San Juan spring sports teams close out regular seasons, get set for regions and state

The San Juan High School track and field team got another strong performance at the Eastern Utah Championship in Price this past Friday, April 30.

The Bronco boys collected 28 points to finish seventh out of ten teams, the girls scored 35 to finish sixth, and the team combined for 63 points for a seventh-place result out of 11 teams.

Individually, Shae Nielson had another banner day, scoring 32 of San Juan’s 63 points. She won the girls 100-meter sprint with a time of 13.24 and the 300 hurdles with a 48.31.

She took second in the girls 100 hurdles with a 15.88, losing to Carbon’s Eminie Elliott by just one hundredth of a second. And she took fifth place in the 200-meter with a time of 27.77.

Jensen Grover brought home the top boys finish of the event with a second-place finish in the 400-meter with a time of 52.57.

Magnum Nielson grabbed a couple third-place performances in the field events with a 20-00.50 in the long jump and a 148-02.50 in the javelin.

The boys sprint medley relay team of Reo Fox, Landon Black, Dallin Anderson, and Conner Black finished in 4:06.45 to take third place.

The Broncos got one more top-five performance on the day from Chance Hoggard when he got a strong 41-00.00 in the boys shot put.

Numerous Broncos finished in the top ten on the day, including a seventh-place result from Landon Black in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.95.

Daniel Williams got eighth in the boys discus with a toss of 102-06. In the long jump Tyler Winn finished eighth with an 18-06.50.

Brigham Nielson finished ninth in both the 300-meter hurdles (47.17) and 110 hurdles (19.32). And Jensen Grover got ninth place in the 200 with a time of 24.41.

On the girls side, Alex Shumway finished seventh in the 300-meter hurdles (52.67) and eighth in the 100 hurdles (18.25).

Leah Castellon got ninth in the 100 hurdles (18.36) and tenth in the 300 hurdles (53.82). Ella Lyman brought home the only top-ten middle-distance finish for San Juan with a ninth-place result in the 1600 in 6:29.06.

This Friday and Saturday, May 7-8 the team heads to Provo for the annual BYU Invitational, which will provide excellent preparation for the Region 12 meet coming up next week and the state meet May 20-22.

Boys soccer
A little over two weeks after their first-ever varsity win, the San Juan boys soccer team’s season came to a close with a tough 8-0 loss to Summit Academy in the first round of the 3A state tournament in Bluffdale this past Friday, April 30.

The Broncos finish the year with a 1-12 overall record. They were 1-9 in Region 12 play with their win coming over South Sevier in Blanding on April 13.

The team gained valuable experience this year after missing an entire season due to COVID-19 last year. They improved as the season went along and are set to come out strong next spring.

Baseball
Like the soccer team, the San Juan baseball team’s season concluded this past Friday with losses to South Sevier in a Region 12 doubleheader in Monroe.

In game one, San Juan led 6-3 after the top of the second, but the Rams steadily chipped away at that lead, scoring one run in their half of the second, third, and fourth innings to tie the game.

When the home team put three baserunners across the plate in the bottom of the fifth, the Broncos immediately answered with three of their own in the top of the sixth.

South Sevier added two more runs in the bottom half of the sixth, but this time San Juan only answered with one, and the Broncos suffered a tough 11-10 loss.

Garett Young and Jerzy Nieves both drove in three runs apiece. Jace Palmer took the loss for the Broncos on the mound.

Game two started a bit slower, but then took an anti-Bronco turn. Down 2-0 in the top of the fourth, San Juan drove in three runs to take their first lead of the game.

But South Sevier was having none of that. The Rams put up a ten-spot in the bottom of the fourth to take a nine-run lead.

When San Juan was unable to answer in the top of the fifth, South Sevier added two more when they got to the plate to end the game early 14-3.

Bronson Snyder drove in two of the Broncos’ runs and Jace Palmer got the other in the season finale. Jace Johnson suffered the loss on the mound.

San Juan ends the year with a 2-15 record with their wins coming against Monticello on March 9 and 25. The Broncos were 0-10 in Region 12 play.

Girls golf
The San Juan girls golf team closed their regular season with a strong match at the Cove View Golf Course in Richfield this past Thursday, April 29.

Isabel Young concluded a strong regular season with a round of 95, seventh-best on the day. Brinli Bowring shot a 110 and Kalea Chamberlain rounded out the Lady Broncos’ round with a 125.

Just a few days later, the girls hit the Mountain View Golf Course in West Jordan Monday, May 3 for the Region 12 Championship.

Brinli Bowring and Kalea Chamberlain played well and finished off their high school careers strong. Bowring shot a 116 on the day and Chamberlain carded a 133.

With an impressive round of 89 Isabel Young took third in the region and qualified for the state tournament.

So she’ll head back to Mountain View next Wednesday and Thursday, May 12-13 looking for an individual state golf title.

Boys tennis
The San Juan boys tennis team has gotten some strong performances over the past couple weeks, despite their youth and inexperience.

Friday and Saturday, April 23 the team traveled to Vernal for the Uintah Invitational where the first doubles team took second place overall, winning all but one of their games.

This past Wednesday, April 28 the Broncos had an excellent day against the Grand County Red Devils in Moab. San Juan beat their Region 12 rivals in every competition except first singles.

Head Coach Lance Knight says at 22 players San Juan sports one of the largest tennis teams in Region 12. Though most are freshmen and sophomores they are gaining important experience and improving daily.

The Broncos are set for a busy conclusion to their regular season this week with region matches in Richfield and Monroe Wednesday, May 5 then back home against Gunnison Valley on Thursday, May 6.

The Region 12 Championships are set for next Friday, May 14 in Richfield.

Softball
The San Juan softball team is awaiting the start of the 3A state tournament. It begins this Saturday, May 8 on the road for the Lady Broncos, but as of our press deadline their opponent is still to be determined.

The girls ended their regular season with a 4-14 record, ranked #15. If that remains unchanged when the final standings are released this week, they will face the number-two seed in the tournament.

Tune in to Redrock 92 for updates on San Juan’s progress and we’ll have a report in next week’s edition of the San Juan Record.