Boys Basketball

Luka Cecez, Cottonwood (Jr.)

One of the catalysts behind Cottonwood’s perfect 6-0 start to the season has been junior big man Luka Cecez.

Through six games this season, Cecez is leading the Colts in scoring (15.8) and blocked shots (5.2) and is second in rebounding (7.0).

Cecez helped lead Cottonwood to wins in Cache Valley last weekend over Logan, Sky View and Mountain Crest. He recorded a double-double in the Sky View win and then equaled a career high with 28 points in the win over Logan.

“Luka is a player that we can depend on every day to come ready to play. He is a skilled big man that can score inside and outside. As good as he is on offense, his defense is what has been a key to our success, as he leads the state in block shots,” said Cottonwood coach Marc Miller.

Cecez finished second on the team a year ago in scoring at 11.8 points per game and was voted a 4A all-state honorable mention.

Girls Basketball

Hayden Warren, Lehi (Jr.)

With a successful 3-0 weekend in Southern Utah, Lehi is the undefeated team in 6A and junior point guard Hayden Warren has been one of the catalysts to that hot start.

Even though Warren is only averaging 3.6 points per game, she’s averaging seven assists per game with just 11 combined turnovers in seven games. That outstanding assist-to-turnover ratio has been a big part of Lehi’s offensive success.

“This has made our team so much better as all our players have benefited greatly from her willingness and ability to distribute the basketball,” said Lehi coach Sean Seastrand.

“Beyond this, her defense has been exceptional as well. Her presence on both sides of the ball has helped our team settle into new roles and get out to a great start. I’m very proud of her unselfishness and team first mentality, and it’s trickled down to all our players’ approach to the game.”

Warren recorded a season-high nine assists in last Saturday’s 75-30 win over Crimson Cliffs.

Boys Wrestling

Tanner Telford, Corner Canyon (Jr.)

A year ago in the 120-pound final of the 6A state tournament, Layton’s Lander Bosh beat Corner Canyon’s Tanner Telford in a fantastic final, 7-6.

Fast forward to their much-anticipated rematch in last weekend’s 132-pound final of the Layton Invitational, and Telford got some revenge.

Telford beat Bosh 8-1 to win the 132-pound title and improve to 9-0 on the season.

“Tanner’s win in the finals on Saturday at the Layton Invitational should give him confidence to continue to trust his training,” said Corner Canyon coach Jeff Eure.

Telford finished last season with a 42-7 record.

Girls Wrestling

Avery Winterton, Salem Hills (Sr.)

Avery Winterton is off to a great start in her quest to repeat as state champion.

After winning the 5A individual state title at 145 pounds a year ago, Winterton has jumped out to an 8-0 start so far this season.

Last weekend Winterton went 3-0 at the Skyhawk invitational, winning all three matches with a first period fall. The championship match only last 26 seconds.

“Avery is an amazingly talented wrestler and she is always trying to improve and work on her match. She is a leader on and off the mat,” said Salem Hills coach TJ Brindley.

A year ago Winterton finished the season with a 45-4 record in a dominant junior season.

Boys Swimming

Thomas Chamberlain, Viewmont (Jr.)

Thomas Chamberlain is off to a great start as he looks to build off the momentum from a strong sophomore season.

A month into the season, Chamberlain owns top six times in the entire state in six different events.

His best performance so far came in the 200 individual medley before Thanksgiving as he posted a time of 1:55.04, the fastest time in Utah this year.

His time of 51.75 in the butterfly ranks second and his time of 1:46.91 in the 200 free ranks sixth.

“Thomas Chamberlain has emerged as one of our top performers this season, steadily dropping time in his individual events and leading the way on multiple relays,” said Viewmont coach Stephanie Breinholt.

“His consistency, strong work ethic, competitive spirit, leadership skills, academic achievement and drive are hard to match especially in someone who possesses such extraordinary humility.”

Girls Swimming

Ella Fuller, Snow Canyon (Fr.)

In her first month on Snow Canyon’s swim team, freshman Ella Fuller is making a huge impact in and out of the pool for the Warriors.

She set a new school record by six seconds in the 500 freestyle by posting a time 5:12.95 at the Greg Fernley Invite, which just happens to be the second-best 500 free time in the entire state early this season.

She also owns the best time in Utah in the 200 freestyle as she posted a 1:57.35 at the same Greg Fernley meet last month. The time is just two-tenths of a second off the school record.

“Ella is a freshman this year and has been a phenomenal addition to our team. Her hard work and contagious personality make her a key component to our girls team culture,” said Snow Canyon coach Max Barnett.

“She’s got a lot of great energy. Her strong start to the season is a testament to the work she has put in with her club coach, Mike Werner, whose training has played a key role before she joined SC Swim.”

DURHAM, N.H. – Sophomore Emma Reaves (Westminster, Md.) of the UNH women’s track & field team and senior Kyle Chauvette (Goffstown, N.H.) of the UNH men’s hockey team were named the Service Credit Union Student-Athletes of the Week on Dec. 8. 

Emma broke her own school record in the shot put with a first-place throw of 47 feet, 2.25 inches. Rhody Tri-Meet Opener at Mackal Field House in Kingston, R.I. on Friday (Dec. 5). She previously set the indoor record when she threw 46′ 1.50″ last season. 

In addition to her record-breaking performance in the shot put, Emma also had a first-place finish in the weight throw with a toss of 17.87 meters to secure the victory and cap off an impressive weekend. 

UNH returns to action on Jan. 24 as the indoor track and field team hosts Bryant University at Paul Sweet Oval in Durham, N.H. 

Kyle was excellent in the Wildcats’ sweep of 11th-ranked Maine this past weekend. In the first game, he posted 21 saves and a shutout on Friday, Dec. 5 to lead the ‘Cats to a 1-0 victory. The following night he proved to be just as effective with a total of 28 saves to propel New Hampshire to a 3-2 win that gave the Wildcats’ their first road sweep of Maine since 2008. 

UNH will return to the Whittemore Center at Key Auto Group Complex on Sunday, Dec. 14 versus Granite State rival Dartmouth at 4pm as fans can Skate with the ‘Cats after the game. CLICK HERE to buy tickets  

Check back every week during the season to get to know two more Wildcats as part of the Service Credit Union Student-Athlete of the Week. Thank you to Service Credit Union for sponsoring the Student-Athlete of the Week. 

• JoBurg junior Mady Peppin was named the Gaylord Herald Times Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.
• Peppin also earned All-State third-team honors after leading the area with 445 kills and 49 blocks.
• Gaylord St. Mary and Johannesburg-Lewiston volleyball teams both secured district championships in 2025.

GAYLORD ― Fall can sometimes be seen as “football season” to high school sports fans. However, volleyball teams across Otsego County have been consistently more successful at bringing home championships, and 2025 was no exception.

Both Gaylord St. Mary and Johannesburg-Lewiston brought home district titles this year, GSM’s first since 2022 and JoBurg’s first since 2020. Meanwhile, a tumultuous season for GHS somewhat overshadowed the end of the careers for a group of influential seniors in Gaylord’s program.

Before we move on to the winter sports season for good, let’s take a look back at the individuals who made this past high school volleyball season so fun to watch. Here is the 2025 all-area team:

CRETE, NEB. — After the first weekend of indoor track & field action of the season, Central College’s Olivia Bohlen (senior, Belle Plaine) has the best pentathlon score in all of Division III following her effort at the Doane Happy Holidays Multi-Event.
           
She tallied 3,546 points to finish third. Zoey Brinker of Kansas State University won with 3,880 points. Teammate Sage Austin (junior, Carlisle) was ninth with 2,343 points.
           
In the men’s heptathlon, Kale Hobart (junior, Mason City) was second with 5,069 points. He’s No. 2 in the country. Freshman Landon Pote (freshman, Ankeny) totaled 4,641 points in his first collegiate heptathlon to take fourth place.

“The athletes did great and this is an exciting way to start the year.,” assistant coach Aaron Fuller said. “We are leaving with a good number of personal bests and looking forward to the rest of the season.” “This was a great way to open the year for Olivia and Kale. They are both starting off the season where they ended their All-American season last year.”

           

Dutch sweep mile at Frigid Bee Opener – At the Frigid Bee Opener hosted by St. Ambrose University on Saturday the Dutch swept the mile races.

           

On the women’s side, Peyton Steffen (senior, Marion) finished first in 5:01.11 while Jack Brown (junior, Norwalk) took the men’s race in 4:07.80. Both won their races by over four seconds.

           

Central hosts the Dutch Holiday Preview on Friday inside H.S. Kuyper Fieldhouse, starting with field events at 10 a.m.

 

WESTON, Mass. – After a standout debut at the season-opening meet, freshman Zoe Kirk has been recognized by the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) as the Rookie of the Week for her performance this past weekend.

Kirk earned a third-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles, crossing the line in 9.84 seconds, and later placed sixth in the high jump with a mark of 1.45 meters – just 0.01 shy of the program record in her first collegiate competition.

Kirk and the Pride return to action after the New Year with a trip to Wesleyan University on Saturday, January 10.

COLLEGE STATION – A contingent of ACU Wildcats kicked off the 2026 indoor track season in at the McFerrin 12-Degree Invitational, with several successful times and marks.

Highlights in the meet were two victories for the Wildcats, as Vincent Luffey won the men’s mile with a personal best time of 4:12.16 (with teammate Benjamin Castro close behind in 2nd in a personal best time of 4:13.06) and Rhet Punt, last season’s National Junior College Athletic Association national champ, winning the weight throw handily with a toss of 62-10.25/19.16m.

There were several other highlights, including:

• Miguel Hall finishing in 3rd in the 60 hurdles with a time of 8.03, a few fractions off his personal best, with Canaan Fairley in 6th in a time of 8.18
• Mariana Van Dyk in 5th place in the shot put with a big personal best throw of 46-2/14.07m, with freshman Ciera Tilley close behind in 6th with a throw of 44-3.25/13.49m. Mariana also finished 5th in the weight throw with a strong season opening throw of 47-8.25/14.46.
• In the men’s 3K run, Mark Barajas finished in 3rd in a time of 8:19.52, with Carlos Cortez close behind in 5th with a time of 8:20.41 – both times substantial improvements over their previous personal bests.
• Running in the 1000-meter run, Emma Santoro finished 3rd in the women’s race with a time of 2:57.96 and Evan Martin placed 4th in the men’s race running a time of 2:28.74.
• In the women’s 600-meter race, Madelyn McFadden finished in 2nd with a time of 1:35.12 and Jalyn Childers was just behind her in 3rd running a 1:36.23.
• ACU had a large group of freshmen running in the women’s 60-meter dash, led by Kee’Lani Whitlock, who finished in 7th with a time of 7.66
• The women’s 4×400 relay finished in 2nd with a team made up of 800-meter runners – Anna Vyn, Emma Santoro, Gracee Whiteaker, and Madelyn McFadden, in a time of 3:50.94 and Gracee with the fastest split time of 56.45.

The Wildcats will now enter a season of hard training over the holiday break, before the team’s next indoor track meet, the Texas Tech Corky Classic on January 16-17, 2026.