Well deserved honors for Sue’Sue’

SPORTS SHORTS
by Scott Boyle
San Juan softball and volleyball player Tatiana Su’e Su’e was named Female Prep Athlete of the Year at the third annual Utah Governor’s State of Sport Awards last Tuesday night.
She led the Broncos to the 2A state softball title as a sophomore last season and was named Ms. Softball by the Deseret News after blasting 15 homeruns and going 17-2 from the mound.
This season, the Broncos just wrapped up the Region 15 softball title with a 6-1 record with one game left before beginning defense of their 2A title of a year ago. It looks like they’ll match up with 4-6 Kanab in the first round of the 2A softball championships.  
Su’e Su’e has four homeruns and eight doubles this year to go along with 11 victories on the mound entering the stat tourney.   
Kellie Palmer, a Bronco senior, has had a big year at the plate for the Craig Swenson’s team, blasting five homeruns and 10 doubles to be in the top three in both 2A categories.
Jessica Swenson has one homerun and eight doubles while Emily Royer has six doubles and Presley Mainard, five.
MHS Baseball
The Buckaroo baseball team wrapped up the regular season with a home contest against Moab Tuesday and are preparing for the state tournament.  
Coach Bryan Bowring’s team made the state tournament for the first time since 2011 by virtue of their fourth place finish in Region 15 2A play, with a 7-5 record (10-7 overall).  
The Bucks looked to have third place wrapped up until North Sevier snuck ahead of the Bucks by upsetting Region leading and number one ranked Emery last week.
Monticello will play in the 2A opener on Saturday at 11:00 in Gunnison or Manti playing Millard, Beaver or Parowan.
Austin Maloy leads the Buckaroos into the state tournament from the mound and the plate.  Maloy has cranked out four homeruns this season, three triples and eight doubles while posting the best record for the Bucks on the mound at 3-1.  
Six different pitchers have picked up wins on the mound for Monticello, making them a tough matchup at state.  Curtis and Drew Baird, Shane Christensen, Easton Nielson, and Austin Wilcox have all earned one win.  
Austin’s little bro, Makade, has been stellar as well, with one homer, one triple and seven doubles on the year.  
Christensen has one homer, two triples and five doubles and Wilcox has blasted two home runs and three doubles.  
Dillon Maughan has doubled six times, while Hunter Bowring tripled twice and doubled twice.  Drew Baird, Chandler Draper and Jake Giles all doubled twice and Draper and Giles also hit one triple each.
The Bucks last entered the state tournament in 2011, when they lost to eventual 2A state champion, Enterprise, 11-1.
San Juan Baseball
San Juan finished in sixth place in Region 15, failing to qualify for the playoffs for the first time in over 15 years.  
The Broncos won three state championships in those 15 years, in 2001, 2006 and most recently in 2010, also placing second in 2009 and 2005.
That 2009 runnerup finish is a painful one to remember.  The Broncos had a 12-2 lead in the fourth inning, only to see Kanab score 10 runs, tie the game, and take the lead in the bottom of the sixth.  
The Broncos dramatically tied the game in the top of the seventh, only to have Kanab win in the seventh on an equally dramatic play at the plate.
Freshman Bronz Eldredge led the Broncos from the plate in 2014, with five homeruns, four triples and four doubles in 19 games.  
Rye Nielson had two wins on the mound for the Broncos to lead the pitching effort and also clubbed a home run, two triples and eight doubles.  Chase Richmond had one homer and four doubles, Tanner Taylor had three triples and a double, and Braxton Brown hit a triple and three doubles for coach Charley Taylor’s cohorts.
Wasatch Academy
There is justice in the sports world, don’t you think?  What goes around, comes around, maybe?
Much was made in the 2A basketball ranks this year and last about the state of Wasatch Academy basketball, who captured their second consecutive 2A state basketball title in easy fashion.  
Complaints centered around the Tigers ability to draw students from around the world to join the basketball team whereas most other 2A teams draw from around the county.  
For example, this year’s WA basketball team, whom Sportshorts watched in a game against the Broncos back in Blanding in January, boasted players from France, Canada, Mali, Peru, Chicago, and eastern Europe.  
During the game in Blanding, SS talked with a JV player from Vietnam, his last name being Haong.  It was an interesting conversation.  
After being asked how he liked the Four Corners area, Haong remarked, “I don’t know geography.  I don’t even know where I am.”  Haong has been at Wasatch Academy for two years, a delightful young man.  Wasatch Academy thrashed the Broncos 101-58, by the way, and they were good, athletic, smooth, quick, polished basketball players.
Wasatch Academy boasts a four-year basketball record of 94-8 with three state titles.  
They have outscored their Region and 2A  (1A in 2011) opponents by an average score of 71-40, while going 35-2 against region and state tournament opponents.  They won the 2A state title against runnerup Enterprise this year by a score of 76-47.  Much to the relief of most 2Aers, Wasatch Academy will be independent next year, with no state affiliation while playing a national schedule.
So, here is the justice.  Wasatch Academy’s baseball team went 0-12 this year after failing to win a game for the sixth year in a row.  
The Tigers lost those 12 games this year by an average score of 23-1, including 32-0 to Grand and 30-0 to Emery.  They lost four games to MHS and SJH by a combined 89-4 score.  They were shutout six times and no hit twice.  Not one game went past five innings so it could have been worse but for the mercy rule. Ya think some of those 2A teams had basketball on their minds as they pounded out those 23 runs a game?