Region 11 Preview: Bears not inclined to relax
By Jon Yorgason
Standard-Examiner correspondent
Last season, the Bear River Bears and Logan Grizzlies finished 1-2 in Region 11 play and then later
found themselves playing for third and fourth place in the state 3-A tournament.
If all goes according to plan, the Bears and Grizzlies should once again finish at the top of the region
and both could go deep into the playoffs.
But Bears' coach Van Park is not counting his chickens just yet.
"This region is very competitive," he said. "When region starts, you throw away the preseason records.
Preseason rankings don't mean anything. We're playing the game of basketball. We're not playing
against the polls or rankings. Our goal is to get better every game. If we can do that then good things
will happen."
If the Bears actually do get better every game then they're going to be downright scary by the end of the
year. So far Bear River is off to a perfect 8-0 start, and one of its best players isn't even completely
healthy yet.
Matt Weyland, whose highlights last season included a 25-foot buzzer-beater to knock off Morgan in
double overtime and a 20-point, 12 rebound effort in the Bears' final playoff game, partially tore his
medial collateral ligament early in the school year and is slowly working his way back into form.
When Weyland is added to a mix that includes leading scorer Wade Bronson, Isaac Erickson and
coach's kid Morgan Park, then the Bears should be considered serious challengers for a state
championship.
"These kids play well together," coach Park said. "They love to play basketball together. This is one of
the best passing teams and one of the best defensive teams I've ever coached. We've got four kids
averaging double figures, which should cause some matchup problems for other teams."
Logan returns several key players from last year's team, including star point guard Omar McDade,
forwards Zach Skabelund and Jeff Manning and center Darrick McIntosh.
The Grizzlies are off to a bit of a slow start at 4-4, but should be there at the end.
Morgan, led by longtime coach Jim Wiscombe, finished third in Region 11 a year ago and hopes to at
least be in that position again this season.
"I think in our region there are two teams that are ahead of the rest of us, Bear River and Logan,"
Wiscombe said. "Those are the teams you've got to gun for. The rest of us are right there in the pack.
But I think on a given night, we can beat anybody in our gym."
Morgan will be led by returning point guard Chase Markham as well as forwards Tyson Winchester
and Travis Henriod. Shooting guard Parker Winchester is a 3-point threat and 6-4 junior center Scott
Clark has a soft shooting touch around the basket.
Ogden joins Morgan in what figures to be a fight for third place. At 3-5, the Tigers have already shown
that they are competitive. Nik Allred and Eric Porter lead the team in scoring, while Darinn Gomez and
Jordan Hawkins are among the players who will see plenty of court time for new coach Jace McKee.
Ben Lomond, under coach Mark Hansen, went just 1-9 in league play last year, and could be in for
another tough season. The Scots are 1-5 and are on the road three straight games before returning
home on Jan. 7.
Tyler Gardner leads the Scots with 16.5 points per game, while Marco Perez and Keegan Border also
figure to be steady contributors.
Grantsville (2-7) finished in fourth place a year ago and is led by Alex Childs and Reggie Roberts.
By Jon Yorgason
Standard-Examiner correspondent
Last season, the Bear River Bears and Logan Grizzlies finished 1-2 in Region 11 play and then later
found themselves playing for third and fourth place in the state 3-A tournament.
If all goes according to plan, the Bears and Grizzlies should once again finish at the top of the region
and both could go deep into the playoffs.
But Bears' coach Van Park is not counting his chickens just yet.
"This region is very competitive," he said. "When region starts, you throw away the preseason records.
Preseason rankings don't mean anything. We're playing the game of basketball. We're not playing
against the polls or rankings. Our goal is to get better every game. If we can do that then good things
will happen."
If the Bears actually do get better every game then they're going to be downright scary by the end of the
year. So far Bear River is off to a perfect 8-0 start, and one of its best players isn't even completely
healthy yet.
Matt Weyland, whose highlights last season included a 25-foot buzzer-beater to knock off Morgan in
double overtime and a 20-point, 12 rebound effort in the Bears' final playoff game, partially tore his
medial collateral ligament early in the school year and is slowly working his way back into form.
When Weyland is added to a mix that includes leading scorer Wade Bronson, Isaac Erickson and
coach's kid Morgan Park, then the Bears should be considered serious challengers for a state
championship.
"These kids play well together," coach Park said. "They love to play basketball together. This is one of
the best passing teams and one of the best defensive teams I've ever coached. We've got four kids
averaging double figures, which should cause some matchup problems for other teams."
Logan returns several key players from last year's team, including star point guard Omar McDade,
forwards Zach Skabelund and Jeff Manning and center Darrick McIntosh.
The Grizzlies are off to a bit of a slow start at 4-4, but should be there at the end.
Morgan, led by longtime coach Jim Wiscombe, finished third in Region 11 a year ago and hopes to at
least be in that position again this season.
"I think in our region there are two teams that are ahead of the rest of us, Bear River and Logan,"
Wiscombe said. "Those are the teams you've got to gun for. The rest of us are right there in the pack.
But I think on a given night, we can beat anybody in our gym."
Morgan will be led by returning point guard Chase Markham as well as forwards Tyson Winchester
and Travis Henriod. Shooting guard Parker Winchester is a 3-point threat and 6-4 junior center Scott
Clark has a soft shooting touch around the basket.
Ogden joins Morgan in what figures to be a fight for third place. At 3-5, the Tigers have already shown
that they are competitive. Nik Allred and Eric Porter lead the team in scoring, while Darinn Gomez and
Jordan Hawkins are among the players who will see plenty of court time for new coach Jace McKee.
Ben Lomond, under coach Mark Hansen, went just 1-9 in league play last year, and could be in for
another tough season. The Scots are 1-5 and are on the road three straight games before returning
home on Jan. 7.
Tyler Gardner leads the Scots with 16.5 points per game, while Marco Perez and Keegan Border also
figure to be steady contributors.
Grantsville (2-7) finished in fourth place a year ago and is led by Alex Childs and Reggie Roberts.
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