Boys Basketball
Peter Oguama, Cottonwood (Sr.)
Peter Oguama’s calming presence on the floor has been one of the catalysts to Cottonwood’s perfect 10-0 region record heading into the final week of the regular season.
The senior is averaging 12.3 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.2 assists for the 16-5 Colts.
“If there is a player that every coach dreams of, it is Peter. He has been a workhorse for us this season. He comes to practice every day and gives 110% and it shows in how he plays in games. He does what he is asked and then some. He is well liked by his teammates and is an ultimate team player,” said Cottonwood coach Marc Miller.
In Cottonwood’s most recent game last week, Oguama recorded his second double-double of the season with 19 points and 12 rebounds to lead Cottonwood to the 59-51 win over Hillcrest.
Oguama has scored in double digits in 10 straight games, prime time to be peaking with the playoffs getting underway next week.
Girls Basketball
Avery Allred, Grantsville (Jr.)
Grantsville’s girls basketball team heads into the 3A state tournament starting this week as the No. 1 seed, and Avery Allred has played a huge role in that dominant 20-2 regular season.
She is averaging 16.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.1 steals, ranking in the top six in 3A in both points and steals.
Last week in wins over Ben Lomond and Ogden, she scored 15 points in each game. She’s scored in double digits in 19 of 22 games this season, missing out in the other three by one bucket.
“Avery is the epitome of a glue guy. She works relentlessly, has a high motor, isn’t afraid of contact and doing the dirty work and I know we are always going to get 100% from her,” said Grantsville coach Megan Vera.
“She’s versatile and can play and score in all five positions offensively, as well as play every position of our zone on defense. She’s an all-around play maker and she’s playing a huge role in our team’s success.”
Allred was a Deseret News third team all-stater last year, and she’s hoping to lead Grantsville to the school’s first girls basketball state title in the next two weeks.
Boys Swimming
Dallin McKee, Box Elder (Jr.)
Box Elder junior Dallin McKee broke a pair of school records at the Region 5 championships last week in leading the Bees to the region crown.
McKee finished first in the 100 backstroke, second in the 200 individual medley and then swam a leg in Box Elder’s 200-yard freestyle winning team.
“Dallin is one of the hardest-working swimmers that I’ve ever coached. He is extremely coachable and makes those around him better,” said Box Elder coach Jerry Hodgkinson.
The first school record McKee broke was in the 200 I.M. as he swam a 1:59.53, shaving eight seconds off his season previous best time this season.
Later in the meet he won the 100 back with a time of 53.33, which was nearly three seconds faster than his previous top time.
His 200 I.M. swim was the 16th fastest in the entire state this season, and his 100 back time was the 13th fastest.
Girls Swimming
Ayrie Nash, Kearns (Jr.)
Kearns’ Ayrie Nash stood on the top podium four times last weekend in an impressive performance at the Region 4 championships.
The junior swam a leg in two of Kearns’ first-place relay teams, and then also won her two individual events — 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke — to make it a clean sweep at the Kearns Aquatics Center.
“She is one of those athletes who is great at every stroke, but her backstroke and sprint freestyle are her specialties. She works so hard by swimming year round and she just continues to improve every year,” said Kearns coach Chris Horne.
Nash won the 100 back with a season-best time of 1:01.97, and then won the 50 free with a time of 25.55 — just .03 off her season best. That time of 25.52 she swam at the Granite School District Championships back in October ranks as the 25th fastest time in the entire state and the 13th best in 5A.
In the relays, Nash swam the lead-off backstroke leg in Kearns’ winning 200 medley relay team, and then she swam the anchor leg in the 400 free relay.
Boys Wrestling
Jacob Marshall, Panguitch (Jr.)
Panguitch junior Jacob Marshall wrapped a fantastic junior season in typical dominant fashion at the 1A state championships last weekend at the Sevier Valley Center.
Marshall pinned all three of his opponents in the first round to claim the 157-pound state championship, his second individual state title after also winning as a freshman.
He was voted the tournament’s outstanding wrestler by the coaches as he helped lead the Bobcats to a 1A 3-peat.
“Jacob is a great example to his team. He is one of our team captains and has made a big effort to lead out by example. He spent his offseason going to camps, wrestling freestyle and Greco Roman, and looking for any way possible to improve his skill set. The extra work he did in the offseason help fuel his success throughout the year,” said Panguitch coach Colin Marshall.
Marshall finished the season with a 52-7 record a year after finishing with a 41-14 record as a sophomore and a third-place finish at state.
Girls Wrestling
Nadia Thomas, Skyridge (Sr.)
Nadia Thomas only started wrestling two years ago, but she’s quickly emerged as one of the top wrestlers in 6A this season.
The Skyridge senior finished first at the 6A Divisional B state-qualifying meet at Syracuse High School two weekends ago to qualify as a top seed in the 130-pound bracket for this week’s state tournament at UVU.
The win improved her record to 40-3 on the season, and at the meet she was also named an outstanding wrestler.
“She has only been wrestling for two years but is being highly recruited to continue on in college wrestling. She wrestled 120 most of the season but is wrestling at 130 at the state tournament. She is an extremely hard worker and a fabulous ambassador for the sport,” said Skyridge coach Lyle Mangum.
Last season in her first year competing for Skyridge, Thomas finished in third place at 120 pounds at the state meet, ending the year with a 33-6 record.