Latest news with #6A
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Golf phenom Kihei Akina shares why he chose BYU (and it wasn't just for golf)
Lone Peak's Kihei Akina competes in 6A boys golf state championship at Riverbend Golf Course in Riverton on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. Akina won medalist honors and has signed to play his college golf at BYU. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News Standing on the first tee of the Black Desert Championship last October in Ivins, Utah, Kihei Akina caught a glimpse of his future. With a large crowd gathered around him, BYU's prized five-star golf recruit took out his driver and readied himself to make his PGA Tour debut. 'I was fine and felt normal,' Akina told the 'Y's Guys' podcast this week. 'But I put the tee in the ground and as I stood over the ball, my legs went to jelly. I couldn't feel my hands. I couldn't feel anything. I thought, 'Oh crap! Just make contact!' Somehow, I hit it down the fairway.' Advertisement By the third hole, Akina was back to being his confident self and over the course of two days he went toe-to-toe with the professionals and made eight birdies and finished just outside the cut line at 4 under par. 'It was definitely different from junior golf and high school golf,' said the three-time state champion at Lone Peak High. 'I just tried to learn as much as I could from those guys.' Akina hails from an athletic family. His older sister, Kiani, played rugby at Harvard, and older brothers Keanu golfed at BYU and Kawika played basketball at NYU in Manhattan. Now it's his time to shine. When it came time to decide on a college, Akina received offers and NIL pitches from 50 programs, including BYU, which presented a competitive proposal — and an environment that has less to do with golf and more to do with the golfer. Advertisement 'I wanted to surround myself with likeminded people. People in the church who have the same beliefs as me,' Akina said. 'I think it will help build me and help build my testimony of the Savior and help me be a better person and get to where I want to be in life.' Akina also wants to win. Bruce Brockbank's current Cougars are competing this weekend at the NCAA championships in Carlsbad, California, where BYU is chasing its first national title since 1981. 'I also wanted to come in and build the program up and I want to compete for a national championship,' Akina said. 'At BYU you represent so much. You represent the church and this great state of Utah. It's really cool to be able to do that. Hopefully we can make a run next year.' Akina is a big piece of an unprecedented wave of prized prep recruits bringing their talents to Provo, including No. 1 recruit AJ Dybantsa (basketball), No. 1-ranked Jane Hedengren (women's cross-country), No. 1-ranked Daniel Simmons (men's cross-country) and the No. 5-ranked tight end Brock Harris (football). Advertisement 'BYU is on the rise for sure. It's really cool to see. Everything is building up with every sport,' Akina said. 'I'm excited to be a part of it. I've been itching to get to campus for the last year and a half.' Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts 'Y's Guys' at and is the author of the children's book 'C is for Cougar,' available at
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Briarcrest baseball defeats CBHS to win DII-AA West region title: Full highlights
Peoria Centennial football on 2025 season: 'We know we have to work' After losing their first four games in 2024, Centennial ended up winning the 6A state championship. They enter 2025 with a new coach.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Video: Fort Myers beats Gulf Coast in a FHSAA Region 5A-3 baseball quarterfinal Game 3
Peoria Centennial football on 2025 season: 'We know we have to work' After losing their first four games in 2024, Centennial ended up winning the 6A state championship. They enter 2025 with a new coach.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vote: Who should be the Maps Credit Union boys Athlete of the Week?
During the winter sports championship season, high school athletes throughout the Salem-Keizer area delivered outstanding performances on the biggest stage. This week's Maps Credit Union high school girls Athlete of the Week nominees are: Kenya Johnson, Sprague wrestling Isaiah Koehnke, Regis basketball Carson Langford, Dallas wrestling Teagan Scott, South Salem basketball Bo Zurcher, Silverton wrestling Vote for the athlete you think is most deserving at The poll closes at 11 a.m. Thursday. Sprague senior Kenya Johnson captured the 190-pound title March 1 at the OSAA Class 6A wrestling state championships at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Johnson won by a 5-2 decision. Regis senior guard Isaiah Koehnke broke the Oregon high school boys basketball record for most career points, surpassing Kevin Love's previous record of 2,628. Koehnke surpassed Love's record March 7 during a 75-48 loss to Western Christian in the Class 2A state semifinals. Dallas freshman Carson Langford captured the 190-pound title March 1 at the OSAA Class 5A wrestling state championships at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Langford won the final by 15-1 major decision. South Salem junior guard Teagan Scott scored a team-high 31 points March 5 to lead the Saxons to a 60-41 road win over Sheldon. With the victory, Scott and South Salem advanced to the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. Silverton senior Bo Zurcher won the 165-pound title March 1 at the OSAA Class 5A wrestling state championships at Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Zurcher won the final by 5-3 decision. To submit an Athlete of the Week nomination, please email Statesman Journal sports reporter Jarrid Denney at JDenney@ with the athlete's name, stats and any other relevant information about the performance they are being nominated for. This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Vote for Maps Credit Union Salem-area boys Athlete of the Week
CBS News
25-02-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Cedar Hill's "Team of Destiny" heads to state semifinals; Lady Longhorns' first appearance in 15 years
The Cedar Hill girls' basketball team is in the state semifinal for the first time since 2010. The Lady Longhorns are coming off a historic win over the defending 6A Division 1 champs in Duncanville, and coach Nicole Collins has gone as far as to say they are the "Team of Destiny." Now just two wins away from the ultimate goal, the players said they're as locked in as they've ever been. "Coach always tells us, 'Don't ever stay on the high highs or the low lows,'" Lady Longhorns forward Brooklyn King said. "Obviously Friday was a really high high for us, but It's just back to business. We got two more games and we didn't come this far to just drop the ball." The Lady Longhorns are ranked 10th in the state, making them the only ranked team left standing. Collins has made It known just how special she thinks this group is and that the "Team of Destiny" name didn't come from out of nowhere. She said the team participated in a basketball boot camp long before the first tip-off of the season, which she thinks is partly why they have had success this season. "Our motto this year was just being a trailblazer and trying to be the first to do something that hasn't been done before," Collins said. "We've had a few teams that have come through here and gone to state, so we've gotten over the hump." But if you ask the players, what they have up their sleeve has nothing to do with X's and O's or how good their field goal percentage is. Instead, it has everything to do with the bond they've made off the court. "There's no division anywhere," King said. "We're very welcoming with each other… It's just so connected, and I just feel that's why we click on the court: because we know each other on and off the court." "We're very close," Lady Longhorns forward Rylan Jones said. "I think that's why we're having such a successful season, actually. It's just an exciting thing for all of us to get to go through this together with this specific team. We all really love each other." The Lady Longhorns will tip off their state semifinal game against Plano East on Tuesday at the Wilkerson-Greines Activity Center In Fort Worth.
