For the third time in four years, the Riverhawks are tops in 4A. The Deseret News awards schools in each classification yearly on their athletic prowess in what it calls the All Sports awards. The Salt Lake City newspaper has a points system it uses to determine the top school, looking at sports played in the fall, winter and spring seasons.
In the newspaper’s system, which has been used for 46 years, schools earn points for finishing in the top eight at state in their respective classifications. Ten points are awarded for a state title, eight for second place, six for third, five for fourth, four for fifth, three for sixth, two for seventh and one for eighth. Points are divided when teams tie.
Schools earn points in football, girls and boys cross country, girls and boys golf, girls and boys basketball, girls and boys wrestling, girls and boys swimming, baseball, girls and boys track & field, girls and boys soccer, girls and boys tennis, girls and boys volleyball, softball and girls and boys lacrosse, competitive cheer and drill. Competitive cheer and drill were added for the first time this year.
Ridgeline came out on top for the 2024-25 school year with 95.5 points, sending retiring athletic director Mike Hansen out on a good note. Park City was a close second with 90.5 points, while Orem was third with 80. Rounding out the top five were Crimson Cliffs (76.5) and Desert Hills (73.5).
The only other Region 11 school in the top 10 was Green Canyon. The Wolves, who took second last year, came in ninth with 46 points.
A half point back in the 2022-23 school year prevented the Riverhawks from winning the award four straight years. Crimson Cliffs edged Ridgeline that academic year.
Unlike other years when the Riverhawks have been the top school in 4A, there was just one state title. Girls basketball three-peated in February for the lone state championship for the school in Millville. Park City won four state titles, as did Crimson Cliffs. Orem and Bear River each won three state titles. All 26 4A schools earned at least one point.
However, Ridgeline earned points in 18 sports this past year, finishing among the top four in 10 sports. The Riverhawks finished second in drill and girls golf. Last year the Riverhawks accumulated 81.5 points to win the 4A title, while also capturing four state titles.
Girls teams at Ridgeline accounted for 57.5 of the team points this year.
The Riverhawks reached the semifinals in football, baseball, boys soccer and softball. Ridgeline finished third in girls tennis and boys swimming.
In the fall, the Riverhawks earned points in football, boys golf, girls soccer and girls tennis. During the winter, Ridgeline picked up points in every sport contested, which included girls basketball, girls swimming, girls wrestling, drill, competitive cheer, boys basketball, boys wrestling and boys swimming. In the spring, points were garnered by softball, girls golf, girls lacrosse, baseball, boys soccer and boys tennis.
Desert Hills had won it for nine straight years before Ridgeline claimed its first title after the 2021-22 academic year.
Other classification winners included: Lone Peak for 6A, Timpview for 5A, Morgan for 3A, South Sevier for 2A and Panguitch for 1A. Four of the six winners were repeat champs. South Sevier was a first-time winner. Panguitch tied the state record held by Brighton (1980-91) with its 11th straight title. Lone Peak won for the ninth straight year, having won at the 5A and now 6A level. Morgan has now won seven straight times. There was no award given for the 2019-20 season because of COVID-19.
We welcome comments, however there are some guidelines:
Keep it Clean: Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexual language. Don't Threaten:
Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be
Truthful: Don't lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice: No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading. Be Proactive: Report abusive
posts and don’t engage with trolls. Share with Us:
Tell us your personal accounts and the history behind articles.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
We welcome comments, however there are some guidelines:
Keep it Clean: Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexual language. Don't Threaten: Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful: Don't lie about anyone or anything. Be Nice: No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading. Be Proactive: Report abusive posts and don’t engage with trolls. Share with Us: Tell us your personal accounts and the history behind articles.