High school sports: Region 10's top 10 plays from the 2021-2022 school year

The 2021-2022 athletics high school athletics season has come to an end for Region 10.

Throughout the year, Region 10 teams have claimed numerous titles and have had some timely highlights on the way to championship runs.

Between buzzer-beaters, walk-offs, and high flying slam dunks, teams in the region have amassed a number of highlight plays that stand out, and are deserving of recognition.

Here, we break down the best moments and plays from Region 10 teams throughout the course of the year in sports.

1. Crimson Cliffs soccer wins first state title

Using a Golden Goal from Ryan Woolley in the 89th minute, the Crimson Cliffs Mustangs knocked off Ridgeline in the 4A state championship game to capture the first state title in program history.

Following a run by Camden Squires, a loose ball found its way onto the right foot of Woolley, who pushed the ball over the outstretched arm of Riley Garvert for the championship-winning goal.

“He was dribbling down, and I was waiting for that ball to come across,” Woolley would recall. “Camden was looking to hit that shot and had a little miss-hit, it came right to my feet. Just slow motion from there.”

The win was especially sweet for the school after the Crimson Cliffs girls soccer team came up just short of a state title against Mountain Crest in the fall.

Woolley’s winner was just a part of Crimson Cliffs’ dominant spring. The Mustangs' baseball and boys tennis teams also captured state championships, while Mustang softball won the Region 10 title.

More: Mustangs win: Woolley's Golden Goal pushes Crimson Cliffs past Ridgeline for 4A state title

2. Desert Hills basketball gets over the hump

The 2022 state championship for the Desert Hills girls basketball team felt like a long time coming.

After being knocked out in the semifinals in 2020 and 2021, the senior-laden group finally broke through to the final after their win over Sky View.

Desert Hills capped off its title run beating the top-seeded Ridgeline Riverhawks 58-55 in double overtime, erasing a ten-point halftime deficit in the process.

The five starting seniors of Enid Vaifanua, Sa’de Turlington, Julia Jacobsen, Alivia Cluff, and Sedelle Springer-as well as Laci Jones off the bench- finally got the ring they were so close to in years prior.

"It feels out of this world," said Vaifanua. "I have no explanation. I feel as though I have to play another game or something but I'm so happy all our hard work throughout the season paid off."

Vaifanua and Jacobsen led the charge for the Thunder with 16 and 14 points, respectively, and each made defensive plays down the stretch and in the overtimes to help seal the win.

More: Girls 4A State Championship: Desert Hills knocks off Ridgeline in 2OT to win state

3.  Jetettes win third straight title

The Dixie High Jetettes are a modern dynasty.

After capturing a Region 10 title, the Jetettes wrapped up another title run two weeks later, edging Ridgeline and Desert Hills

In their title run, the Jetettes won the dance and show portions of the 4A state championship.

Ridgeline took the first round of military. With the Flyers claiming dance, it all came down to show.

"This is like the best feeling ever," said senior captain Jada Davis. "I want everyone to be able to experience it. It's so awesome, we work so hard."

More: 'It never gets old': Dixie Jetettes claim third consecutive 4A State Drill Title

4. Warner’s steal sends Warriors to state title game

On their way to a 24-2 record and a state title, the Snow Canyon Warriors needed a little magic.

Locked in a 45-45 tie against Sky View with ten seconds left, Will Warner stole an inbounds pass from the Bobcats and found Bowen Hammer for a good look at a three.

Hammer’s attempt fell short, but Lyman Simmons was there to follow up for a layup as the clock wound down, giving Snow Canyon a 47-45 win and a berth in the state title game.

"As soon as I saw Will get the steal, I knew that a shot was going to go up so I just ran straight to go attack at the rim and it just fell straight into my hands and I put it in," said Simmons. "It was the best feeling in the world to have my teammates rush out on me and it being a big game, it felt really great."

Snow Canyon went on to beat Region 10 foe Dixie 50-41 in the 4A state championship game.

More: Boys 4A Final: Zac Call drives 13-0 run for Snow Canyon in 4A state title win over Dixie

5. Gage Lewis’ last-second goal beats Mustangs

In a scoreless tie with time winding down, Gage Lewis delivered a knockout punch for the Desert Hills Thunder boys soccer team.

Charging into the box after a corner kick was deflected out, Lewis’ strike found the top corner, finding its way through a maze of bodies in front of the net past Mountain Crest keeper Jackson Oakey for the game-winner with two seconds left.

“Everybody was kind of into the box and so if it bounces out, I got the shot and eventually it did,” Lewis said after the goal. “And I just got that one shot and luckily for me, it went in.”

Desert Hills would lose to eventual champion Crimson Cliffs in the semifinals in a shootout.

More: Lewis' buzzer-beater lifts Desert Hills over Mountain Crest in 4A state quarterfinals

6. Kesterson and Mitchell's two-point conversion

During their trip to a runner-up finish in 4A, the Dixie Flyers first had to get through two-time defending champion Sky View.

Down a point after a Derek Kesterson touchdown run in overtime, head coach Blaine Monkres decided to roll the dice and go for two and the win instead of the tie and double overtime.

Monkres drew up a fake fly sweep, and Kesterson took a handoff from Bronson Barben and found Jakheo Mitchell in the endzone for a two-point conversion to give the Flyers a thrilling win.

"With great risk comes great reward, and I think that really showed right there... coach believed in us and we believed in ourselves," said Kesterson.

More: Dixie knocks off two-time defending champ Sky View with gutsy call in overtime

7. Pine View football stuns Desert Hills

On the same night the Flyers took out Sky View, the Pine View Panthers wrote their own story.

Against #1 seeded Desert Hills, the Panthers scored a last-second touchdown on a pass from Tyler Brown to Turner Williams to give Pine View a 37-35 upset win.

"Coach drew up a great play, I had a corner route and everyone just believed," Williams said. "We only had a few seconds left but we just stuck with it. I made the cut, thought I had a step, and Tyler threw me a great ball in the corner of the endzone."

The touchdown capped off a 75-yard drive in just 2:48 after the Panther defense came up with a critical 4th down stop.

The #9 Panthers were beaten by Dixie the following week in the 4A semifinals.

More: Pine View upsets #1 Desert Hills on last-second touchdown from Tyler Brown to Turner Williams

8. Hudson Hawes stings Dixie twice

The first non-playoff moment comes from Hudson Hawes against his old team in Dixie High.

Hawes showed heroics not once, but twice against the Flyers.

On Jan. 14, Hawes hit a game-winner for Crimson Cliffs in overtime to beat Dixie 71-70.

Crimson Cliffs trailed by eight in the overtime, and Hawes shot completed the improbable comeback.

"It's huge," Hawes said of beating his former program. "It's my favorite game yet throughout all of high school for sure."

Hawes struck Dixie again with 27 points, including 20 in the second half and overtime, as Crimson Cliffs once again got the best of Dixie 67-65.

A late attempt by Dixie rolled out, and Crimson Cliffs held on for the win.

More: Game-winning three from deep ends instant classic between Crimson Cliffs, Dixie High

More: Hawes' heroics, decision to foul late lead Crimson Cliffs past Dixie in overtime thriller

9. McKinlee Wright’s walk-off home run

The 2022 Hurricane Tigers softball team was one of the youngest in all of Region 10.

The upstart group managed to go .500 in region play, including a massive comeback against Dixie, stealing a 12-11 win out from underneath the Flyers.

But the Tigers weren’t done.

Against one of the region’s powers in Crimson Cliffs, sophomore McKinlee Wright took center stage. The sophomore belted a three-run walk-off home run to lift Hurricane over the Mustangs 7-6.

It was Wright’s second home run of the night.

Wright would go on to make Region 10 Second Team after hitting .400 and slugging six home runs with 33 RBIs.

More: Region 10 Round-Up: Dixie captures region crown, Hurricane walk-off stuns Crimson Cliffs

10. Cam Dyer monster dunk

One of the early season highlights of the basketball season was brought on by Cameron Dyer.

Dyer, who had never played organized basketball before this past season, delivered a crushing blow against Green Canyon, rising up and packing a one-handed jam on 6’6” Dallas Day.

"I saw the hole and I saw how far back he was playing I just took the opportunity," Dyer said. "It was fun, and my teammates set me up for it."

The dunk jumpstarted an early run, as Dixie would improve to 4-0 on the year.

Dyer would score 8.6 points per game for the 4A runner-up and committed to Red Rock Academy in Las Vegas last month.

More: Dyer's monster poster, Brooks' 27 points spark Dixie past Green Canyon

Honorable mention

The final entry goes beyond sports and off the playing surface.

Throughout the 2022 season, the Desert Hills boys soccer team played with heavy hearts.

Rachael Beckstrom, the mother of freshman Stockton Beckstrom, has terminal cancer. On senior night, Stockton played in his first game, picking up an assist.

After that, in the state playoffs, Bear River and Mountain Crest came down to play the Thunder and decided to honor Beckstrom.

“More to me is what these teams have done coming from up north,” said Desert Hills head coach Benji Nelson after a win over Mountain Crest. “Bear River last game said ‘can we wear a wristband’ so we gave them a wristband and these guys coming down and doing this gift basket-thing is what we do this for. I’m friends with the coach over there and that just shows what type of class act these guys are. That’s why we coach.”

Sean Ellertson is a sports reporter for the St. George Spectrum & Daily News. To continue to support his work, please subscribe to The Spectrum. Follow Sean on Twitter @SeanEllertson.

This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: High school sports: Region 10's top 10 plays from 2021-2022