't pan out.  Three years ago, however, he knew the next man he wanted at the helm and he played his hand just right.

That man was Brian Kelly, who had just amazingly turned a University of Cincinnati program into a national contender with a 12-0 season.  He was a high powered spread offense wizard and would certainly breath life into a program that was basically viewed as outdated.  His fiery, unabrasive ego and high energy style would put Notre Dame back on the recruiting map.  A place where they were said to be a nonfactor in this day of big money SEC dominated college football.  Of all these positives about Kelly, it was his defense who has put his team where they are today.

Enter what is to me the most obvious components in the return of the mighty golden-domers.  Heart.  Defense.  Heart builds a defense and a defense wins championships.  We've all heard this a gazillion times, but for some reason we turn a deaf ear.  We want that glitzy scoring machine with the dashing young quarterback and a set of speedy sports car type wide receivers.  Games that are tied up 54-54 and headed into triple overtime are the ones that make our hearts go all aflutter.  But rarely do you see a team like that in a championship game.  Championship teams have the ability to stop their opponents from scoring eight touchdowns a game while managing their offense in the most strategic way to position themselves for victory.  Nothing rips the heart out of a team more than having their offense repeatedly getting stopped at the goal line.  Being rejected time and time again with the brass ring within inches.  Applying so much pressure on a desperate offense that their coaching staff can no longer properly call the game or manage the clock.  This is how it happened last night.

Critics of Notre Dame are complaining about their lack of strength of schedule.  Teams in the SEC and PAC 12 claim that every game for them is like a playoff game because of how good the teams are in those conferences from top to bottom.  While this may be true on a stat sheet, teams are still expected to show up and play regardless of the record or competitiveness of their opponent.  That is why they play the game.  Notre Dame struggled against BYU, winning that game more on missed opportunities by the Cougars than their own superior play.  They had to fight off Purdue, Michigan and Stanford, a strong PAC 12 team who at times themselves look like a championship caliber team.  They barely escaped the clutches of an inferior Pittsburgh team back in early November when nobody was even watching.  This is the mark of a champion and it seems to be the mantra for the Irish this season.

They were not ranked as a formidable foe before the season started.  They were not given the chance to win in several of their games this year including last night against USC.  The non-believers will continue to pick against them for the next six weeks as they await the national championship game against a much better team from the SEC.  Luck of the Irish be damned, I have a feeling that Brian Kelly and his team like it this way.        

Lady Wasps Cruise In Opener

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With barely over two weeks to prepare for their first game, the Wasatch High School girls basketball team had to put in some extra practice time to make sure they were ready for the Lehi Pioneers’ visit to The Nest on Wednesday night.  That hard work appeared to have paid off as Wasatch had little trouble defeating Lehi 71-39.

Nine Wasps put points on the board during the quick paced game, including 18 from senior guard Rebecca MaWhinney, who was strong in all phases of the game adding four rebounds, six assists and five steals.  Sophmore point guard Ashlyn Coleman also proved to be a scoring machine as she contributed 17 points, six of which came on a pair of big three-point baskets.  Wasatch dominated the boards on defense snaring a total of 24 rebounds as a team.  Senior forward Riley Gagon led the way for the girls with eight of those grabs.  They were also unselfish in this victory, earning 19 team assists, feeding the ball with crisp passing both on the break and in the paint.  Renee Fagg, Sadie Sweat, Tristin Bills and Gagon had three assists each.

MaWhinney, Gagon and Fagg, the team’s three seniors, despite having very good games, acknowledged there is still work to do to get better.  “We need to cut down on our fouls and do a better job of being fluent on defense,” said Fagg, who had eight points and three rebounds in the game.  The three leaders seemed happy, however, to get the big win.  “It feels good to get the season going,” Gagon said with a huge smile of relief.

Wasatch had prepared long hours to be tough on defense and to eliminate the cutting style of play Lehi would bring to the court.  The Pioneer guards repeatedly slashed, crossing each other’s paths in an attempt to get behind the tall Wasp front line, but it would not work against the stingy home team defense.   

Head Coach Tom Perkins, who coached to the last second, giving everyone on his squad time on the floor, was pleased with the victory.  “In all my years of coaching, especially on the college level, I’ve never had a bunch work so hard,” said Perkins.  “As a coach, you have twice as much time in the college game to get your team ready for the season.  I’m very proud of our girls for working so hard in the two weeks we’ve had together,” added the coach.  “This was a great team win for us.  I’m very happy with this one.”

The Original Pin

In this coming week's issue of The Wasatch Wave, I'll be doing a preseason write-up on the Wasp Wrestling team.  I'll be honest here and say that I am quite rusty on my knowledge of high school wrestling.  I haven't followed it that closely since I've been a Heber City resident and I'm 30 years (gulp) removed from my high school days at Francis Joseph Reitz where wrestling reigned supreme.

Now that I am writing sports on a regular basis - and into it like a witch in a broomstick factory (I love that new Gieco commercial) - I must put any apprehensions aside and get in the game.  I'm not embarrassed to say if I'm a little out of touch on a sport, but there is something a little intimidating about wrestling.

Last night I geared up, notebook in hand, camera bag on my shoulder, journalism credentials hanging around my neck, a stick of Wrigley's cinnamon gum in my mouth and headed into "The Nest", Wasatch High School's barely three year old high-tech gymnasium.  I was an hour early.  The gym was empty except for one person, Head Wrestling Coach Wade Discher.  He saw me immediately.  It was on.  We met and introduced ourselves and he thanked me for coming.  He spoke briefly about what was in store for the evening's season introducing intersquad matches, then he disappeared into the tunnel.  I was so relieved.  I would not have to wrestle Coach Discher. 

As I sat alone in the gym writing down a few questions I would seek answers for throughout the evening, I began to look at the championship banners high in the rafters.  Now I've looked at these banners before.  They are spectacular and there are many.  But my eyes focused on one long stretch of them that all said State Wrestling Champion.  By far, more than any other sport played at the school.  13 of them, in fact, have been hung at Wasatch in the last 20 years in the sport of wrestling.  Impressive.  I got chills down my spine staring at the ones from the 1990's when Cael Sanderson, arguably the greatest amateur wrestler of all time, grappled on the very mats of Wasatch High School.

Then my eyes rolled back into my head and everything got fuzzy.  I'm just kidding of course, but stay with me.  Cue the creepy do-do-do-do...do-do-do-do music and let's go back in time.  Back to the aforementioned F.J. Reitz High School.  My alma mater in Evansville, Indiana.  It is 1978 and I'm a freshman (second gulp).  Many of my friends from the football team were going on to join the wrestling team.  I had never wrestled and had no idea on how to wrestle outside of totally dominating the little kids in my neighborhood.  I decided, at the urging of a few buddies to go to the first meeting and check it out.  That's the closest I ever got to wrestling on the team.

I'll never forget our wrestling coach... and for more reasons than one, that I'll explain later.  His name was Jerry Latham.  He was a monster of a man.  This guy could destroy Popeye after a canned spinach binge with one forearm.  His chest was bigger than my whole body.  The meeting was in the wrestling locker room which was in the basement next to the boiler room.  This room's cement block walls had never seen a coat of paint.  The pipes that ran throughout it's exposed ceiling creaked and even dripped in spots.  This was no place for a budding writer. 

For the next couple of days, I avoided Coach Latham as I ducked through the school's hallways.  I'm not sure why I was afraid, I just didn't want to be confronted by him on why I decided not to go out for his team.  Besides, there were 60 boys in that meeting.  No way did he notice my scrawny little 100 pound butt.

Fast forward two years.  I am now about to be a junior.  Eight inches taller and sixty pounds heavier.  I may have even had a couple of whiskers on my chin.  My family had just built a house farther out in the country and I was getting to know some of the kids in my new neighborhood.  About 10 houses up the winding road lived a kid I became fast friends with.  His sister, who had graduated from Reitz the year before, was the darling of her class and come to find out the daughter of Coach Latham.  This guy who could bend a bicycle frame into a pretzel was now my neighbor and his son was my friend and I couldn't keep my eyes off of his daughter.  I was soon to be dead.  The confrontation I had built up in my mind as inevitable was now... well, inevitable.

It wasn't long before I was invited into the Latham house.  Mrs. Latham was a beautiful woman and as kind as they come.  Their daughter, had thankfully moved on to college, so that lessened my chances of getting put into the sleeper hold.  Do they still use that?  Anyway, as it turned out, I would not have to wrestle Coach Latham.  He actually turned out to be a pretty nice guy.  You see, the gruff wrestling coach persona was held in check at home by Mrs. Latham, who could pin Coach Latham at the drop of a hat.  One afternoon while I was comfortably watching television at the Latham house, the coach mumbled out to me, "so why haven't you come out for wrestling?"  It was on.  I shrugged like any 16 year old being confronted with a question about a secret they had harbored for years and replied, "I dunno."  "I thought when I saw you in the meeting two years ago that you looked like you might make a pretty decent little wrestler," the coach said, his eyes fixed on the tv. "But, it ain't for everybody," he said.  That's when my friend nudged me on the arm and motioned for us to go outside.  He was just trying to get me out of the clutches of his old man.  That wasn't really necessary though.  I felt so relieved all of a sudden.  Two years of guilt and fear of not following through on going out for the wrestling team had suddenly drained out of my body. 

I spent the last two years of my time at Reitz following the wrestling team... even writing about them in our school paper once or twice.   I was into supporting my buddies who had the grit and guts to participate on a historically winning high school wrestling team.  I'll never forget my friend Jeff Harp, the scrawniest kid on the freshman football team, who went on to win four state medals in the 98 pound weight class.  I think back fondly on that sweltering wrestling room next to the boiler room where guys would go to jump rope in full sweats just to lose a couple of pounds to make weight.  An unhealthy practice that has fallen to the wayside, but a standard back in the day (third gulp).

Do-do-do-do... do-do-do-do.  I snap out of my flashback to the sound of the entire wrestling team rolling the giant mat out onto the floor in preparation for the evening's matches... about 40 young men with the grit and guts to participate on a historically winning high school wrestling team.  It was the beginning of an exciting night.  The lights went down spotlighting only the mat.  Coach Discher addressed the crowd, welcoming them and thanking them for allowing their sons to be a part of his program.  It was then time to wrestle.  The rock music played and the cheerleaders cheered.  14 matches took place pitting teammate against teammate.  They wrestled with vigor.  They wrestled with heart.  They shook hands then went for the pin.  They grappled for their coaches attention and for the adoration of their parents.  It was energetic and fun.  It was a team of young men giving it their all to be at their best.  As the lights came up and the mat was respectfully rolled up and put to bed and the crowd chatted and slowly dispersed,  I realized that not much has changed with high school wrestling.  And it's a darn good thing it hasn't. 

Wasatch Guard Signs With UVU

As the season shifts to the bitter cold of winter and the games move indoors, preparation for the Wasatch High School Girl's Basketball team took a moment to honor one of their star players.  On Wednesday afternoon, Wasp guard, Rebecca MaWhinney signed a national letter of intent to play basketball for Utah Valley University.  Head Coach Thomas Perkins, Principal Shawn Kelly, and Athletic Director Claire Mair, along with Rebecca's parents and several of her family members were all in attendance in the Wasatch Gymnasium, better known as "The Nest", to applaud her commitment to the Wolverines.  It is another shining moment for a Wasatch student athlete in the first half of the
2012-2013 school year.
Rebecca, a three-sport standout for most of her young life, playing soccer and softball in addition to her favorite sport of basketball, is relieved to have the commitment behind her.  "I don't know what to say," she said humbly, "I'm very excited to be going to UVU.  I'm glad it's over for now so I can concentrate on this season and winning a championship for Wasatch."  Rebecca's parents are very happy that she will be staying close to home.  "Oh, we'll be going to a lot of games for sure," added her mother with a huge smile.
Just going to the games to support UVU is one thing, but actually getting to watch their daughter play is another.  That's something Coach Perkins says is a good possibility.  "UVU is a growing program.  They're getting better and more competitive each year," said the coach.  "This season they will be graduating quite a few seniors so the opportunity for a 6' 1" guard (Rebecca) to step in and contribute right away looks pretty good."  Perkins was the head basketball coach at UVU from 1982 to 1995 where UVU's current Head Coach, Cathy Nixon, was an assistant on his staff.  That bodes well for MaWhinney.  Beyond the connection, now that the signing of the letter is behind her, will be her familiarity with the type of basketball expected from her as a Wolverine.

When asked if she plans to wear green socks, the color of Utah Valley underneath her black ones of Wasatch this season, she laughed... then paused.  "Maybe," she said looking up towards the gym's championship banners.  It was the confident face of a young woman with a promising collegiate career in her future.

WASP BASKETBALL PREVIEW

Wasatch ready to unleash a whole new line-up of fast break hoopsters

BY KENNY BRISTOW

Wave Sports Writer

 The gym rats are back.  You can hear their frantic squeaking echoing down the halls.  It’s a sound that would bring chills to the spines of most exterminators.  But a closer look shows it’s actually the squeaking from 23 pairs of gym shoes running drills in one of the high schools auxiliary gymnasiums.  Basketball season is here and the Wasatch High School Wasps open their 2012-2013 campaign next Tuesday night, November 20^th at Mountain Crest.

There are several words to describe this year’s team, but young is the one that seems to stick out the most.  Then again, so does the word athletic.  Head Coach Lonnie Magnusson, entering the second year of his second stint as the Wasps head basketball man, is excited about his young team.  “We graduated half our squad last year.  Eight seniors – including all five starters,” Magnusson reflected.  “We have a couple of guys who got in some good minutes last year though, so there is a mix.  We’re young, but we’re athletic and we’re going to be pretty good.”

Magnusson was referring to the up-tempo style of basketball he is intending to implement with this year’s team.   There will be plenty of pushing the ball up the court with fast break and run-and-gun on offense and a quick pesky defense that plans to press.  When you’re roster is loaded with a dozen six footers who can fly, then you’ve got to let them loose.  Look for a rotation of the team’s five seniors with three or four juniors and even a couple of sophmores seeing substantial minutes.  With plenty of substitutions and not letting up on the pressure or pace, the Wasps will surely be fun to watch.

Senior shooting guard, Cooper Ballsteadt, coming into the gym after a nice football season, is excited about this year’s team.  “We’ve got some shooters.  All our guys can run and take it to the hoop.  Where we lack in height, we’ll make up for with athleticism,” Ballsteadt said.  Senior forward, Jake Larson, coming off a knee injury from football, has rehabilitated enough to begin practicing at full speed.  When asked how his knee was feeling, he said smiling, “great.  I’m ready to go.”  Both seniors, who saw a lot of playing time last year, will be relied on heavily for team leadership and game experience.

Magnusson is looking forward to the game at Mountain Crest because it will give him a better idea of what he has and what will need to be worked on.  “It will be a great test for us right off the bat,” he said.  “They’re a good team and we’re ready to get started. “ 

Following-up on Wasatch freshman kicker Skyler Southam

It's official.  The kid has his number.  U.S. Army/Eastbay Regional Scout and Football University State Director, Adam Arrington (left) presents a jersey to Wasatch Freshman placekicker, Skyler Southam (right) Friday morning at the high school here in Heber City.  Southam was named to the freshman 

All-American team which will face the Canadian team on January 6^th, 2013 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.  

We are all very proud of Skyler's accomplishments this season and I will keep post updated on how you can follow along as well.  The game should be available via live stream and highlights of Skyler's performance in the game will most likely appear on you tube.  I'll provide all the necessary information as it becomes available to me.  

A good day for Veteran's Day

Inside stadiums all across the United States this Sunday, sports franchises, players and fans all heartily celebrated Veterans Day.  Sports play a tremendous role in our country's make-up and in these uneasy times of a divided nation, it was appropriate that November 11th, this year, fall on a Sunday.  Kudos to all the pro sports leagues who honored our nation's veterans today with well-deserved ceremonies.

Any given week, the NFL can be seen putting on a patriotic pregame show with a giant American flag sewn in the dimensions of a football field.  Or at a NASCAR race, where pre-race warm-ups include whipping the crowd into a frenzy with an F-14 flyover at the climax of the national anthem.  The NBA will do the same, and although the arenas and crowd are much smaller, the message rings loud and clear.  Baseball, Americas pastime, would certainly pull out all the stops if it's season were still going on through Veteran's Day.  It still blows my mind that a professional baseball great like Ted Williams actually missed a couple of seasons to go fly fighter planes in WWII.  I mean, who would do that today?  Pat Tillman, maybe, the all-pro safety who left a multi-million dollar contract on the table with the Arizona Cardinals to go fight for his country in the middle east.  Men like that are few and far between, however.  Pat Tillman lost his life in that cause. 

It's not just about that though.  Soldiers don't expect to die... they expect to go and serve for the better of our country and return home to their lives.  Their homes and families.  Their freedoms.  Their sports teams.  It is always fun to see video of our troops over in Afghanistan - or wherever they may be serving us - cheering on a game here in the U.S. that they have the opportunity to watch together.
They are in foreign lands fighting not only for us and our country and our families, but for the Dallas Cowboys and the Utah Jazz and for Brad Keselowski or for their beloved Crimson Tide.  A lot of veterans and current soldiers alike would probably tell you something like Vin Scully's voice got them through it all.

For those of us who have never served in the military, it seems a moot gesture at times to thank a veteran of war for their sacrifice.  We want to be sincere, but how do you really put as much gratitude behind that thank you as it probably deserves?  The most, and the best we can do is simply say thanks.  Be there for them.  Sports organizations do a tremendous job at this like they have done again this weekend.  We can only continue to show our nation's vets respect any way we can.  If that means supporting our local sports teams and celebrating the closest thing to military camaraderie that we civilians know of, then that is a good place to start.

You're fired!

There is nothing that compares with the high of getting a new job.  The phone rings.  You answer.  It is the manager, who you met just a day or so before, calling to tell you that you've been selected over all the other applicants and to be in Monday morning at 8 AM.  It can be an exuberant feeling or a moment of vindication.  Your wife, your mother, your roommate... will have a sense of relief and you, for a brief shining moment will be held high on a pedestal.

If the job, however, is for a coaching position... well, then you may not want to start hanging a lot of family pictures on the wall just yet.  Especially if that coaching position is for a team that expects to contend for a championship immediately.  Such is the case for Mike Brown, the former coach of the Los Angeles Lakers who was just fired after a 1-4 start to the season.  Are you surprised?  If you are, then you obviously still believe in the greater good of mankind, but such is unacceptable on today's professional sports landscape.  You're fired is practically a catch phrase - well, it is now with the Donald making millions off it, but it really is a serious matter.  Nobody wants to get fired from their job.  If you know it's coming, it can be torture.  If it comes as a surprise it can leave you suddenly crippled.  Coaching in sports though seems to carry a bit of that as something normal.

Few jobs in sports have that gleaming under the magnifying glass burn to them that a head coaching position has.  When a sports franchise - or a university - is in a position seeking a new coach, there are two likely scenarios:  replacing a guy who was failing to win, or replacing a legend who did nothing but win.  Brown was asked to step into a pair of shoes he could not fill... or should I say, Phil?  As in Jackson.  The winningest coach in NBA history.  Jackson, with his larger than life persona, went to L.A. with 6 championships in Chicago in his wake.  Sure, he inherited a team of superstars, but they were underachieving, and Jackson's arrogant tough love college professor approach sucked them in like mosquitos to a bug light.  He seemed to relish that pressure with a sense of feeling no pressure at all.  Others simply cannot operate that way.

On the subject of the NBA, I think of coaches like San Antonio's Greg Popovich or Utah's former head coach Jerry Sloan, who do, or did not have the limelight savvy of Jackson, yet all the basketball knowledge... if not more.  Rarely is there a doubt that the coach knows his x's and o's - otherwise, how did he get the job in the first place?  It often seems to come down to something like a bad start to a season, or a prickly relationship with the team's franchise player, or an untimely losing streak just before, or just into the playoffs.  This is the case of Mike Brown.  Hired to take over for a legend... got bumped out of the playoffs in his first season... failed to win a preseason game in the next and got off to the worst start for the franchise in over 20 years.  Not to mention the icy glares caught on camera from Kobe Bryant towards his coach or even his agitated interviews after the games.  This after the team went out in the off season and added two superstars viewed by many as the missing pieces to the next championship puzzle.  Oh - and it didn't help when the media was screaming "what's wrong with the Lakers" after they started with three straight losses.  Team owners and General Managers will of course say that the media had nothing to do with Brown's dismissal, but we know better than that.  Would the Laker brass have fired Brown if the media and fans were in unison with their patience and understanding while the team "figured it out"?  I doubt it.

Head coaching a sports team, from little league to the pro's, is not a job for the faint of heart.  From mothers to the media they must answer a bell they had better have a solution for, otherwise the pressure gets greater.  The scrutiny becomes less forgiving.  It is a responsibility on a world's stage that can bring the greatest of moments - as in a championship, or the sorriest - as in public failure.
Maybe that is what drives them.  They get hired.  They get fired.  They thank the organization for the opportunity, then move on to the next.  Maybe it's the guaranteed contracts, but I'd hate to think so.

There is nothing that compares with the low of losing a job.  The phone rings.  You answer.  It is the boss telling you that you're fired.












   

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Getting A Leg Up

Freshman placekicker Skyler Southam wastes no time making the national scene as a U.S. Army/Eastbay All-American selection

Football games are often decided by only one point.  Many times a game comes down to the final play and rests on the precise execution of a placekick.  At the center of such a breathtaking moment is the kicker.  A member of the team who mostly waits on the sidelines until the offense comes within field goal range to begin warming up for such a moment.  This is what a kicker trains for.  This is their time to make a difference in the game.

In the case of the 2012 Wasatch High School varsity football season, there weren’t many of these moments.  That’s not to say they weren’t prepared, however, because on their sideline was Skyler Southam, a 5’10”, 160 lb freshman in golden cleats… and with a golden leg.  This season Skyler converted 36 of 37 extra point attempts.  His only kick not to convert the touchdown was his final attempt of the season, which was blocked.  Not necessarily his fault, but football is a team game.  Skyler is the first to say that.  “The whole year was amazing,” Skyler said.  “My teammates were so great, especially Zach (Reiss, his holder) and Logan (Huntington, the long snapper).  It really was a fun season.”  Fun certainly translated into success for Southam as he was recently selected to participate in the U.S. Army/Eastbay All-American Freshman football game in San Antonio, Texas, at the Alamodome on January 6^th, 2013.  In other words, Skyler was the top kicker to play regularly on his varsity squad as a freshman in the entire country.

Despite the prestige that may come with such an honor, Skyler appears and acts like most high school freshman, a year or two away from teen idol good looks and easy going enough to call cool.  He and his family hail from Heber and he grew up on the youth soccer and football fields right here in town.  The oldest of four children, Skyler seems very mature and totally at ease when it was suggested to him that he has set the bar pretty high in athletics for his younger siblings.  “Yeah, I guess that’s kind of true,” he modestly shrugs with a smile.  After all, how many high school freshmen earn their entire family a trip to San Antonio, Texas for New Years Eve?  Probably not may, but that is exactly what Skyler has done.

His success this season comes as no surprise to his kicking coach, Idaho State All-American and former NFL placekicker, Dan Zeidman.  The founder of his own camp called Lifetime Kicking Academy, Zeidman knew right away he had something special in Southam.  “Skyler is head and shoulders above where a normal kicker his age would be.  He does possess the natural ability to be a great kicker, but the thing that will take him the farthest is his work ethic,” Zeidman said.  “He is very coachable and a hard worker.  I’m amazed at his demeanor, which is so important to the position.  He has great composure and confidence and as long as he remains the humble young man that he is, he will be very successful.”

Zeidman is an associate of the National Camp Series founded by another former professional kicker, Michael Husted.  Skyler attended two camps in Salt Lake this past year and even traveled to Las Vegas for one… a testament to his dedication to becoming a great kicker.  It was Zeidman, who brought Southam to the attention of Husted, then Husted passing that recommendation on to the selection committee for the All-American team that made Skyler’s selection possible.  Skyler’s accumulative scoring ranked him as the number one specialist in the country for the class of 2016.  Consistent game performances and application on the varsity squad helped provide the icing on the cake for his selection.  Obviously, he is in good hands when it comes to being coached by capable experts and it is his head coach, Steve Coburn who is the recipient of such great individual coaching.  Coburn’s belief and proper handling of the freshman has Wasatch set at kicker for the next three seasons.  If his numbers and confidence are this good already, just think of where they’ll be in a couple of years from now.

While the camps have been paramount in advancing Southam’s kicking abilities, it was apparent early on, especially on the soccer field, that this kid could kick a ball.  “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do on the football field,” Skyler said.  “I play receiver and even some quarterback, but I kind of knew that kicking would be something I’d be good at once I got to the high school level,” he added.  “Coach Coburn believed in me enough to let me get in there a couple of kicks early on and it just kind of became full time.  I never expected to kick for the varsity team, but I’m glad it happened.”  Southam got his chance in the second game of the season on an extra point then a kick-off.  By the third game, the job was his and he didn’t miss an extra point the rest of the way.  He also continued to kick for the freshman team where he nailed a 42-yard field goal against Uintah.

It’s not an easy question for a high school freshman to answer, especially when that question is about the future.  Skyler, who seems pretty content living in the moment, enjoying his first year in high school and still contemplating playing basketball this year, has three more years of kicking for Wasatch.  He has already reached such a high level, yet it’s exciting to wonder what the next few years have in store for him.  “I would love to get a scholarship and kick in Division 1,” he said confidently.  It sure looks like he’s gotten off to an excellent start.

Mother Nature, Patriotism and the Big Game

It’s not nice to fool with Mother Nature.  That’s the old saying, but man, lately she seems to be a little extra ornery.  We’re not talking rain outs here, we’re dealing with hurricanes.  Mama - and I’d like to believe that she is a sports fan like most of our mothers - has recently unleashed a barrage of natural disasters that seem to have their sights set on putting an end to our American past times. 

Last week, Hurricane Sandy crashed on the northeastern shores of the United States and left a trail of destruction we haven’t seen since her older sister Katrina devastated the southern bayou region surrounding New Orleans back in 2005.

It is difficult to place significance on sporting events when there are families left powerless, homeless and suffering the loss of life.  How does one celebrate the weekend of a big game when their fellow countrymen are sleeping in shelters wearing the same clothes they’ve had on for a week?

As our public servants sacrifice their time and wellbeing for the good of mankind, we as civilian bystanders are best served supporting them… in any way we can.  There is no reason to harbor guilt for carrying on with our lives.  At some point we are all faced with a situation brought on by a natural disaster like a tornado or an earthquake or a flood or a tornado.  There is no stopping such a happening - only preparation and recovery. 

This is why the show must go on.  Americans love their entertainers, whether that be talk show hosts or point guards.  It is okay to escape for a little while to root for your favorite team or laugh at your favorite television comedian.  It is their place in society to take us to that special realm.  Physical complications such as electricity and transportation can cause a postponement or two, but once those problems are fixed there is no reason why the games cannot be played.

In the case of the New York Marathon, which for the first time since it’s inception in 1970 was canceled, athletes who had trained for years to run in the event instead gave their time to help those devastated by the hurricane.  Instead of running for a time, they ran for a cause.  They grouped by country and ran for Americans.  Instead of packing up and returning to their corners of the world from which they came, they stayed.  When it would have been easy for them to feel sorry for themselves, they felt sorry for others and postponed their dream of running in the greatest marathon on Earth.  All participants in this year’s race will automatically be qualified to run in next year’s marathon.  When I first read that the race had been cancelled, I wondered why.  The hurricane did not affect the terrain of the run and millions had already come to the east coast for the marathon.  It generates tremendous revenue for New York and the advertisers and merchants who support it.  Instead of wiping it out, why not use it for a platform to raise money for the Red Cross?  Turn it into a telethon for those severely crippled by the storm.  Well… that sort of happened.  No one even had to ask.  They banded together and did it unselfishly on their own.  Amazing humanity and amazing patriotism.

This is a sports column.  I like to write about sports.  I am always humbled when sports and real life cross paths.  They do so everyday.  But with something of the magnitude of a hurricane dismantling an entire coastline, it becomes even more significant.  Like the athlete who makes millions quietly visiting a young cancer patient or the professional football team that invites an entire firehouse to be their guests at a home game, these things make us all feel better.  They warm our hearts.  We are all healed a little bit by such happenings.  Disasters bring that out in us. 

Mother Nature can be nasty.  Keep in mind that most days are natural disaster free though.  She is mostly good to us.  But when she does decide to wreak havoc, it is our job as a human race to band together and do what we can to help in the recovery.  If that means playing a game of basketball or running a marathon even though the trophy has been locked away until next year… then so be it.