Are you ready for some football … and volleyball and girls soccer and cross country and boys golf and girls tennis?
The Utah prep sports fall season is underway with a little bit of something for every sports fan.
Of course, football is the big ticket item and the gridiron boys have already been practicing for a couple of weeks. Football begins in eight days (Aug. 18) with all seven Region 9 teams (Cedar, Dixie, Hurricane, Desert Hills, Pine View, Canyon View and Snow Canyon) taking advantage of the “endowment game,” a Week 1 preseason game that helps raise funds for the Utah High School Activities Association.
That first week of games will feature Beaver at Canyon View, Provo at Cedar, Jordan at Desert Hills, Uintah at Snow Canyon, Dixie at Springville, Hurricane at Mountain View and Pine View at Green Canyon (new school in North Logan).
Look for team previews of the upcoming football season next week in St. George news’ sports section.
Girls soccer has actually already begun playing games. Hurricane, a playoff team from last year, opened Tuesday with an 8-0 mercy-killing of Millard, and Cedar, another 2016 playoff squad, started the year Tuesday with a 4-2 win over local rival Parowan.
Snow Canyon, which tied with Desert Hills for the 2016 Region 9 title, made it all the way to the 3A state quarterfinals last year. The Lady Warriors open their season tonight with a home match vs. Copper Hills (7:30 p.m.). In fact, Desert Hills also opens up today (3 p.m.), heading on the road to battle Viewmont. Cedar is also on the pitch today (3:30 p.m.), playing host to Spanish Fork. Canyon View, which won Region 12 last season, begins its season today with a road match against Hunter.
In volleyball, Desert Hills went undefeated in 2016, sweeping Region 9 with a perfect 10-0 record. The Lady Thunder eventually lost to Morgan in the 3A state championship match. Desert Hills, breaking in new coach Sharon Christensen, opens its season next Thursday against West. Canyon View plays Panguitch next Wednesday as the Lady Falcons are the first Region 9 to take to the court.
A full stgnews.com volleyball preview will be out early next week.
Boys golf is back and will get rolling this week, as will girls tennis. Pine View is the defending region champ in boys golf, but will have to replace graduated star Noah Schone.
Desert Hills is looking to defend its region title in girls tennis and will be led by sophomore Mo Behmyer and senior Abby Carmack. The first tennis matches of the season are next week.
In cross country, Desert Hills and Pine View are the teams to beat with the first huge meet of the year being Aug. 26 in Cedar City at the SUU Invitational.
But it is, in fact, girls soccer that has started things off this August, with a couple of games already in the books and so many more still to come.
So the fall sports schedule is in the chamber and ready to fire. Are you?
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