Larry H. Miller Week 7 high school star athletes of the week
Football
Kash Gates, Davis (Sr.)
Kash Gates has been the Swiss Army Knife for Davis High football this season, and a big reason the Darts own a 6-1 overall record and are still perfect in region play.
Last Friday in Davis’ 42-0 win over Fremont, he caught five passes for 81 yards and a touchdown, added a 54-yard rush and then made three tackles defensively.
“Kash Gates is a phenomenal talent that continues to make plays for Davis. He wears many hats in the program playing WR, DB, Wildcat, and has even thrown a TD. I call him a machine while others call him the Under Armor mannequin,” said Davis coach Scott Perry. “His playmaking ability is a big reason the Darts have had success this year. What I love about Kash is his work ethic, the kid goes hard in all that he does and I am excited to sit back and see what else he is about to accomplish.”
For the season, he’s caught 39 passes for 558 yards and 10 TDs, and defensively he’s tallied 12 tackles and two interceptions.
Volleyball
Madi Orth, Carbon (Sr)
Carbon sits at 13-2 overall this season, with a 7-1 record in region, and one of the catalysts has been Madi Orth. The senior outside hitter has a .264 hitting percentage with over 100 kills this season For her career she’s closing in on 1,000 career kills.
“Our success this season can be attributed to all 7 players working together as one. Although it takes an entire team, Madi Orth is an integral part of our team’s success. She is a huge presence on the front row, owning the net with her kills and blocking; yet she is one of our best defensive players and serve receive passers. Madi is a great captain, teammate and athlete to coach,” said Carbon coach Teresa Mower.
Orth, who was a Deseret News third team all-stater, will try and continue her strong play through the final few weeks of the regular season and then what she hopes is a deep state tournament run.
Girl Soccer
Mattie Neves, Springville (So.)
With one game remaining in the regular season, Springville has already guaranteed itself at least a share of the Region 7 title, and sophomore Mattie Neves is a big reason why.
Neves has scored 19 goals this season and recorded three assists for the 10-5 Red Devils.
“Mattie Neves is a certified goal scoring machine,” said Springille coach Jeff Jensen. “Mattie made a goal to score every game this season. She has scored in every game except one. She’s also gaining momentum. Scoring a brace on Tuesday’s game and smashing four goals past Salem Hills on Friday. She is skilled on the ball, loves to take players on 1v1, and excels under pressure. Mattie is also an excellent student with a 4.0 GPA.”
As a freshman last season she recorded 11 goals and four assists for Springville.
Boys Cross Country
Jackson Spencer, Syracuse (So.)
Syracuse sophomore has made tremendous strides this season as is the leader of the Titans’ team heading into the final few weeks of the season.
Last weekend at the Roy Run at Roy High School, Spencer won the race with a time of 15:34.3, showing a strong kick to win by a four-second cushion.
“Jackson has a natural ability to push himself and the confidence to go for the win. We started to see his tenacity as a freshman when he raced a one-minute personal record at the 2022 pre-state meet after losing a shoe in the first mile,” said Syracuse coach Stephanie Chambers.
“This year, he kept both shoes on and won that race. As a sophomore he’s in front of all our workouts and leading the team. I’m excited to see what he can accomplish as he continues to hone his natural ability with his continued hard work and dedication to learning about the sport.”
As a freshman last year he finished in 78th place at the state meet, but he’s expected to make a huge improvement on that finish at next month’s state meet.
Girls Cross Country
Mya Curtis, Westlake (Jr.)
Westlake’s Mya Curtis had a great race at the Roy Run last weekend in leading the Thunder to a team first-place finish.
Curtis won the race with a time of 18:00.3, finishing 18 seconds faster than the runner-up from Bonneville High School.
“Mya is a confident, thoughtful runner. She always gives her best on every course and makes sure that she is also taking care of all the little things, like nutrition and stretching and recovery. She is an essential part of the Westlake team,” said Westlake coach Chad Durham.
At the 6A state meet last year Curtis finished just outside of the top 20, a position she’ll be expected to improve upon this season.
Girls Tennis
Tia Christopulos, Layton (Jr.)
Layton junior Tia Christopulos will be one of the players to beat at the 6A state tournament this weekend at Liberty Park
The junior owns an 11-1 record this season at first singles, and she’s the No. 1 seed at that position heading into the state tournament. Her only loss was a three-setter against Olympus.
“Tia is a dedicated tennis player with the skillset to go toe to toe with any top player. She and her twin sister, Tana Christopulos, spend hours every day working on technical drills and fitness to get them to this level of play. They are a driven pair who just happen to have each other as hitting partners on the court,” said Layton assistant coach Tana Coleman.
“Tia is the type of athlete that every coach wants as a part of their team. She’s never unhappy, always willing to work hard and one of the most humble and fair tennis players you will ever meet. Her sportsmanship on and off the court is unmatched by any other player or team we have played in her 3 years at Layton High.”
Boys Golf
Rawson Hardy, Park City (So.)
Park City’s Rawson Hardy has had a tremendous high school golf season this fall, something he hopes to continue over the final few weeks.
Hardy has a 67.7 stroke average this season, including a recent 66 at Park City Golf Course. It is one of three 66s he’s fired this season.
“Rawson has been a leader on and off the course all season. He had a great summer with AJGA tournaments and he has kept that momentum going into the high school golf season for the Miners. With all his rounds under par this season, highlighted by three separate rounds of 66, he is proving that as a sophomore Rawson is up for the challenge,” said Park City coach George Murphy.
As a freshman last year at the 5A state tournament, Hardy finished tied for 15th with a two-day 4-over 148. Park City is competing in 4A this season and Hardy will be one of the favorites for medalist.
