As in other sports, lacrosse games can often be decided in the final seconds or by a matter of inches. The littlest things can determine outcomes. 

For the Mountain Ridge girls team, a state championship was just a goal away. 

The Sentinels lost in the Class 6A state title game to Fremont, falling to the Silverwolves 11-10 on May 23 at Zions Bank Stadium in Sandy. The heartbreaking defeat came after Mountain Ridge had made a furious comeback in the second half after trailing 10-3 at halftime. The second half belonged to the Sentinels, which outscored Fremont 7-1 after the break. But time ran out on the Sentinels, and they couldn’t quite get the equalizer. 

In the championship game, several players stepped up to put up big numbers and make critical plays, especially in the second half. Emmery Clark, a senior attacker, tallied four points—two goals and two assists—on the day. Junior attacker Taya Chalk had two goals and one assist. Junior Kimber Hanks and freshman Taylie Anderson both had two goals in the loss, while junior midfielder Olivia Cannon had a goal and assist, as did junior attacker Karlee Farnsworth. Junior defender Brielle Fabert led the team with five caused turnovers. Senior goalkeeper Bailey Sanders made four saves.

The loss was a tough one to take, but it didn’t diminish the team’s effort or its accomplishments during the season. 

Mountain Ridge finished the year with a 14-6 record. The Sentinels were two games behind Region 2 champion Riverton in the league standings, finishing second with a mark of 7-3. The Sentinels earned the fourth seed in the 6A tournament and defeated 13th-seeded Westlake at home in the second round by the count of 15-3. Mountain Ridge raced to a commanding 9-0 halftime lead and was never threatened. Clark and Cannon scored four goals apiece, while Farnsworth scored three times and had an assist. Four other players scored, with Kali Guymon getting two shots into the net. 

Mountain Ridge took down region foe Bingham at home in the quarterfinals on May 18, prevailing in a high-scoring 17-11 contest. Clark was fabulous in the win, tallying a head-turning seven goals and registering a pair of assists. Cannon was also brilliant, as she scored four times and assisted on two more goals. Fabert caused five turnovers. 

The semifinals featured two Region 2 heavyweights and saw the Sentinels get a satisfying win. 

To reach the finals, Mountain Ridge defeated Riverton—a team it had lost to twice during the regular season—by the score of 13-12 in a hard-fought game. Mountain Ridge started fast, getting ahead 8-5 and held on for the victory. The Sentinels had previously lost to the Silverwolves 19-13 and 12-9. But in this matchup, held May 21 at Westminster College, Cannon scored seven goals to lead all players. Farnsworth added three goals, and Clark scored twice and dished out a game-high five assists. The victory allowed Mountain Ridge to take down the top-seeded team and reach the state championship for the second season in a row. 

Unfortunately for the Sentinels, things ended in a similar fashion as they did in 2023 when they lost to Lone Peak 11-10 in the finals. 

Still, Mountain Ridge players have no reason to hang their heads. The Sentinels also have a strong core of players coming back in 2025. Clark graduated, but Cannon, Chalk, Fabert, Farnsworth, Hanks, Guymon and Anderson, among others will return to make Mountain Ridge a possible contender next season.  λ