"She knew she was the only experienced pitcher we had," Lisa Parker said. "She had a lot riding on her shoulders, and she had a lot of people reminding her about it. She was pretty willing to take on that roll and give it her best."

Parker is an honor student who also played varsity volleyball for the Spartans.

3A MVP: LAUREN FOLTA, Tooele

Tooele head coach Barry Pitt knew he had a special athlete when he watched Folta throw the softball. But what he's come to appreciate is her willingness to do whatever the team needs, regardless of her own desires.

"She's a good one," Pitt said. "She's just the kind of girl that doesn't question anything. She does what you ask her to do. She takes her assignment and leads more by example than anything else."

Folta is the team's No. 1 pitcher, but when she wasn't in the circle, she played shortstop. She finished the year with a .333 batting average and 19 RBIs. She only made one fielding error and finished with an 0.38 ERA as a pitcher. She had 152 strikeouts in 93 innings and threw five no-hitters. She won all 15 games, and 11 of those were shutouts. She's an honor student who also played basketball for Tooele.

"Her strength is her focus and her dedication to the game," Pitt said. "Her mental ability is amazing."

2A MVP: KELSIE JOHNSON, Manti

As a returning senior who'd led the Templars to a 2A title and earned MVP honors in 2006, Kelsie Johnson had every reason to rest on her laurels. She did nothing of the kind, working harder than ever, even after injuring her back.

"I never heard her complain," said Manti coach Susan Hatch. "She just did what she needed to do. I was really impressed with her as a team captain."

Johnson was a consistent pitcher, who also led the team offensively. She finished the year with an 0.96 ERA, one no-hitter and five shutouts as she led Manti to its third straight 2A title. She also had a .320 batting average and a .380 on-base percentage.

Hatch took over the program's head-coaching duties after Johnson's father had to step down while the family finished building a house.

"I wasn't sure how she'd do after Russ had to quit," Hatch said. "He'd been coaching her since she was in fifth grade. But she stepped up and did really, really well. ... She just does it all for the team. She takes real responsibility for the team and realized the importance of her role."

Johnson also played varsity basketball for the Templars.

---

E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com