Sports

Broncos ranked second in preseason football poll

by Rhett Sifford Sports Editor With the opening kickoff of the 2022 football season for local high schools less than a month away, the Deseret News has released its annual preseason rankings for teams in all six classifications across the state. Locally, the defending 2A state champion San Juan...

The sun sets on another beautiful day at the Hideout Golf Club in Monticello in 2019. In 2022, after a third year of extended drought, the course is experiencing significant turf challenges. However, at the same time, the course was recently named the top course in the state and the 36th top-rated course in the nation by GolfWeek Magazine. Staci Hoggard photo

Hideout named the top golf course in Utah and 36th-best golf course in the United States

by Bill Boyle Editor The Hideout Golf Club in Monticello has been named the top golf course in the state of Utah and one of the top courses in the United States, at the same time the course is struggling through the challenges of extended drought. Golf Week magazine’s annual list of the top courses...

Monticello Buckaroo Javlin Robison (#12) chases Whitehorse Raider quarterback Tyren Chief (#2) in a September 2021 football game in Monticello. Three of San Juan Counties football teams will participate in the innagural Utah 8-player football league this fall. Anna Fredericks photo

Whitehorse, Monticello and Monument Valley join Utah’s inaugural 8-player football league

by Joe Boyle Staff Writer Monument Valley, Whitehorse, and Monticello high schools are moving from eleven-player football to an eight-player football league this fall. There will be state-sanctioned eight-player football in Utah for the first time in nearly a century. This includes the potential...

Image from the new documentary "Pressure is a Privilege" Picture It Palmer image

Documentary recaps San Juan basketball race to a championship

by Rhett Sifford Sports Editor A documentary of the San Juan High School boys basketball team’s state championship season premiered on July 3 in the San Juan Theater in Blanding during Fourth of July celebrations. The full-length feature, entitled “Pressure Is a Privilege” and produced by Picture...

Kade Palmer is the new head coach of the San Juan High girls basketball team. He is pictured here with his wife Katey and daughters Kolynnz and Aivey. Courtesy photo

New basketball coach for the Bronco girls

by Rhett Sifford Sports Editor San Juan High School girls basketball players will call a new individual “coach” this coming season. Kade Palmer was hired as the head coach in May when Laura Stearns resigned from the position after four years. Palmer said it was a challenge getting out of the gate...

Members of the Monticello Girls Golf team placed 2nd at the 1A state tournament, all Buckaroo golfers pictured were first or second team at state

Ten Monticello High School golfers earn 2022 All-State honors

No less than ten Monticello High School golfers earned All-State honors from the Utah Section PGA for their performances during the 2022 season that recently came to a close. The Buckaroo girls captured their best team result ever, finishing just ten strokes behind 1A state champion Rich to secure...

Johnny Slavens, San Juan High School's Basketball coach

New head coach for the San Juan High School boys basketball team

by Rhett Sifford Sports Editor San Juan High School boys basketball fans will see a different face in the coaching box this winter. Johnny Slavens is the new head coach, following in the footsteps of Coach Travis Black. Black resigned after leading the Broncos to a state championship in March. When...

Track and Field Javelin Runner-up Magnum Nielson San Juan Junior

Eight San Juan County student athletes earn All-State honors

Eight high school student athletes representing San Juan County were named to All-State teams for the 2022 spring sports season that recently came to a close. The Deseret News released its list of baseball and softball honorees over the course of the past couple weeks based exclusively on coaches’...

Monticello grad Adam Bunker finishes 17th in NCAA steeplechase

by Rhett Sifford Sports Editor Utah Valley University freshman Adam Bunker, a 2019 graduate of Monticello High School, earned All-American honorable mention status on Wednesday, June 8 at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships at the University of Oregon. Bunker finished 17th...

Raider Weston Manygoats finished 3rd in the 3200 meter run. Brad Bunker photo

Good performances for Monument Valley, Whitehorse track and field athletes at state

by Jessica Walker Contributing Writer The Monument Valley High School track and field team traveled farther than an other team to attend in the 2022 1A Utah State Track and Field Championships at BYU in Provo this past Friday and Saturday, May 20-21. The Cougars performed well with six individual...