San Juan teams stay busy over spring break

Though this past week was spring break for San Juan High School, many Bronco athletes forwent the fun and frivolity of vacation to put in some time with their respective sports teams.

Though most of the teams enjoyed a light week, the softball team was hard at work. The Lady Broncos began their week (and their season) with a trip to Richfield on Tuesday, March 16 for a Region 12 doubleheader with the Lady Wildcats.

The teams combined for 44 runs in an epic opening game that went the distance to seven innings. San Juan jumped out to an impressive 10-0 lead in the top of the first, but Richfield answered with 12 runs in the bottom of the inning to grab a slim lead.

The Lady Broncos rallied to retake the lead with a run in the second and two in the fourth. But the Lady Wildcats scored four in the fifth inning and added six more in the sixth to take a 22-13 lead into the final frame.

Never-say-die San Juan rallied to put eight runners across the plate in the top of the seventh, but that put them one run shy of tying Richfield. The Lady Wildcats added one final run in their half of the inning for a crazy 23-21 final.

In the second game of the double dip, the offenses were a bit slower to get in gear. The first runs of the game didn’t cross the plate until the third inning, when the Lady Broncos scored five and Richfield answered with four.

San Juan increased their lead by four in the fourth, but the Lady Wildcats got two in the fourth and three in the fifth to tie the game at nine.

The Lady Broncos stayed with it though, outscoring Richfield 5-2 in the last two innings to pick up their first win of the season 14-11.

The rest of the week was busier – and tougher – for San Juan, however. The team welcomed the strong Carbon Lady Dinos to Blanding on Friday, March 19 for another region showdown.

This time the Lady Broncos fell behind early and were never able to keep pace. Carbon opened with a six-run first inning and added three in the second.

San Juan mustered three runs in the third inning, but the Lady Dinos put up an 11-spot in the fourth to close out the game 20-3.

Saturday, March 20 was an all-day affair for the Lady Broncos. They traveled to Moab where their friends from Grand County welcomed them for the Red Devil Invitational.

It was four games in less than 12 hours, and the Lady Broncos’ youth and inexperience was a bit of a factor in the tournament. They opened with a tough 16-1 loss to the host team and followed with an 11-4 setback to the Hurricane Lady Tigers.

But in game three, San Juan rallied for a 7-6 win over the Enterprise Lady Wolves, definitely nothing to be ashamed of.

But they struggled against the Juab Lady Wolves in an 8-1 loss to close out a very busy week and weekend.

Through the first seven games of the year, San Juan is 2-5. Statistics were available for five of those games at the press deadline.

Through those five games, senior Emilie Palmer leads the way for the Lady Bronco offense with 11 hits in 15 at bats, a .733 average. She had eight RBIs in the first five games of the year.

Sophomore Adriann Johnson has also been solid for San Juan with eight hits in 13 trips (.615) and six RBIs. Senior Makaeli Begaye is 9 of 15 (.600) with five RBIs.

Other early offensive leaders for San Juan include Sadie Brown: 6 for 13 (.462), 5 RBIs; Halli Palmer: 4 of 7 (.571), three RBIs; and Kaitlynne Perkins: 7 for 14 (.500), two RBIs.

Sophomore Kaeahliyah Howard and freshman Trinity Whatcott had also driven in three runs apiece in the first five games of the year.

The next few days are relatively light for the Lady Broncos, considering their opening week.

They hosted Emery on Tuesday, March 23; they head to Moab again to face the Lady Red Devils on Friday, March 26; and they’ll hit the road for Monroe on Tuesday, March 30 for a Region 12 doubleheader with South Sevier.

Baseball
The San Juan baseball team was also in Moab for the Red Devil Invitational this past Saturday, March 20.

It was a struggle for the boys with a 12-0 loss to Ben Lomond in the opening game and a 14-4 loss to the host Red Devils in game two.

The Broncos mustered just two hits in the shutout against the Scots but got six in the loss to Grand.

Junior Jeter Perkins led the San Juan attack with a solid 3-for-3 day.

The Broncos spread the RBIs in the game. Perkins, Easton Bethea, and Weston Laws all had one apiece. One run that crossed the plate for San Juan was unearned.

San Juan is 1-4 through the first five games of the season.

Track & field
The San Juan track and field team was in Price for the Farm Bureau Invitational this past Friday, March 19 at Carbon High School in an event that featured 20 teams from around the state.

The girls finished in tenth place as a team with the boys coming home 13th for a combined result of 12th place.

Shae Nielson led the way for the Broncos with a first-place finish in the 100-meter hurdles with a time of 17.05.

Shae crossed the line second in the 300 hurdles in 49.11 and picked up a sixth-place finish in the 200-meter dash in 28.42.

Alex Shumway was tenth in the 100 hurdles with a time of 18.87 and came across 17th in the 300 hurdles, running a 57.31.

The boys team grabbed third place in the 4x100-meter relay with a solid time of 47.3.

Matt Saunders was sixth in the long jump with a 19-07. He and teammate Tyler Winn tied for 12th in the high jump with a 5-02.

In the boys 200 hurdles Dallin Anderson got 14th with a 25.5, Daniel Jolley finished 16th in the 300 hurdles with a 50.63, and Dallin Anderson and Landon Black tied for 19th in the 100-meter dash with equal finishes of 12.51.

The Bronco track and field team is headed to Roosevelt for the Strata Invitational this Saturday, March 27 at Union High School.

Girls golf
The Lady Bronco golf team opened their season at a Region 12 event in Moab on Monday, March 15, with three golfers competing.

Isabel Young led the way for San Juan with a 96 on the day, Brinli Bowring scored a 125, and Kayla Howe got a 152. After the opening match, Young sits fourth in the region.

The team will play the Mountain View Golf Course in West Jordan this Thursday, March 25.

Season previews
Be on the lookout for season previews of the San Juan spring sports teams in the next couple of weeks and comments from the coaches.

I know I’ve been advertising those for the last three weeks or so, but you’ll have to cut me some slack. It’s been tough keeping up with a new baby in the house!

My sweet wife is definitely bearing a large majority of the burden, but hey, I gotta come up with some sort of an excuse!