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American Fork boys lacrosse surges past Davis to reach 6A finals

By Jared Lloyd - | May 25, 2022
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American Fork players celebrate after the 6A semifinal game against Davis at Westminster College in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
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American Fork players attempt to defend the goal during the 6A semifinal game against Davis at Westminster College in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.
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American Fork senior Zach Bezzant battles for the ball during the 6A semifinal game against Davis at Westminster College in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, May 25, 2022.

In the early going of Wednesday’s 6A semifinal at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, the American Fork boys lacrosse team seemed to be having a tough time settling in.

The No. 3-seeded Cavemen saw the No. 2-seed Davis seize the early momentum as the Dart tallied a couple of goals and forced American Fork into some early mistakes.

Were the Cavemen going to panic?

Not this team.

“It’s a game of runs,” American Fork head coach Tyson Poole said. “I don’t ever worry about what the scoreboard says. As long as it’s within five, anything can happen. We have some key players who really have a big impact on this team and they make plays.”

One of those is senior Zach Bezzant, who said that even in a semifinal setting, he wasn’t going to let the slow start get to him.

“It’s didn’t bother me, although maybe it was tough for others,” Bezzant said. “We just had to get our rhythm and work with it.”

That confidence showed on the field as the Cavemen rallied from the early deficit, scoring eight straight goals while stymying the Davis offense. That set the tone for American Fork to pull away and get the 11-6 win over the Darts.

“It was just a consistent game,” Bezzant said. “That’s all we were going for. We started a little slow but we got our momentum and our flow was working to open things up a bit.”

Poole said the combination of talent and determination is what got the Cavemen to this point.

“Having the top faceoff guy in the state, having an offense that likes to push it, having a defense that wants to be physical but make smart moves, that’s what’s allowed us to be here,” Poole said. “And now we’re going to championship.”

Poole said he is thrilled to have the opportunity to compete for a title.

“We have 16 seniors,” Poole said. “The program has never done this before. We’ve been fortunate to go to the semis as a club team, but this is all we talked about all year. We wanted to inspire each other to where we can get to the championship and enjoy the ride. It hasn’t really hit in, obviously. We’ll go get these guys recovered and come into Friday with hopefully a good attitude and high spirits, then we will go compete.”

Bezzant said it is fulfilling to see the hard work pay off.

“It’s awesome,” Bezzant said. “I’m excited. It’s going to be fun and I’m pumped.”

The challenge is now preparing for the top team in the state in Corner Canyon, a Region 4 rival who defeated American Fork twice during region play.

“We know what they do,” Bezzant said. “If we play our game, play blue-collar American Fork lacrosse, we can stick with them. I can’t want to take them on. It’s going to be a good game.”

Poole said he believes his team is ready to make the most of the opportunity.

“Anything can happen, and they know it,” Poole said. “Corner Canyon has a great team and is a group that in the state of Utah is respected. They know what they’re capable of. We know what they’re capable of. We got to have our ‘A’ game but if we have our ‘A’ game in a championship arena, anything’s possible.”

The Cavemen will face the Chargers for the 6A title at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Friday at 7 p.m.

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