CLIPPER • THURSDAY, AUG. 18, 2011
Sports
C5
Lady ’Cats ‘young team’ heading into 2011 season BY SHAIN GILLET
Clipper Sports Editor WOODS CROSS — The Woods Cross Lady Wildcats soccer team was disappointed to be out of last year’s 4A state playoffs in the first round. And then all their seniors graduated, • 8/18 leaving Lady • 8/23 ’Cats coach • 8/25 Dave Newman with • 8/30 little options • 9/1 but to field • 9/8 a younger team this • 9/13 season. • 9/15 “We’re really young,” • 9/20 he said. • 9/22 “Last year • 9/27 we had 12 seniors on • 9/29 the team. • 10/4 Now we have five. “But we still have a couple of really good players. They’ve practiced hard and worked hard. We’ll just have to
see where it goes from here.” Young, as fans will see, is a slight understatement for the 2011 club. Aside from the team’s five seniors, the Lady ’Cats fielded three freshman in their first game of the year against Davis. Among Lehi them will Viewmont be Aubree Peterson, Olympus who will Highland likely @ Clearfield see some action at @ Cyprus the net as East the season @ Bountiful goes along. Clearfield One @ Highland thing that Cyprus won’t deter New@ East man is the Bountiful intelligence of this year’s squad. Newman stated on several occasions that the team is very smart with its play.
Lady ’Cats 2011 schedule
KYRA FAWCETT will be one of the key members of the Lady Wildcats team this season. Photo: Jen Barnett www. photo-jen-ics.com.
“They’ve done some good things during the practice time that they had,” he said. “They’ve worked very hard and are a smart group of players.” Among the seniors on the team for 2011 include Sara Hicks, who scored five goals and played in all 16 games for the Wildcats last year. Also included are Lauren McMullin, Taylor Sokol, Kim Clark and Shelby Christensen. Among those, only Christensen saw the back of the net for the Lady ’Cats on last year’s squad. Woods Cross will also have the challenge of facing a couple new teams, as Clearfield and Cyprus made their moves to Region 6 after the realignment of 2010 was announced. Both the Falcons and the Pirates will be coming from 5A, with Clearfield moving from Region 1 and Cyprus coming from Region 2. The newly-formed region still includes Bountiful, Highland and East,
however, so the competition for a region crown could be more intense than in years past. Woods Cross’ first shot at either of those teams will be Thursday, Sept. 1 when they take on the Falcons. The Wildcats, however, will not be deterred from their goals, which are working hard and preparing for every opponent. “I can only coach the players,” said Newman. “The rest is up to the players. “They’re out there and performing every game. I expect we’ll be a tough team to beat this year, despite being so young as a whole.” The Wildcats finished 11-4-1 (9-2-1 Region 6) last season, finishing in second place behind East while qualifying for the 4A state playoffs. “We’re going to be competitive every game,” said Newman. “That’s what we can expect from this year. We’ll see what happens afterward.” sgillet@davisclipper.com
Wildcats volleyball young, but talented team BY SHAIN GILLET Clipper Sports Editor
WOODS CROSS — With as many as 10 sophomores on the Woods Cross Wildcats volleyball team, fans may think that it’s a young team. But don’t let their high school standing fool you. According to head coach Stefani Jensen, the team will be as solid as any other in Region 6 this year. “We’re actually going to have a pretty small team this year,” she said. “But we have a solid team from top to bottom. “I’m excited for us to get out there and start playing.” For some, a return to the team is just as important as being a part of it. This year, setter Alexa Leavitt and outside hitter Chloe Hirst will be looking to lead the team as they head into the slightly smaller Region 6. Leavitt and Hirst, a senior and junior respectively, led the Wildcats to a third place finish in the region. But a loss to now-relocated Olympus (who went to Region 7), held them from getting into the state tournament with arch-rival Bountiful. Other notable players that could see plenty of playing time include Indigo Allen, and Lauren and Lindsey Tagge. All three are expected to see quite a bit of varsity and junior varsity time, which Jensen hopes will develop them into more solid players. “Lindsey is also only
moves along.” As for the few juniors and seniors on the team, Jensen said she’s looking forward to having them provide a leadership role for all the players. “We want them to develop as the leaders on the team and help the younger players get that leadership instilled into them,” said Jensen. “I think it’ll be great for everyone on the team.” With the regular season fast approaching and one less team to deal with, Jensen said that having less teams could serve as an advantage for her squad
heading into the 2011 campaign. “I actually like having less teams,” she said. “Mainly because we’re playing without many breaks. “We can pretty much pound out the regular season with fewer teams and have a good chance to make the playoffs.” Overall, the changes made to Region 6, as far as volleyball is concerned, will be looked at as a positive for Jensen. “We still have some solid teams here,” she said. “I think it’ll be good for us.” sgillet@davisclipper.com
Celebrating 10 Years as Your Davis County Hometown Realtors “When it comes to service, it’s tough to keep up with the Jones’s.”
Todd Jones Troy Starkey Jerry Davies 801-864-2002 801-860-2500 801-231-9880 THE WILDCATS volleyball team will no longer have to deal with Olympus after the realignment moved the Titans to Region 7. Photo from earlier action. Photo: Jen Barnett www.photo-jen-ics.com.
a freshman,” said Jensen. “So she’ll see a lot of time at several different levels over the season.” With the realignment now including Clearfield and Cyprus, the Wildcats’
coach said that she’ll be excited to see some of the teams. One of which is familiar to the ’Cats on the volleyball court. “We’ve played Cyprus
before in some tournaments,” said Jensen. “And they’re a pretty good team. “Clearfield we don’t know that much about, but I’m sure we’ll be familiar with them as the season
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