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Miner boys’ LAX completes Park City title sweep

The Park City High School boys lacrosse team poses with its championship trophy after beating Herriman 16-4 on Saturday night at Dozier Field. Christopher Reeves/Park Record
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Six hours after the Park City High School girls’ lacrosse team hoisted its Division I championship trophy, the Miner boys’ celebrated with a title trophy of their own.

Just before sundown at Dozier Field in Park City, the Miners threw their sticks in the air as the clock struck zero on their 16-4 rout of Herriman.

The result was never really in doubt for Park City. Leading 2-1 after one quarter of play, the Miners pulled away in the second behind two goals from Christian Pompoco and one apiece from Chad Merrick and Carson Dutkanych.

The third quarter was all Park City, as the Miners outscored Herriman 7-1 in the period to take a 13-3 lead. Pompoco added another two goals (he’d lead all scorers with six on the night) and Chase Christensen also had two goals in the third.

With the result all but official during the final 12 minutes, Park City held possession, thanks to some impressive faceoff expertise from Jackson Burton. Goalkeeper Sheridan Buchholz and the rest of the Park City defense held firm, turning in one of its best performances of the season to frustrate the Mustangs.

In fact, it might have been the best all-around performance from the Miners all season.

"One of the best, for sure," Pompoco said. "Everyone came out to play today and we just killed it. The coaches said we had to play all four quarters and that’s what we did."

"We definitely came out hard and did exactly what we were supposed to do and didn’t stop," Dutkanych added. "We won every quarter."

Park City coach Andy Langendorf said he was feeling uneasy heading into the game, but those nerves quickly settled.

"I was a little nervous because the kids seemed pretty relaxed this afternoon," he said. "I talked to the other coaches and said, ‘Hey, are we ready?’ and they all said we were. Then we stepped out on the field and seemed to fire on all cylinders. That was great to see."

Saturday’s win was extra sweet for Park City. On Thursday, April 24, Herriman came to Dozier Field and beat Park City 14-10 in a game that saw the Miners put only eight shots on goal while scoring twice in the first half.

Dutkanych said that’s been on Park City’s mind all week.

"That’s all we practiced for – all we did was shoot, shoot, shoot," he said. "Then we came out and produced."

Though Park City was eager to get another chance against Herriman, Pompoco said the team kept in mind that it didn’t play up to its potential earlier in the season.

"We knew we didn’t play well that game," he said. "But we also knew we were going to have to come out strong tonight if we wanted to win."

For Pompoco, Dutkanych and the rest of the Park City seniors, winning a state title on their home field was the perfect way to end their high school careers.

"I’ve been waiting for this day since seventh grade when my brother played in the state championship game," Dutkanych said. "I couldn’t have ever pictured a 16-4 win like this though.

"We’ve been saying since the beginning of the year that we were both [PCHS boys and girls] going to win it. When we found out the games were on Dozier, it was even more motivating. Then, when the girls won it, we were like, ‘Well, now we’ve got to win it.’"

Langendorf said it was awesome to see the seniors turn in such a dominant performance in their final game.

"They just unleashed tonight," he said. "[Colton] Kissell, Pompoco, Carson – they all played great. Noah was great on defense. You can’t say enough about those guys – they led us all the way through this game."

And, he added, seeing how much this year’s squad has improved over the course of this season was a reward in itself.

"When you’re a coach, you always hope for the best and prepare for the worst," he said. "The only thing that I can do to affect the results is make sure we work hard. We work hard every minute we’re on the field and we end up where we end up. Tonight, we ended up being champions, and that’s awesome."

Park City ended its season with a record of 15-4.


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