By Tom Zulewski, Iron County Today
The Cedar Reds finished with an undefeated season and won the 3A state football title for the first time. Two seniors stood out and were rewarded with Player of the Year honors for Cedar in its first season as a 3A South member.
Quarterback Everett Kelling was named Player of the Year, while Dax Wankier won Defensive Player of the Year as the Reds finished 13-0 for their perfect season. Here are the other honorees from the 2025 season (Note: the names of Manti’s all-region players – including the Offensive Player of the Year – were not available).
For 1st Team All-Region: Cedar – Slade Parsons, Max Gines, Case Jones, Brent Martin, Keaton Cox, and Dominic McGarvey.
Canyon View – Ryder Miller, Cooper Urie, and Colt Rushton.
North Sanpete – Rafael Contreras, Maddox Madsen, Jesse Nuttal, Ayden Akee.
Richfield – Tevin Vakautakakala, Trey Yardley, Cord White
Carbon – Maddox Wilson, Trace Crespin, Tayger Timothy
Juab – Jayden Heap, Brock Richards, Wyatt Downard, Tavin Hopoate
For 2nd Team All-Region: Cedar – Dylan Crowley, Braxton DeMille, Jax Olmstead, Stockden Ramos, Maddox Harris, Payton Ludlow.
Canyon View – Brextin Roundy, Caden Greenland, Wyatt Copp
North Sanpete – Chaetton Osborne, Parker Horrocks, Dalton Christensen, Jaxton Blackham
Carbon – Caleb Sorenson, Dax Mower, Andy Kifer
Juab – Payton Myers, Koen Mattinson, Price Armstrong, Carter Wilson
Honorable Mention: Cedar – Royce Jolley, Braden Crain, Gavin DeMille, Cody Stevenson, Junior Bloomfield-Togiai, Daxton DeMille
Canyon View – Brock Neighbors, Ben Vest, Cam Sheridan, Jace Floyd, Kayl Hutchinson, Quinton Hansen, Kohen Carlson, Preston Higgins.
North Sanpete – Braden Palmer, Dalton Poulson, Wyatt Hobush, Milo Hendry, Evan Burningham, Tayden Diches, Seth Burningham.
Juab – Quentin Robinson
Carbon – William Hinckley, Rickey Sandoval, J.J. Roden, Jordan Nichols
If you missed it over last weekend, BYU did not fare well in the Big 12 Championship game played Dec. 6. The Cougars scored first, but it was all Texas Tech after that as the Red Raiders rolled to a 34-7 rout and finished the season as the No. 4 seed for the College Football Playoff.
When the pairings were announced Sunday morning, BYU was not included among the 12 teams who will play for the national championship Jan. 19 in Miami.
While things did not go well on the field for the Cougars, the coaching situation stabilized pretty quickly after head coach Kalani Sitake declined an offer to become the next head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions. The school gave Sitake – a BYU alum – a new long-term contract extension that will bring more stability for the program.
Sitake has an 83-44 record at his alma mater, where he’s been head coach since 2016.
With this being time for preseason high-school basketball tournaments, it’s all about finding whatever means necessary to win games, whether by one point, one possession, or a blowout. In the NBA, it’s been stressful to be a player or fan of the Detroit Pistons. While the team owns the second-best record in the league at 19-5, the outcomes have been in doubt more often than not. Of the 19 wins, 11 have come by single digits – nine points or less.
So let this be a lesson. Winning by large margins is one thing, but as long as you have one more point than your opponent when the clock reaches all zeroes, that’s the most important thing.
All adjustments can be made later.
Contact Tom Zulewski at [email protected].