One of the best victories in Lone Peak boys basketball history.

It was, quite simply, one of the best victories in Lone Peak boys basketball history.
The Knights endured through an epic battle with Whitney Young to defeat the tall, athletic team from Chicago 72-67 in double overtime Friday night in the semifinals of the Beach Ball Classic at Myrtle Beach, So. Car.
The spectacular play and effort of both teams earned them a standing ovation at the conclusion of a contest which showcased the very best in high school basketball, from sheer talent to determination to sportsmanship.
Lone Peak's stars made their marks, with Nick Emery dropping in 29 points and TJ Haws netting 26. Both added seven rebounds and had multiple steals, but the entire team filled up the stat sheet.
Six players scored, seven had rebounds and five combined for 11 steals in the balanced effort necessary to prevail against a quality opponent.
Brody Berry had five points with three boards, three assists, four steals and a block. Talon Shumway scored five with six rebounds, three assists and a block.
Chase Hansen had an inside-out trey at a critical moment, adding six boards and an unflappable interior presence. Conner Toolson and Josh Buck both provided solid, important minutes off the bench.
The whole team played unrelenting defense the entire contest. The 6-foot-11, 280-lb. center, top-ranked sophomore Jahlil Okafor, did score 28 with 14 rebounds, but he never got anything easy and the rest of his team was contained very well.
"Chase is just a warrior," said Knight coach Quincy Lewis. "He went up against their guy, who's not only big but he can play. He had some good numbers, but without Chase's efforts, it would have been much more.
"Our guys also did a great job helping on him," the coach continued. "Whenever he got the ball, there were two guys right on him and three within a couple of feet. They did a great job overall.
"Especially with the foul trouble, our reserves were critical," he said. "Josh came in and took a charge and boxed out their big guys.
"Conner made the shot to give us the lead back in that second overtime, and then he outjumped their guys to get a rebound," Lewis said. "He really has to have some confidence to go and do those things, and that says a lot about him."
It took Lone Peak some time to warm up offensively, except for TJ Haws. He went 5-for-6 from beyond the arc and was perfect at the foul line for 18 of his team's 28 first-half points.
"TJ got us off to a great start," the coach said. "Nick did not have his best shooting night, but he played a great game and he was there when we absolutely had to have him."
Neither squad ever enjoyed an advantage of more than a handful of points in this back-and-forth gem, which featured 15 lead changes and nine ties. Every time one team would start to pull away, the other would come up with some spectacular play to keep it close.
It appeared the Knights had the game won in regulation when they were up 56-50 with 53 seconds remaining, but the Dolphins came up with a 4-point play and hit another tough shot with three seconds left to force overtime.
Emery hit a long trey and sank a foul shot in the final 30 seconds of the first extra period to keep Lone Peak even.
With two starters from each team fouled out of the game, the Knights made enough free throws down the stretch to secure the win and punch their tickets to the title contest.
"That was two tired teams out there," Lewis said. "They had to make some great plays to get to overtime, and they should get all the credit for that. We just outlasted them. Our toughness and our heart was remarkable. We're excited for tomorrow."
The Knights (7-1) will play Milton (8-4) of Georgia for the tournament championship on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Mountain time.

The Eagles have made three straight trips to their state's 5A title game and won it in 2010. They start four players listed at 6-foot-5 or taller.

Lone Peak Wins 2OT Thriller

Lone Peak advanced to the championship game of the 31st Annual Beach Ball Classic with a trhrilling 72-67 double overtime victory over Whitney Young.

The game was more like an old fashioned heavyweight boxing match with both teams throwing haymakers. The game featured nine ties, 15 lead changes and neither team led by more than seven points at any time.

With the game winding to what appeared to be the end in regulation, Lone Peak (8-1; Highland, UT) held a 56-50 lead with just 53 seconds remaining. As a big portion of the near capacity crowd made their way toward the exits, Gabriel Snider nailed a long distance 3-pointer and was fouled on the play by Chase Hansen to make it a four-point swing for Whitney Young (6-3; Chicago, IL). The uncommon four pointer fit with the back and forth play of the rest of the contest, closed the gap to 56-54, and stopped the mass exodus of fans as everyone retured to watch the final seconds unfold.

Lone Peak's Talon Shumway missed the front end of a one-and-one with 30 seconds remaining in regulation. Jordan Smith grabbed the rebound for Whitney Young and raced down the court only to have his jumper in the lane blocked by Brody Berry. Whitney Young kept posession as the block went out of bounds. Smith misfired on a jumper from the wing but Jahlil Okafor grabbed the rebound and layed it through the nets with just four seconds on the clock to tie the score at 56-56. Following a timeout to set the final play in regulation, Lone Peak's Nick Emery raced down the right side of the court and put up a 29-foot 3-pointer that hit the back of the rim and bounced away to send the game to overtime.

In the first extra session, Whitney Young scored the first four points of the period to open a 60-56 lead with 38 seconds remaining. Emery then hit two free throws and a 3-point basket after a steal by Berry to grab the lead for Lone Peak at 61-60 with 20 seconds remaining. Following a layup by Okafor that gave Whitney Young a 62-61 lead with 12 seconds remaining, Emery was fouled as he drove down the court and went to the line with just nine seconds remaining. Emery, who hit 10-of-12 free throws for the game, made the first but missed his second shot to leave the game tied once against at 62-62. Whitney Young's trey attempt at the buzzer by Keith Langston missed the mark to send the game to the second overtime.

Emery opened the scoring in the second OT with a pair of freebies before the Dolphins' Okafor hit a turnaround jumper in the lane to again knot the score at 64-64. It was all Lone Peak the rest of the way as the Knights scored six unanswered to match their largest lead at 70-64 with just 17 seconds remaining. Whitney Young connected on just 1-of-4 from the field and turned the ball over twice in the final 1:55.

Emery led all scorers with 29 points while teammate T.J. Haws added 26 points for Lone Peak. Whitney Young was led by Okafor's 28 points and 14 rebounds.

Knights edge Toros in GWS hoops finale

Gut-check time.
After self-destructing against Orem Friday night in the Great Western Shootout, the Lone Peak boys basketball team faced another daunting challenge from Mesa Mountain View, the defending Arizona 5A champion, in Saturday's final round.
Trailing by as many as seven early in the fourth quarter, the Knights fought their way back into it with tight-fisted defense and clutch baskets, eventually pulling out a 41-39 victory.
It was a tough battle in the trenches all the way. The game was characterized by long possessions on both ends of the court as the teams worked the ball around the outside trying to find a little opening to take a shot.
"They ran a triangle-and-two on us," said Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis. "We've practiced against that, but sometimes it feels a little different in a game.
"It took us a little longer than I hoped to be as aggressive as we needed to be to attack that," the coach continued. "However, the real story of this win is our defense."
One of the challenges of playing the Toros was their interior length, with 6-foot-6 Camyn Boone and 6-8 Payton Dastrup inside. Those two accounted for nearly half of Mountain View's points, but they'd scored much more in the earlier games.
"Talon Shumway, Chase Hansen, and Josh Buck in the first half, just shut those guys down," Lewis said. "In addition, our guards did an exceptional job of pressuring the ball."
That was a critical component of the comeback run. The Knights forced a pair of turnovers on 5-second calls, made five steals and caused several other disruptions in the fourth quarter which helped turn the tide in their favor.
"I thought in that last period, our kids finally showed the toughness and heart that won us a championship last year," the coach added. "Unlike last night, we demonstrated the poise it takes to be a champion. We beat a good team."
Nick Emery had a game-high 15 points, while Brody Berry sank three critical 3-pointers to help Lone Peak keep pace. The third of those was followed by another long bomb from Shumway to draw the team within one point of the leader with 3:10 to play.
TJ Haws had just one field goal but it proved to be the game-winner. He also had six rebounds and four steals.
The Knights (3-1) will visit Skyline (4-1) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. before heading east to play in the Beach Ball Classic national invitational tournament Dec. 28-31 in Myrtle Beach, So. Car.

Named to the Elite 11

Elite 11
Brody Berry, 6-2 170 Sr. DB/WR, Lone Peak
Tireless player was a key to the Knight run. Topped 5A with eight picks, also had 62 tackles, 12 deflections and caused a fumble, plus was the punter and kickoff man.

GREAT WESTERN SHOOTOUT: Knights pound Angels

* Lone Peak 84, Denver East (Colo.) 58: The Knights made it a clean sweep for the Utah teams as they demolished the No. 1 squad from Colorado in the final game of the evening.
In particular, the retooling football players were much more on their hoops game tonight than in last Friday's season opener. Chase Hansen was really good down low on both ends, accounting for eight points and nine rebounds.
Brody Berry scored nine with five assists and Talon Shumway tallied 12 points and five boards with minutes limited by foul trouble. Both had solid all-around floor games. Reserve Conner Toolson added 11 points off the bench, including three treys.
Of course, Lone Peak also got good production from its super guard line. Nick Emery didn't shoot especially well for him, but still contributed a game-high 23 points, including a trio of long bombs. He also had six rebounds.
TJ Haws did a great job of running the floor and ended up adding 17 points and seven boards.
"We'll take that one," said Knight coach Quincy Lewis. "This shows the kind of talent we have. Everybody's a scorer on this team and goes after the ball defensively.
"We still have lots of things to work on, but when we play this way, it makes us very, very hard to contain," he concluded.
Lone Peak 84
Denver East 58
Denver East (58)
Cardoza 5, Thompson 6, Whitaker 2, Carey 20, Dunn-Rhodes 1, Collier 9, Harrell 3, Robinson 9, Davis 3. Totals 18 12-26 58.
Lone Peak (84)
Emery 23, Toolson 11, Haws 17, Berry 9, Hansen 8, Shumway 12, Squires 2 Gibbons 2. Totals 26 17-22 84.

Lone Peak nabs top spot in first KSL Coaches' Poll

The Lone Peak Knights are once again the team to beat in 5A according to the first KSL Coaches' Poll of the season. They are picked to defend their state title and bring back several talented players from last year's team.


Junior guard Nick Emery leads the way for the Knights. The younger brother of former BYU guard Jackson Emery has also committed to play at BYU. Emery averaged 21 points per game last season and scored 30 or more points in a game four times. He's not the only talented player on the Knights roster. Sophomore T.J. Haws started as a freshman and averaged 14 points per game. Talon Shumway is extremely athletic and plays above the rim while having the ability to shoot the 3. Brody Berry brings speed and energy to the backcourt while Chase Hansen provides a physical presence inside.




The Knights are loaded with talent but repeating as champions won't be easy. There are other teams in the state that have the talent to challenge Lone Peak. American Fork is ranked 2nd in the poll. They return forward Quincy Bair and point guard Marcel Davis. Both have signed letters of intent to play for Stew Morrill at Utah State. The Cavemen also return guard Austin Waddoups who will provide perimeter scoring.

FOOTBALL POY: Hansen set example for teammates to follow

Once in a very long while, the right people and circumstances come together to produce a sports season so amazing it seems almost magical.
That's what the Lone Peak football team experienced this year, earning a perfect 14-0 mark to tie the state record, along with securing the 5A championship and a national ranking in the top 75.
No one personified this achievement more than Knight quarterback Chase Hansen.
A superlative player in his own right, he rallied his teammates both on and off the field to help them live the ultimate high school dream together, and for this, he's been selected as the Daily Herald Valley Player of the Year for football.
"It's what he did when the coaches weren't watching that probably made the difference," said senior Brody Berry, a teammate of Hansen's in both football and basketball.
In other venues, Berry said Hansen's personality is quite different from the fierce competitor he became when he donned his uniform and pads. "He's never mad. He is fun-loving, always smiling - just a big teddy, really."
Berry described how Hansen organized what amounted to pickup games for the skill players, both before and during the season. "We'd get together and run our plays," he said. "Besides that, we hung out a lot and became really close friends.

"He always kept us in line," Berry continued. "He never wanted us doing anything that was even questionable. He always wanted us on the straight and narrow. He carried himself like a leader off the field too, and we all responded to that."
As for on the field, Berry said Hansen earned everyone's respect. "He practiced and played so hard, we all wanted to help him out. He wouldn't settle for second; he wanted to be first, and he made us all want it too."
That may be the best way to describe the electricity and energy between the players that even strangers could observe along the sidelines, as well as on the gridiron.
"When he was out there, everyone elevated their games," confirmed Lone Peak head coach Tony McGeary. "He inspired everyone to be better because they knew he had their backs.
"One of the most endearing things about him is he has no ego," the coach continued. "He showed every guy true friendship. They knew he genuinely cared for them, and he rolled right with them whatever the situation was."
McGeary described Hansen as "Tebow-esque" in his approach to football.
"He has such passion for the sport, and he plays it with authority," the coach said. "He has a huge heart when he plays. But as good of a player as he is, he's every bit as good of a person. He's well-rounded and grounded."
As for Hansen himself, he's quick to deflect the credit for his success to others.
"I had the best teammates in the world," he said. "We had the best O-line in the state; they proved that against Fremont and their huge defensive front.
"I had the best receivers too, in Zac, Connor, Talon, Micah and the rest," he went on. "I would just do something little, and they would turn it into a big play. Our defense always seemed to step up at key moments along the way as well.
"We were out there to enjoy the game," Hansen said. "No matter what happened, we tried to play the game the same way. We had each other's backs. If something bad happened on one side of the ball, the other side would pick them up.
"The excitement of every moment was our motivation," Hansen said. "There was never a doubt that we could reach our goal. Someone stepped up every single time we needed something to happen."
What they learned together was the importance of preparation, Hansen said. "In football, as in life, it's the little things that end up making the difference," he explained.
"That little extra effort in practice comes into play so many times, especially when the game is on the line," he said. "We knew we were prepared, and we'd committed to each other to leave it all out there - so we did."
When Hansen walked into the field house at Lone Peak with his teammates following the state title game after they rolled into town with a police car and fire truck escort, the crowd broke into chants of "golden child" - a phrase last intimately connected with former Knight and BYU great Jackson Emery.
Somehow, it just fit.
"He's like Captain America - unbelievable," Berry said. "He's the best athlete I've ever played with, and winning with him is the best experience I've ever had."
It's a sure bet the rest of his teammates would say exactly the same thing.

Preparation and inspiration helped Knights win football crown

Braxton is 95

As the Lone Peak football team got ready for last Friday's title contest, Knight coach Tony McGeary wanted his troops to prepare and play like it was just another game.
They kept the practice week routine as close as they could to what the team had done all year. They had a dinner the night before, as is customary.
But that's where the similarities ended, at least for a couple of hours.
The evening included a highlight film from the season, right up through the semifinal victory that put the team in position to make school and state history.
McGeary didn't take up much of the time. His message was pretty straightforward: "We've got to get it done tomorrow; that's the bottom line."
Then he introduced a keynote speaker that no one else in the room knew.
His name was Maynard Barker. He and his son Brit, described by McGeary as one of his best friends, had flown out that day from Hilton Head, So. Car., McGeary's home town, just to attend the championship game.
Barker was McGeary's coach starting when he was 9 years old and he also worked with him in high school. He said, "Pound for pound, I'd put Tony up against anybody."
To illustrate the point, Maynard told what he called his own South Carolina "Deliverance" story.
His team was playing the defending state champions. "We had 15 players, they had 55," the coach said. The chain gang on the sideline was chewing tobacco and definitely gave the impression they thought the game would be a slaughter.
McGeary's team started with the ball at the 35. He broke off a 65-yard touchdown run which was called back on a backfield-in-motion penalty flagged at the 50-yard line - a little "home cooking," the coach called it.
So, the team backed up five yards and tried the same play again. This time, McGeary still scored, on a 70-yard run. Suddenly, everybody there realized this was going to be a game.
The little team that could won 18-6. They later lost to the same team again in the title game 6-0.
"The point is, you may only have one chance at this," Maynard said. "Be there tomorrow. Do your best. No one can ask more of you than that."
The group also heard from some assistant coaches, three of last year's captains, and then finally, running back Conner Humphrey's father.
"Twenty-six years ago tomorrow, I stood on that field as a state champion," he said. His West team "limped" into the playoffs as a fourth seed but ended up beating powerful Ben Lomond 19-6.
He described the emotions of the day, then told how, 20 years later, he ran into the quarterback from that team, and they relived the memories together for 3½ hours.
He told the players that doing it together and the relationships they have is what will endure, and to keep that in mind when they played.
Except for the earlier time, the game-day routine was also followed closely. On the buses going up, even the reserves were quiet and thoughtful.
Warmups drills were businesslike and precise. In the locker room for the final few minutes before kickoff, the coaches ran through assignments and quickly reviewed the main points of preparation.
Then it was time to take the field, and take it they did.
Coaching success: McGeary is 41-9 (.820) in his fourth season as a head coach. He won seven games his first year, nine his second and 11 last year. Under his direction, the Knights have advanced from the first round in his first season, to the quarterfinals in his second and to the semifinals last year. McGeary became the first coach to win a state championship in his first attempt since Ryan Higgs captured the 1A title at North Sevier in 2008.
Peak performance: Knight quarterback Chase Hansen also moved himself into the records lists with his contributions in the title contest. He moved into second place in total individual offense with 475 yards, and tied for second place in total touchdowns responsible for with five. His net rushing of 233 yards places him fifth all-time in championship games, and his team now ranks sixth in total offense with 522 yards.
Winning changes own records: Lone Peak completed its first undefeated season. The Knights' previous best start was in 2006 when they won their first seven games. With 14 victories, they've blitzed their previous most wins in a season, 11 in 2002 and 2010. The football team has now posted its second consecutive double-digit win season and the fourth in school history.
Top state mark matched: Lone Peak and Logan joined an exclusive club with their victories on Friday, bumping to five the number of schools that have won a state-record 14 games in a season. Bingham (2006), Hunter (2003) and Juan Diego (2008) are the others.
History made by unbeatens: Since Lone Peak, Logan and Hurricane all came through unscathed, they joined Duchesne in making 2011 the first year that four teams have celebrated undefeated championship seasons. There have been three unbeaten teams three times before, most recently in 2001 when Millard, Monticello and Northridge pulled off the feat.
Stacking up the hardware: The football team claimed Lone Peak's 28th state title and the second this fall, since the girls tennis team won a championship as well. It's been a very strong start to the sports year for the Knights. Of the seven teams that compete during this season, five earned region trophies and all qualified for the playoffs. The boys golf team was second at state, while girls soccer tied for third, and volleyball and boys cross country were fourth in their respective playoffs.
A Berry good game: Versatile player Brody Berry was just about everywhere in this effort. He only had to punt once, but he averaged 58 yards on seven kickoffs. He had five tackles, made an interception, elevated for a critical deflection - during which he was injured, but he continued to play - and also blocked a PAT and a punt, picking up the ball after the latter and returning it 25 yards.
Extra points: Linebacker Kurtis Taufa was the team's leading tackler with 10, five of them solo. He had a 10-yard sack, three tackles for loss and forced a fumble. ... Linebacker Matt Gowdy added seven tackles and defensive back Andrew Schirmer six. ... Talon Shumway had four tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception. ... Linebacker Spencer Reinstein returned a pick 50 yards, and Josh Buck added another one for 21 yards.

Lone Peak completes Chase for 5A title

The quarterback draw.
A play that is simple yet effective for many teams.
For Lone Peak it's simply unstoppable.
Of course when you have a quarterback like Chase Hansen, pretty much any play is going to work. Hansen racked up 482 yards in total offense along with accounted for five touchdowns to help Lone Peak complete the season 14-0 and win the state 5A title with a 41-21 win over Fremont on Friday afternoon at Rice Eccles Stadium
After finishing second twice, once in 2002 and once in 2004, the Knights passed around the gold trophy and took turns kissing it while the Lone Peak fans shouted "We are Lone Peak."
"I can honestly say that we had the offense and defense in sync tonight. It was just unbelievable. I don't know what else to say," said Lone Peak coach Tony McGeary. "We ran him (Hansen) a little more than we wanted to tonight but we saw a crease where we could take advantage of their defense. Chase Hansen was the man. He just proved why he was the best quarterback in state tonight with the way he played."
Hansen, who signed with the University of Utah, plans on enrolling at Utah following the basketball season so he can be in Utes program for spring ball. Utah is lucky to have Hansen. He capped off one of the best seasons in prep football history with a dominating performance in the finals. He rushed for 233 yards and two touchdowns. He threw for 242 yards and three touchdowns.
His 484 yards of total offense fell just 12 yards short of a state record for a championship game that is held by BYU quarterback Riley Nelson when he played for Logan in 2004.
"I don't even know how to put this in words right now. I'm just overwhelmed right now. I'm sure it will hit me more later when we're celebrating," Hansen said. "I'm just a quarterback on a really good team, in a really good program. I'm extremely blessed and thankful I could play with my teammates. This memory will never leave me."
Hansen had plenty of help. Lone Peak's defense came up with four interceptions and a fumble recovery and Brody Berry sparked the special teams with a pair of blocked kicks.
Fremont came out of the locker room at the half determined to cut into Lone Peak's 28-13 lead. The Silverwolves got the ball to start the half, but when the Knights defense forced them to punt, Berry's eyes lit up. He had already blocked an extra point in the first half. This time he got a punt. He came around the left end to block the punt. He recovered not the Fremont 23.
"We have two coaches, the Harward brothers, who were telling me before the game that I could get one," Berry said. "I looked over at them and they said go for it. I'm so glad I got it. I wanted to return it but it wouldn't bounce up so I just dove on it."
On the first play from scrimmage Hansen found Connor Humphrey in the end zone to give Lone Peak a commanding 35-13 lead following Trevor Robb's PAT.
After both teams traded turnovers, Berry came up big again at the end of the third quarter when he stopped a Fremont drive at the Lone Peak 20 after intercepting a pass.
The Knights defense then came up big again. When Fremont moved the ball into the Red Zone, Spencer Reinstein picked off a pass at the 10 and returned it all the way to the Fremont 38.
Talon Shumway put Fremont away when he scored on a 4-yard run that gave Lone Peak a 42-13 lead with 5:07 left in the game.
"We felt like our conditioning would take over in the second half," McGeary said. "Give Fremont all the credit in the world. They prepared all week for us and played us tough, but it was just our night."
The first half was wildly entertaining. After Hansen opened the game's scoring with a 1-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, Fremont countered with a 98-yard kickoff return by Jordan Preator to tie the game.
Hansen put Lone Peak back on top with a 3-yard run less than a minute into the second quarter.
Then came a pivotal sequence that was a key to the first half. Hansen was hit and coughed up the ball right before he hit the ground. Fremont recovered at the Lone Peak 45, but before the Silverwolves could take advantage of the turnover, the Knights got the ball back.
Fremont called an option play. Shumway knows that play well. He anticipated the pitch and intercepted the ball. He was tackled at the Fremont 45.
Hansen wasted no time making up for his mistake. He threw a perfect pass to Micah Hannemann in the end zone from 34-yards out to give Lone Peak a 21-7 lead.
Fremont tried to keep it close. Nick Vigil took a pitch out 55 yards for a touchdown. Berry then blocked that extra point. to keep the score at 21-13.
Hansen brought the Knights right back on their next possession. He broke off a quarterback draw up the middle and turned down the sideline. He used a de-cleating block from Berry to carry the ball to the Fremont eight.
Hansen then found a wide open Hannemann from 8-yards out to give Lone Peak a 28-13 lead with 5:25 left in the half.
It proved to be all the Knights needed. Fremont scored a touchdown in the final minute of the game that did little from quieting Lone Peak's fan base that had stock in what proved to be a perfect season.
Berry summed up the celebration this way: "This is amazing. It's like I'm on the top of the world right now. All my dreams have come true so far. It feels so good."
Fremont 7 6 0 8 - 21

Player of the Week of: 10/2/2011 - 10/8/2011

#14 Brody Berry

Made many key tackles and an interception, along with great hang time on his punts.

Britton going to Day Camp, Miriah cooking

Britton got to go to day camp twice this summer.

The first time it got rained out so they went to the park to eat their lunch

and the second time they went he had a great time.  Britton Loves His Friends!

These are the cookies Miriah and I were baking to take on the trip. We were making some without chocolate chips for dad.  This was the first patch that had come out the oven, I had two more pans without the chocolate chip, so I told Miriah she could stir in the chocolate chips into the cookies so we could bake the rest as normal cookies.  She was so happy since she had been waiting to stir them in, a little while later I came back into the kitchen to fill the pans up and Miriah had placed chocolate chips on the cookies that were baked and had been stiring them in.  She said, it was really hard with the spoon so she was using her finger on each chip.  She is so funny, she didn't want to have sad cookies so she was trying to stir the chips into the cookies like a face.  When we dumped the whole bag of chips in the cookies, she thought that was a lot easier to stir. 

Knights to appear in First 8 tournament at hoops Hall of Fame

Members of the Lone Peak boys basketball program have been invited to play in the First 8 Tournament held in conjunction with the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame National Invitational next week in Springfield, Mass.
The IWC-Lone Peak club team was already entered in the 17-and-under portion of the Invitational as part of a field of about 75 teams in this NCAA-certified AAU event, according to tournament director Colin Tabb.
This is the eighth year for the Invitational. The First 8 tournament, which retains its original name but has now been expanded to 16 teams, is held on July 10, the day before the Invitational.
This season, the First 8 has been arranged as Super Pools, filtering into the National Invitational tournament.
All teams in the First 8 will play three pool-play games and then advance automatically to the Gold Bracket (the highest) for single elimination bracket-play with other qualifying teams from the National Invitational starting on the night of the 11th.
Participation in the First 8 is by invitation only, from the list of those already accepted into the national event.
As is usually the case on the AAU circuit, the IWC-LP team is one of the very few squads that represent a single institution.
"Wanting to compete as a high school team is very rare," Tabb said. "In AAU, we generally see only all-star teams, and some of them draw from a wide area.
"Once they sent their roster over, we could see this was a really good team," the director continued. "Obviously the program has a great track record, so we did a little more research into the players.
"When we evaluate our selections for the First 8 tournament, we try to choose the teams with top players," Tabb said. "This is an important time for D-I coaches to see the athletes they want to see. We feel they have players who fall into this category."
Incoming junior Nick Emery and sophomore TJ Haws were both named to MaxPreps All-American teams for their class years in recent weeks. They also show up in various rankings and scout sites. Other members of the squad are also potential D-I prospects.
Last year, almost 150 college coaches attended this event. Tabb said most simply show up, but he's already heard from coaches at North Carolina, Duke, Arizona, U-Conn, the University of Washington, West Virginia, Syracuse, Cal-Davis, Xavier, Boston College and Villanova who are planning to be there.
In addition, Tabb said, selection factors considered included the team's overall competitiveness in the field, geographic reach, and a desire to provide the visitors with the best possible trip for the time spent.
The four Super Pools contain squads representing Canada, Maine, New England, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Delaware, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin and California, in addition to Utah. The overall 17U tournament has teams from a number of other states plus Belgium as well.
"Getting invited to the First 8 portion of the tournament was a little bit of a surprise, but we're looking forward to the challenge," said Lone Peak coach Quincy Lewis. "This is a really big deal for our guys.
"Those top AAU teams have the top players in the country at each position," he added. "If we can hang within 10-15 points of them, we'll be doing well." The pool IWC-LP is assigned to also has two New York teams and the Grassroots Canada squad.
The Hall of Fame event is part of a two-tournament swing for the squad, which starts Tuesday in Indianapolis at the Hoosier Shootout, another NCAA-certified event.
The field there has representatives from 14 states and Canada. IWC-LP's pool includes teams from Ohio, Michigan and Tennessee.
"It's a really good experience for our kids to go to other parts of the country and play some different competition," Lewis said. "Our primary goal is to have our kids pushed from a straight basketball standpoint, and we'll certainly get that from these appearances.
"We just feel like the state 5A teams this year will be as good or better than we've seen it before," he added. "With American Fork, West Jordan and others in the field, we're going to have to be battle-tested to compete in that company. We've got to be ready."
In addition, the coach said these trips provide a great team bonding experience and really enhance and establish the leadership and relationships among the players. As always, they will visit the local athletic and historical sites as well.
The players have worked very hard to earn the money to make the trip. They did roofing during spring break, staffed a couple of camps at the school and held a car wash and clothing drive to raise the necessary funds.

BYU Football Camp, AF Canyon

Britton and Nate went to the BYU Football camp this week they had a great time.  They are so funny together, they never seem to slow down, they go go go.

Thanks to Mindy for getting Britton a job so he could make money to go, he had a blast! 

They been asked if they were twins? 

Brody got sun burnt and Zain was kind enough to rub the aloe vera on him.

 We went for a ride up AF Canyon, it has been so nice that the snow is melting fast and water is rushing everywhere.  In part of the canyon it is coming out of the side of the mountain and running down the road.  Tible Fork was as full as we have seen it for a long time.  As you can see behind Hollie there is still a lot of snow.

Dad had to get a picture of us. 

I forgot to tell you a funny story about Miriah, last week we are on our way to Tyler Romney's church, all week I have talked about getting my graduation gifts done, and I made the comment that I wish we had lots of money so I could give all these boys money for their missions.  From the back seat Miriah says, "You didn't give me anything" I turned to look at her and said "for what" She replied, "I graduated", I said, "you did!", she said, "from pre-school" I said "you did, what would you like?"  She didn't know.  It was funny, she does not miss a thing. 

Britton is having a great summer, he loves life so much, he just does not want to read for his mom.

Friends are his whole life right now.

A cheesy smile from dad.  It was so beautiful up the canyon.

The water is over flowing. 

Rushing down the canyon. 

Hollie thought is was cold so she was wrapped up in a blanket as we walked around the lake. 

This is a story given in last weeks sacrament meeting on Faith.

 There was a young boy down at the lake, and a man asked him if he would take him across.  As the boy rowed across the lake the man notice that one of the ores had a "F" on it and the other had a "W".  He asked the boy why he had these letters on he ores.  The young man told him that they were reminders that Faith and Work go together.  If you only use the Faith ore you go in a circles.  You need to have Faith and then Work as hard as you can to go in a strait line to where you want to be.

We are so proud of you Brady, Keep working hard, Your Mission President must trust you and knows that you can do hard things.  I know it is hard to leave an area that you have grown to love.  You are our MAD Missionary, We love you so much!

We Love our Fathers, Dad's Uncles, Brothers...Hair Cut... Highland 10th EFY...Weston...New Dog Zoie...Girls...

We are so Thankful for all the Dad's in our lives. 

Grandpa Parrish with some of the Grand kids 

They always want to do a funny picture 

Grandma  is in this one, She looks like on of the kids.

Some of the Mom's with Grandpa 

Hollie, Miriah, Aspen, Addie Smith with Grandpa Berry 

Hollie with her Dad 

Miriah's turn...

Colton has turned into his dad, teasing Bronson... 

Then Braxton comes down and Colton takes a hold of him, but it was almost more that he can handle.

Braxton is pretty firm, he has been working out and doing so good to stay on his routine, He will be blessed for his determination, and his stick with it attitude. 

Miriah comes to his defense, doesn't want Colton to hurt her brother. 

Yes, Brody is on his toes, he is growing, so is Braxton and all the other kids. 

With Grandma Berry and the girls. 

Always Hugs before we leave.

Braxton is getting pretty good at doing hair, but I would not let this hair cut stay, he had to finish shaving the hair.  So he is nice and smooth now.  I think Braxton used the #1 on him. 

Britton thinks he can eat the most ice cream, and he did finish it when we all thought he wouldn't. 

Miriah with Tyler and Camille's new baby... 

Hollie and Weston Tyler Parrish, Born June 15, 2011 

Britton and the new dog Zoie.  Kevin Cottles step brother Tony who I work with gave the dog to the kids.  I am really not sure what we are doing with a inside dog?, but she is cute and they have had a blast so far.

She is a very smart dog, she will run laps around the kitchen it is so funny.

I came home from work one day I could not find the dog anywhere.  Pretty soon here comes Bronson on his bike and when he came in he had is backpack on with the Zoies head just peaking out. 

We Seek After These Things

was the Theme for our Highland 10th Ward EFY. 

It was so awesome, the YCL's did such a great job.

On the first day we meet at the Church at 8:00am, got divided up into their groups, had our biscuit check and headed to Temple Square.  President Gibson had made arrangements for us to have a unbelievable tour of the Church Office building and Conference Center.

Before we started the Tour, he talked to the girls for a little while.  He was the first Bishop of the Highland 10th ward.  He has always said that we are the Lords 10th.  The Lords 10th are foreordained to be leaders in this life.  That we have the most beautiful, sacred daughters of our Heavenly Father.  He talked about how much our Father in Heaven loves our Heavenly Mother, they are together and he holds her in such high esteem that is why we don't hear to much about her.

He told the girls that Motherhood is one of the greatest gift they have been given.

He said that you want to be a mother based on the  eternal order, and that we are accountable and responsible for our greatest gift - Our Bodies.

We need to jealously guard the word Love and the kisses we give, and our bodies.

When he and Sister Gibson were dating she told him that she loved him because he loved the Lord more than he loved her.  He talked about the Song Oh My Father, I thought maybe he was going to sing it but he didn't.  He gave the girls a challenge - He handed out those metal coins that have the armor on them (like the ones I gave you boys) They are to write in their journals  what each of the symbols stand for; The Helmet, Shield, Breast Plate...   Everything he said was such a great introduction for what was going to happen the rest of the time at our EFY.

He closed with Armor Up- pull out the token and remember what your Armor is.

I think we were on the 23rd floor, this was the first stop of the tour, looking down on the temple.

Looking down on Temple Square

Ellen and Afton Ingerson.  Afton is our new Laurel Pres. she did a great job with all that we threw at her to do and be in charge of.

They took us to the under ground tunnel, where the General Authorities can access any of the buildings from under ground.

This is in the conference center under the choir seats.  They can take the whole place a part in section like this and make it as big or as small as they need.  They told us it takes about a month and a half to get it ready for General Conference.

Katie, Abby and Sherri Berry

All of us with President and Sister Gibson on the top of the conference center with the temple in the back ground.

My YCL's this year, Such powerful young women.  (I was missing 3 girls, 2 to the Real EFY and one to National Debate Conference in Texas)

After lunch we started the rest of the EFY,  we went down on the temple grounds and had a mini lesson on Standing in Holy Places.  Then we started our "Seeking Treasures" part of our EFY.  A few weeks ago Cara Wade went to Temple Square to find some treasures that the girls could look for.  We learned a lot, like where the GAP is, and that the mission at Temple Square is a mission all to its self, with 200 sister missionaries.  We had broken up into groups and everyone got the clues in different order so we weren't all together.  It was fun, relaxing, and every interesting to just spend a couple of hours looking for treasures.

At the end of the Seeking Treasures hunt everyone did end up at the right place and Sister Wilson had hid a treasure box that had a treasure in it.  The girls all got the necklace with the YW Torch. 

We left temple square to travel to Kamas where Bunderson's cabin is, for a fun filled night of skits and a lot of the Highland 10th ward camp traditions.

Thursday Morning-We stared off with the girls making pancakes, and went right in to the groups cheers.  Each group had chosen a word out of the 13th Article of Faith,  so we had the Benevolent Ones, the Lovelies, the Trustworthy, and Hope.  Their cheers were amazing, they are so creative.   We laughed and cried at the same time.  Then the  YCL's sang the Theme song that they had chosen for this year,  "We Seek After these Things."  I had the girls sing it acappella and it was so beautiful and the spirit was very strong.

Then the rest of the day was an inspiration from Kortnie's Seminary graduation talk.  Kortnies is so amazing every year she has giving me great ideas to help teach and lead the YCL's.  She is such a spiritual amazing young lady I know you know from the letters she sends you.

Avoiding the BEAR   -   Learn to Return
Sister Dowling did a great job introducing the theme of avoiding the Bear.  She had personal stories of her father working in the wilderness.  She is such a great teacher.  She had brought a cute cuddle stuffed bear up and put him in the trees.

After she introduced Learn to Return we started the Intense Safety Training with the YCL's as the teachers of all the mini classes.

Understanding Bear Behavior

- Katie - Faith and Understanding Bear Tactics 

- Afton - What  is your Armor.

Bear Guard Certification
- Justina – Knowing Self and Respect
- Ashley –  How full is your Bucket
- Jake – Bucket Activity
- Emily – Am I seeking the Right Treasure

Wilderness First Aid & Survival
- Adrienne – Rule Book, For the Strength of Youth –
The Human Knot Activity
- Courtney – He Hears Me
- Abby – You are a Daughter of God

Helicopter safety & Crash Survival
- Amy - Who Packed your Parachute
- Katelin – Christ knows each one of us and what we are going through.

We ended with a powerful letter from Skyelyn, and we gave the girls buckets that had reminders of all the mini lessons with "Equipped to Survive" on them.

Heavenly Father has given us everything we need to survive and to return home to him.

It was awesome, wish all my kids had been there to hear and to be strengthen my the spirit the girls brought.