Jared Lloyd. Daily Herald

For most of the first half of Tuesday’s 5A state semifinal girls lacrosse clash at Westminster College’s Dumke Field in Salt Lake City against No. 3-seed Olympus, No. 2-seed Salem Hills was right where it wanted to be.

The Skyhawks were going toe-to-to with the talented Titans, with a goal from sophomore Rachel Turner knotting the score at 5-5.

From there on, however, things unraveled for Salem Hills.

First, Olympus was able to seize control late in the second quarter with three straight goals to get a lead going into halftime.

Then, as the Skyhawks tried to rally, disaster struck.

Jared Lloyd. Daily Herald

Salem Hills senior star Brooke Warren, the player Skyhawk head coach Cliff Yerkes called “our everything” picked up a costly card while chasing a play and was sent off.

“Our game plan was to hang around for the fourth quarter and be in the game,” Yerkes said. When you have a player of Brooke Warrens caliber leave the game, like we had, we’re not ready to recover from something like that.

“She leads the state in draw control. She has 74% over 300 draws, with 68 goals, 25 assists and she is in the Top 5 in ground balls in the whole state. The kid is an incredible player, and so to lose her was really, really tragic.”

Credit the rest of the Salem Hills team for giving everything it had the rest of the way but the challenges proved to be insurmountable as Olympus ended the magical Skyhawk season, 16-7.

“Our kids played hard,” Yerkes said. “They are fighters and they hung in there. I think we showed that we belong. It was tough but it was fun.”

Jared Lloyd. Daily Herald

Despite not having things go their way in the semifinals, Yerkes highlighted the many successes Salem Hills had in 2025.

“They bought in and the seniors took over and owned it,” Yerkes said. “It was incredible how much work they’ve put in. I’m super-proud. It’s been so much fun to go 19-2. We beat everyone in our region by 10 goals or more. We beat Lone Peak. We beat Skyridge. I like our chances to play with anyone at full strength with Brooke.”

Although it will be tough to replace Warren, Yerkes believes this is just the beginning for the Skyhawks.

“We put seven kids on the first-team All Region and only one is a senior (Warren),” Yerkes said. “She showed us the way but the program has got a really, really bright future. None of these kids played lacrosse before high school, not one. To get this far with no youth programs is a credit to their toughness and hard work and dedication.”

He said he believes his team is ready to embrace the elevated expectations after its run to the 5A semifinals.

Jared Lloyd. Daily Herald

“We need to get kids playing club to get to the next level, but we welcome that future 100%,” Yerkes said. “Hopefully the young players can learn from the dedication of the seniors and really buy in. If they do, the sky is the limit.”

Olympus advanced to face top-seeded Park City in the 5A championship at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Thursday.

No. 4 Skyridge gives No. 1 Mountain Ridge a tough battle, but ends up losing in 6A semis

The young Skyridge program appeared to be a little skittish in the early going of Tuesday’s 6A semifinal contest against top-seeded Mountain Ridge at Westminster College’s Dumke Field and the Sentinels took advantage, scoring the first four goals.

But this Falcon squad wasn’t going to back down and came roaring back, eventually tying the match at 7-7 early in the second half.

Mountain Ridge, however, had an answer.

The Sentinels scored five of the next six goals to regain the lead and although Skyridge stayed close enough to be dangerous, the Falcons ran out of time to close the gap and lost, 14-11.

“I love their fight,” Skyridge head coach Michelle Buechner said. “They got down by several goals in the first quarter, and they did not give up. They were not willing to go quietly off of that field. They were going to hustle and fight for every ball in the air and on the ground. I’m just really proud of them for not getting down on themselves at any time.”

While the Falcons saw their season end, Buechner said her underclassmen have got a glimpse of what they are capable of and will look to build off of that.

“I am so proud of these kids for getting here,” Buechner said. “I think for a team that is more than half freshmen, they overachieved for what was expected of them this season. We had great leadership from our senior captains. It built up those freshmen and taught them how to work hard. Now the young players know what it feels like to come this far. It was a great experience.”

Mountain Ridge advances to the 6A state title game, which will take place at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman on Thursday.

No. 12 Cedar Valley falls to No. 1 Park City in 5A semifinals

The 5A girls lacrosse Cinderella run of 2025 was put together by Cedar Valley, which needed heroic performances to get past No. 21 Timpview (10-9), No.5 Viewmont (12-9) and No. 13 Box Elder (16-14).

That run, however, came to an end in Thursday’s 5A semifinals against top-seeded Park City.

The Miners seized control early and never looked back, rolling to the 17-1 victory and ending the season for the Aviators.

Cedar Valley finished the year with a 13-8 record, going 4-2 in Region 7 action.

Other games

No. 5 Provo took on No. 1 Bear River in the first 4A semifinal, while No. 6 Payson battled No. 2 Waterford in the other.

Both games concluded after the Daily Herald’s print deadline, so check back for score updates.