ABC 4: Local Sports

Snow Canyon wins 3A baseball title

Sat, 18 May 2013 20:08:34 -0600

OREM, Utah (ABC 4 Sports) - The Snow Canyon baseball faced a monumental task in order to win its second straight 3A baseball championship.

The Warriors had to beat Spanish Fork, then knock off Region 9 rival Desert Hills twice.

Mission accomplished.

After beating the Dons in the first game 5-2, the Warriors snapped a 3-game losing streak against the Thunder, mercy-ruling in their rivals, 16-6. Then in the title game, Snow Canyon kept rolling with a 7-1 victory to win the title.

"It's amazing," said shortstop Chandler Day. "You can't explain it. Winning three games today, two against Desert Hills, it is the greatest feeling."

In the finale, left-hander Clint Gates was masterful, pitching a complete game while allowing just one earned run. Desert Hills had beaten Snow Canyon three times this season, and hadn't lost to a 3A opponent all year long.

"I tried to hit my spots," Gates said. "I wasn't planning on going the distance, but it just worked out that way. It's just crazy."

Tyler Wardell started the scoring in the championship game with an RBI single in the 1st inning, while Gates helped put the game away with a solo home run in the bottom of the 6th.

"I told them that you just have to take one pitch at a time," said head coach Reed Secrist. "That's exactly what these guys did. I thought our bats today were great. It's tough to go back-to-back. It's great for our program and for our fans."

The Warriors honored fallen teammate K.J. Harrison, who drowned last June, one month after the Warriors won the 2012 title. They brought out his #6 jersey and held it next to the championship trophy.

"This is for K.J.," one player yelled.

New book chronicles Eric Weddle's rise to stardom

Fri, 17 May 2013 17:51:28 -0600

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 Sports) - Eric Weddle has defied the odds his entire football career. He was told he was too short, to slow, not athletic enough.

Well, look at him now.

In a new book titled No Excuses, No Regrets: The Eric Weddle Story, author Trent Toone chronicles Weddle's rise from unheralded high school player to NFL all-pro.

"I didn't necessarily dream that I'd be in the NFL," Weddle said. "I thought it was so far-fetched. I just thought they were mythical people that played."

Now, Weddle is one of them. He's one of the top safeties in the NFL, has been named an all-pro three times, and is in the middle of a 5-year $40-million contract with the San Diego Chargers.

Not highly recruited out of high school, Weddle was given the opportunity to blossom at the University of Utah under the tutelage of head coach Kyle Whittingham.

"Luckily I had great mentors with Coach Whitt and the entire staff," he said. "I played with so many great players at Utah. The whole experience there just helped me grow and helped me become the player and person I am today. Even in the NFL, I go back to the tough times I had at Utah and then battling back. We made it to a bowl game even though we might not have been the most talented team."

A second round draft back in 2007, Weddle didn't transition easily into the NFL.

"I look back to the tough times I had the first couple years and having the whole city and fans despise me," he said.

But after six years in San Diego, Weddle is now one of the most beloved players on the team. He has 16 career interceptions, five sacks, and has missed just four games total. But he's not satisfied with his career yet.

"As the years go by, I have an even bigger burning desire to be the best," Weddle said. "Each year, it seems like I get up earlier, stay longer and work out harder. There is always work to be done. There's always room for improvement. I'm never satisfied in a game whether I had two picks, I still feel like I can get better."

Weddle hopes young people can learn from his story, and realize that no matter how stacked the deck is against them, they can achieve their dreams.

"I hope they learn that you should never let anyone tell you that you can't do something," Weddle said. "You decide what your fate is. You decide what your future holds, and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something."

Sloan not interested in Milwaukee job

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:31:10 -0600

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 Sports) - According to a report on NBA.com, former Utah Jazz and Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan has decided he is not interested in the Milwaukee Bucks' head coaching job after meeting with Bucks officials last week, veteran agent Keith Glass, who is advising Sloan on potential head coaching jobs, told David Aldridge.

USA Today reported Monday that Sloan was being "seriously considered" for the position after meeting with Bucks officials. Milwaukee, which announced after its first-round playoff exit that it would not be bringing back interim coach Jim Boylan, has already interviewed former Blazers head coach Nate McMillan, Rockets assistant coaches Kelvin Sampson and J.B. Bickerstaff and Lakers assistant coach Steve Clifford for the position.

"The bottom line is, Jerry doesn't really feel it's the right fit for him right now," Glass said Thursday. "He's interested (in coaching again). He's in Chicago now watching the Pre-Draft. And his name keeps popping up with every job, and he hasn't applied for anything. He had a real nice meeting with them. They came to see him on his farm (in downstate Illinois). They had a great meeting just in terms of liking each other. (Bucks general manager) John Hammond said 'I wish I could have stayed and watched the game with him.' It's just not the right fit for Jerry, from Jerry's point of view. That's not a negative thing; that's just the reality."

Glass said that Sloan, third on the all-time coaching wins list with 1,221 victories, would be interested in coaching a playoff-level team.

"Jerry probably is a lot like Scott, in that the working conditions and where the team is (contender-wise) are important," Glass said. "For Jerry to go to a place that's going to take years to build—and I'm not talking about Milwaukee, I'm talking about anywhere—that's just not right for him. They have to be able to compete. Jerry is a competitor, and he wants to compete and teach."

The 71-year-old Sloan, inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2009, spent 22 seasons in Utah as the Jazz's head coach before suddenly resigning in February, 2011, saying he'd lost the energy for the job.

Sloan turned down the Blazers' head coaching job last year, and pulled out of the Bobcats' coaching search last summer after interviewing there.

"Guys like Jerry, who are Hall of Famers, they can peruse the landscape—and work or not work," Glass said.

Rimando called up to U.S. World Cup team

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:46:18 -0600

SANDY, Utah (ABC 4 Sports) - Real Salt Lake goalkeeper Nick Rimando has been called up to the U.S. Men’s National Team for its June 11 and June 18 World Cup Qualifying matches.
Rimando will join the U.S. team on June 9 in Seattle ahead of its June 11 World Cup Qualifying match at CenturyLink Field against Panama. The 33-year-old ‘keeper will remain with the team through its June 18 qualifier against Honduras at Real Salt Lake’s Rio Tinto Stadium. Rimando will not miss any of RSL’s MLS matches while with the national team.

“It’s a great feeling and an honor to be called up for the next set of very important World Cup Qualifying games,” Rimando said. “Having one of the games in my home stadium makes it truly special not only to represent the U.S., but also RSL and I’ll be ready if called upon.”

Called in for virtually every U.S. camp last year, Rimando was a part of the U.S. World Cup Qualifying squad that beat RSL FW Alvaro Saborio and Costa Rica 1-0 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park outside of Denver on March 22 and tied Mexico 0-0 at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on March 26. The veteran goalie has six career caps with the Stars-and-Stripes, with his last coming on Jan. 25, 2012 in a 1-0 friendly win at Panama.

Rimando is one of four MLS goalies who will rotate through the U.S. camp, which will begin on May 26 in Cleveland and wrap on June 19 in Salt Lake. The U.S. will play friendlies against Belgium in Cleveland on May 29 and against Germany in Washington, D.C. on June 2 before playing World Cup Qualifiers at Jamaica on June 7, against Panama in Seattle on June 11 and against Honduras at Rio Tinto Stadium on June 18. English Premier League GK’s Tim Howard and Brad Guzan will be with the U.S. team throughout its camp; Chicago Fire GK Sean Johnson, D.C. United GK Bill Hamid and Houston Dynamo GK Tally Hall will each put in a stint in camp before Rimando joins the U.S. on June 9.

“We have some excellent backup keepers starting with Nick Rimando, who’s playing an outstanding season for Real Salt Lake and has done great with us every time he’s come into camp,” said U.S. Men’s National Team Manager Jurgen Klinsmann. “We’re also excited about the goalkeepers who come after him: Bill Hamid, Sean Johnson and Tally Hall. It’s exciting that we can rotate them a bit in these upcoming couple of weeks because we don’t want MLS goalies to miss too many of their games.”

Real Salt Lake midfielder Kyle Beckerman and defender Tony Beltran were not called into the upcoming camp after being a part of the squad for the March World Cup Qualifiers against Costa Rica and Mexico. Beckerman’s exclusion was a bit of a surprise, as the Claret-and-Cobalt captain has been a regular during Klinsmann’s tenure.

Beckerman is expected to be named to the U.S. roster for this summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup. The U.S. will play Cuba in a Gold Cup Group Stage match at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 13. RSL MF and U.S. Under-20 international Luis Gil could also be called to the Gold Cup squad following the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Turkey in June and July.

“There are definitely some 50-50 cases for players that we moved toward the Gold Cup where we want to have a very strong roster as well, and we are very excited about that tournament,” Klinsmann said. “A player like Kyle Beckerman could be in this camp, but having him in the Gold Cup is a tremendous value.

“There are a lot of players out there on our radar screen,” Klinsmann continued. “We want to watch the Under-20’s play in Turkey for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. We have some players there on the list that we want to introduce to the senior National Team program one step at a time, so we work on all fronts.”

The U.S. is currently in second-place in the CONCACAF Hexagonal with a 1-1-1 record through three matches. The top-three finishers in the 10-game Hexagonal automatically qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, with the fourth-place finisher playing a home-and-home series against New Zealand this November for one spot in the World Cup.

Sandoval making immediate impact with RSL

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:47:46 -0600

SANDY, Utah (ABC 4 Sports) - Second round MLS draft picks often times don't even make the team, let alone become a starter.

But 2013 second round pick Devon Sandoval has made a huge impact in his rookie season with Real Salt Lake.

"Being a second round pick has definitely motivated me," Sandoval said. "I'm just trying to be real humble about it, and I'm real thankful for this opportunity because the moment you take it for granted, it will be taken away from you."

Because of injuries to players like Alvaro Saborio and Robbie Findley, Sandoval has been given an opportunity to play earlier than anyone expected, and he has made the most of it. Sandoval has played in nine games this season, starting five, and has been on the field for 9 of RSL's 13 goals scored this year. Last Wednesday against the New England, Sandoval became the only 2013 second round draft pick to score a goal this season.

"It was a weight off my shoulders," Sandoval said about his first career MLS goal. "It's been a long time coming. I put a lot of pressure on myself to score, and to finally get that first one felt really good."

Despite being a mellow, even-keeled guy off the field, Sandoval is relentless on the pitch with a tremendous work rate.

"He is an example to the rest of the players on what it takes to be successful on our team," head coach Jason Kreis said. "He's an example to the rest of the players on how much some people want to be out here."

"I can't tell you how impressed I am," added defender Chris Wingert. "His attitude has been unbelievable. He's really maximized his potential, and I think he's doing exactly what we need out of him."

Sandoval, a University of New Mexico graduate, loves playing in Utah, and hopes his rookie season can help him achieve a long-term future with RSL.

"I love it here, and love everything about this place," he said. "I love the city, the team, the coaches. This is definitely where I want to be, and I couldn't be happier."

RSL to host U.S. Open Cup match

Wed, 15 May 2013 16:41:35 -0600

SANDY, Utah (ABC 4 Sports) - Real Salt Lake learned on Wednesday that it will host a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup third-round match at Rio Tinto Stadium at 7:30 p.m. MT on Tuesday, May 28.

RSL will play the winner of the second-round matchup between the North American Soccer League’s (NASL) Atlanta Silverbacks and the National Premier Soccer League’s (NPSL) Georgia Revolution. The fourth-tier Revolution will host the second-division Silverbacks next Tuesday, May 21 in suburban Atlanta.

RSL was bounced out of the Open Cup in the third-round last year, losing 3-1 to the NASL’s Minnesota Stars in front of a record-setting crowd of 17,212 at Rio Tinto Stadium on May 29, 2012. The Claret-and-Cobalt’s best Open Cup finishes came in 2006 and 2011, when the Utah side advanced to the Quarterfinals of the tournament.

Real Salt Lake is 5-8-0 all-time in U.S. Open Cup play, scoring 21 goals and conceding 27 in the tournament. RSL is 2-2-0 against lower division teams in Open Cup action, with both losses coming against Minnesota. Members of the Claret-and-Cobalt have had success in the Open Cup away from RSL, with two players and five members of the technical staff lifting the Dewar Cup a combined 10 times while with other teams.

The winner of the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup will be granted a berth in the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League tournament. Real Salt Lake competed in the 2010-11 and the 2012-13 editions of the CCL, becoming the first – and still only – MLS club to reach the final in 2011 before falling out of the continental tournament in the Group Stage last October. Participation in MLS Cup 2013 and claiming the MLS Supporters’ Shield as the regular season points leader would provide alternate routes for qualification into the 2014-15 CCL.

Blaze player helps save figure skater's life

Tue, 14 May 2013 18:42:00 -0600

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 Sports) - On April 24th, Brianna Hatch, a figure skater who has represented the United States in many international competitions, was driving back to BYU when a car swerved into her lane.

"I tried to get out of the way, but I hit the barrier at full speed," Hatch recalled. "My car rolled a few times and skidded across the road upside down. Then the engine began to catch fire and there was smoke in the car.

"I couldn't see the doors very well because the car had crumpled so much. I couldn't really breathe because the car was filling up with so much smoke. That's when I saw Aaron."

Aaron Lesue, a Utah Blaze wide receiver, was driving home from practice when he saw the accident happen in front of him.

"The only thing I could think of in the moment was to stop and help," Lesue said.

That's exactly what Lesue did. He a few other people helped drag Hatch from the car, grabbed a fire extinguisher and put the fire out, saving her life.

"At that moment, there was no hesitation at all," Lesue said. "Someone needed help, so you go do the best that you can. You go from driving home one minute thinking about something completely different, to completely caring for someone you don't even know."

Hatch was conscious the entire time, but was extremely scared.

"I was really shaking a lot," Hatch said. "I tried to speak, but I was so shaken up. I just remember reaching out for some support and comfort, and I grabbed Aaron's hand and squeazed it tight. That's when I calmed down a little bit. He was amazing at the accident. He was just a great comfort."

"That was a very special moment for me," Lesue said. "Because I realized that physically, she was going to be OK."

Police officers on the scene were stunned the accident didn't result in a fatality. Miraculously, Brianna survived. She did suffer injuries to her shoulder, sternum and rib cage, but plans on competing again next year.

As a result of their chance encounter, Brianna and Aaron have become great friends.

"To be able to connect with someone and become so close to them so quickly," Lesue said. "When you have that moment when they're in your arms and you don't know if they're going to live or die and you're holding their hand, you have a special unique bond that happens there. We were able to become friends really quickly."

"I had no idea who he was," said Hatch. "It wasn't until he had found me on Facebook and we started talking. Then I realized who this amazing guy and that we have so much in common being athletes."

On May 4th, Lesue invited Brianna to a Blaze game, and after scoring a touchdown on a kick return, ran across the field to give Brianna the ball.

"I didn't even know you could do that in arena football," Hatch said. "I got to keep a little souvenir from his game, so it was a really awesome memory."

While Lesue was directly responsible for helping save Brianna's life, he doesn't consider himself to be a hero, and says he has learned more from her than he could ever imagine.

"I felt like she was just as much of an angel to me, as she felt we were to her," Lesue said. "Because often times you get caught up in life just going about your day to day routine and you forget how special and life is. To see her bounce back from that day so quickly, if I were able to bounce back from half the things that I deal with half as quick as her, I'd be that much better of a football player and a lot better of a person."

"Probably the biggest lesson that I have learned is you can't take life for granted," said Hatch. "You never know what is going to happen today or tomorrow. Service is very important and you have your eyes open to those in need. Just like Aaron did for me, I hope that I can be like him someday where somebody else needs me."

RSL loses scoring fest at Montreal, 3-2

Sat, 11 May 2013 15:04:12 -0600

MONTREAL (ABC 4 Sports) - Real Salt Lake lost a heartbreaker on Saturday afternoon, giving up two late goals to fall 3-2 to the Montreal Impact at Stade Saputo.

RSL falls to 5-5-2 on the season.

“It’s frustrating because I don’t feel like we got a lot of early leads this year," said head coach Jason Kreis. "To be in the driver’s seat at the beginning of the game and to have a little bit of a different feel and yet if we look back at that moment after we were up 1-0, we had two glaring chances to go up to 2-0 and then Montreal started coming to the game, so congratulations to them. All in all, I saw a lot of positive ways on how Real Salt Lake approached the match, we were aggressive the whole night and I think that sometimes it’s going to happen.”

Captain Kyle Beckerman put RSL up 2-1 with a 77th minute goal, but the Claret-and-Cobalt couldn’t hold the lead, with Montreal forward Marco Di Vaio equalizing from an offside position in the 80th minute before Impact Matteo Ferrari found the winner in the 93rd.

“It was 1-1, then 2-2 and then it was 3-2, disappointing for sure," said goalkeeper Nick Rimando. "It was an amateur way to fall to a team that I thought we played a good game against. With the veterans we have on this team, we should have been able to pull back and know that a point on the road is okay. So it’s disappointing for sure, but we have to move on. We should have been able to clear their last corner kick or beat them to the ball and that’s one thing we will look at, clear up and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

The game stayed wide open throughout, with Montreal getting a good look at an equalizer in the 17th. Felipe found Justin Mapp wide open in the right side of the area but Mapp – who had RSL keeper Nick Rimando caught off his line – cut back into traffic on his left instead of shooting with his right and saw his shot blocked.

Real Salt Lake had another chance in the 24th minute. Javier Morales slipped the ball to Devon Sandoval into the right side of the area, but the rookie striker couldn’t keep his shot on frame, driving his effort over the bar from 15 yards out.

Felipe brought the Impact level in the 39th minute. Mapp collected a Jeb Brovsky through ball on the right wing, racing forward for a couple of touches before hitting a cross into the middle. Felipe made a hard-charging run through the box to get to the ball, slotting home inside the far post from eight yards with his first touch.

Felipe’s equalizer took the sides into halftime. Like it did in the first, RSL started the second half well, with Morales forcing Perkins into a good stop with a shot from distance in the 47th before Beckerman ripped a 25-yarder inches wide of the right post in the 48th.

Montreal hit back with an opportunity of its own in the 50th minute. Andrew Wenger got free on the right wing, dribbling into the box before cutting back on his left foot and firing a low shot that a diving Rimando held.

The match settled down after that, with both sides battling in the midfield and struggling to create chances until Beckerman reclaimed the lead for RSL in the 77th. The goal came off of a Morales corner kick, with Garcia flicking a header from the near post to Chris Schuler at the penalty spot. The ball eventually made its way to Beckerman left of the spot, with the Claret-and-Cobalt captain toe-poking a 10-yarder past Perkins and inside the near post.

Unfortunately, RSL’s lead was short-lived, as Di Vaio controversially equalized just three minutes after Beckerman’s goal. Maxim Tissot started the play, dribbling through the middle of the RSL defense before finding Wenger at the top of the box. The 2012 MLS SuperDraft No. 1 pick flicked Di Vaio through in the left side of the box for a scuffed finish off the near post and in. Replays showed that Di Vaio was in an offside position when Wenger played him through.

RSL had a golden opportunity to retake the lead in the 85th minute. Substitute forward Joao Plata – who had only come on seconds earlier – was played behind the Montreal defense by Javier Morales, but the Ecuadorian couldn’t beat Perkins, who came well off of his line to deny Plata’s shot from 15 yards.

That miss would come back to haunt RSL in the 93rd minute, when substitute Blake Smith’s corner kick squeaked through multiple players before falling to Ferrari for a solid right-footed finish from just inside the spot.

Real Salt Lake will now return to Utah, where it will put in a full week of training ahead of next Sunday’s match at Western Conference foe Chivas USA.

Rimando excels at stopping penalty kicks

Fri, 10 May 2013 15:52:25 -0600

SANDY, Utah (ABC 4 Sports) - It's one of the most difficult things to do in soccer -- stopping a penalty kick. Twelve yards is all that stands in the way between the goalkeeper and his opponent. Fortunately for Real Salt Lake, Nick Rimando is the best in the business.

Rimando extended his MLS record to 19 penalty kick saves Wednesday night in the 92nd minute against New England to preserve RSL's 2-1 victory over the Revolution.

"I just think there are certain individuals out there who perform at the biggest moments," head coach Jason Kreis said after the game. "Nick is probably playing the best that I've ever seen him play. Says a lot for his age and where he's at in his career. But, he's looking incredibly confident right now and incredibly positive and he's been a huge contributor to every result we've had.”

"The one thing that is going through my mind is how much Jason has been stressing about getting two victories in a row and how we almost slipped it away with a penalty kick at the end of the game," Rimando said. "I am trying to help my team out as much as I can and lucky for me [Saer] Sene helped me I think on the save on that one. But you know a save is a save and we’ll take the three points.”

In 2012, the MLS average for penalty kick conversions was almost 80 percent. Rimando has allowed goals only 68 percent of the time (41 of 60), which is a big reason why he is just the second keeper in MLS history to record over 100 shutouts.

Rimando took special joy in stopping Saer Sene's shot Wednesday night, because it gave RSL a much-needed three points on the road headed into Saturday's match at Montreal.

“It is huge for us because we wanted to come out and start really well," Rimando said. "This is a team we think we can beat and we matched up good against. It wasn’t the prettiest soccer the whole game. But I think getting these three points on this three game road stint is huge for us. To getting a rhythm going, some confidence and we are going to a very hard place now and trying to get a result there.”

Real Salt Lake and Montreal will kick off at noon Saturday on CW30.

Ziggy Ansah signs 5-year deal with Lions

Fri, 10 May 2013 15:48:13 -0600

DETROIT (ABC 4 Sports) - The Detroit Lions signed defensive end Ziggy Ansah, the fifth overall pick in this year's draft, to a five-year contract on Friday, and Detroit opens its rookie camp with all nine of its draft picks signed.

Details of the deal weren't immediately known, but the deal is expected to be in the $20 million range.

Ansah, who started playing football in 2010, is expected to become an immediate starter for the Lions.

Ansah, cornerback Darius Slay, guard Larry Warford, defensive end Devin Taylor, punter Sam Martin, receiver Corey Fuller, running back Theo Riddick, tight end Michael Williams and linebacker Brandon Hepburn have signed since the draft in April.