High school sports: Looking forward to 2008

In 2007, we saw Alta and Layton battle for the 5A football championship in front of the second-largest high school football crowd in state history. We witnessed two of the most inspirational athletes the state has ever seen in Wayne's Porter Ellett and Bear River's Jordan Oyler.

It won't be easy for 2008 to top the past year of high school sports, but not impossible.

The first high school sports competitions of 2008 were held on Wednesday night, tipping off what should be another memorable year.

Here's a month-by-month breakdown of things to look forward to in 2008:

JANUARY

Region play begins in basketball, and swimming starts to wind down. But the big event of the first month of the year is the Utah All-Star Classic at UVSC on Jan. 15.

The format of the wrestling tournament changed last year from a big schools vs. small schools competition, to teams being split by classifications — 1A/2A, 3A, 4A and 5A. The change was made to give more wrestlers an opportunity to participate in the event. The classic, now in its eighth year, was won by Class 5A last year.

FEBRUARY

It is one of the busiest months of the year, as championships will be decided in swimming, diving, wrestling and boys and girls basketball.

It isn't easy to highlight just one event from February, but one of the most anticipated competitions of the year is the Class 5A girls basketball tournament. The pre-tournament favorite appears to be Skyline, which features the devastating combination of Dani Peterson and Jenteal Jackson. The Eagles will face tough competition from teams such as Bingham, American Fork, Lone Peak and Jordan.

MARCH

The biggest day in March is the first day of the month. The 4A and 5A championship games in boys basketball will be played at Weber State, while the 1A title game is at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield.

In 5A, everyone expects Lone Peak to be participating in the title game at the Dee Events Center. The list of teams that could face the Knights — or upset them in an early round — is extensive: Brighton, Pleasant Grove, Davis, West Jordan, Bingham, Spanish Fork and Alta.

In 4A, there are big guys such as Bountiful's Ben Aird and Sky View's Jordan Stone capable of leading their team to the state title. If Whitehorse wins in 1A, it could be the feel-good story of the year.