Spring sports (and trees) are in full bloom

SPORTS SHORTS
With spring in unusually (at least in Monticello) April full bloom, spring sports are in full tilt boogie.
Monticello golf teams, both boys and girls are enjoying the better-shape-than-ever-in-April Hideout golf course and posting some impressive scores. 
Tanner Eardley, Chase Doucet, Jonah Cafferty, Jens Brewer, Adam Black and Derek Ramsay have steadily improved their scores this season and look to be a force in the region and 1A state tournaments.  Eardley is currently ranked number one in the region. 
The Buckaroos won their own tournament last week with impressive scores.  Eardley, Doucet and Cafferty all shot personal bests as the Bucks lowered their stroke score to a low 345, good enough to win state last year by 10 shots, I believe. 
Eardley was medalist with a 75, Doucet shot an 80, which beat his previous best by 15 strokes and Cafferty came in a with a fine 84.  Ramsay, Black, and Brewer rounded out the scores with 106, 107, and 108, respectively.
The girls team, with three members, Jamie Keyes, Swayzi Slade and Katie Boyle are all improving on their scores as well.  Nice weather, nice golf course, nice scores, right?
San Juan High hosted the first annual Blue Mountain Invitational track meet on their new track last week. 
Grand County won the boys team title with 267 points while San Juan and Monticello tied at 148. 
The home team Lady Broncos took the girls team title with 206 points, followed by Grand County with 199 and Monticello with 116. 
Sade Kyles, Jade Grover and Ammon Mitchell led the Bronco scoring parade with two wins a piece.  Kyles won both the 100m and 200m dashes, Grover captured the long distance runs, the 1600m and 3200m, and Mitchell won the 110m hurdles and long jump, while placing third in the 200m.  
Jake Duncan and PJ Leiataua were the only winners for the Buckaroos boys, Jake winning the high jump, with two seconds in the 110 and 300m hurdles and PJ throwing the javelin farther than anyone else.  PJ put the shot to a second place finish, too.
Bailey Goodwine brought home the only first place medal for the Buckaroo girls with a win in the 1600m while four more Lady Broncos captured individual wins; Kelly Meyer in the 400m, Cortney Macdonald in the 300 hurdles, Mckale Simpson in the long jump, and Lindsey Christensen in the javelin.  Simpson added a second in the high jump and third in the 300 hurdles.
Others that placed in the top three for SJ and MHS were;
• (SJ) Christian Sherrow third in the 800m, Cole Chamberlain, second, 3200m, Simone Shumway second 100m, third 200m, Cortney Macdonald second in 200m, and Delaney Nielson who was second in the long jump. 
• (MHS) Brian Robinson second 100m, Jake Duncan second in both 110 and 300 hurdles, Lance Allen third in 110 and 300 hurdles and second in high jump, Justin Wright second in 1600m, Austin Wilcox third in shot put, Zach Johnson third in discus, Ford Welch third in javelin, Cambria Welch second in the 400m, Ashley Hoggard third in both the 800m and 1600 m, Brittany Keith second in 1600m, Elena Mitchell second 3200m.  Go to runnercard.com for complete results.
Two of these tracksters, Ammon Mitchell and Lindsey Christensen were named Track Athletes of the Week by the Utah High School Track Coaches Association (UHSTCA) for the week of April 18. 
Here are the quotes by UHSTCA: ”Small School Male Track Athlete of the Week: Ammon Mitchell, San Juan-San Juan High School’s Ammon Mitchell ran a great 110m hurdles in 15.44 at the Carbon Invite this week giving him the win for the meet and also the best mark so far in 2A. He is ranked 4th over all divisions and it will be exciting to see how he performs at the upcoming big invitationals. 
Small School Female Field Athlete of the Week: Lindsey Christensen, Sr. San Juan- This week, senior Lindsey Christensen from San Juan High School took home the Athlete of the week with her mark in the Javelin at 120 feet 7 inches. This mark gave her the win at the Carbon High School Farm Bureau Invite and moved her to first place in rankings for the small schools.”
In an effort to raise awareness about high school track in Utah, UHSTCA chooses eight athletes each week based on their performances of the week.  Go to www.uhstca.weebly.com for more information.
San Juan baseball was 1-2 on the week, losing a tough region contest to Emery, 14-3 and then splitting in NM, losing 6-5 to Bloomfield and beating Piedra Vista 8-5. 
Monticello boys also lost to Emery on Friday, 17-4.