Prep notes: Rival players team up for worthy cause

MURRAY — Sam Kaplan and Brian Essig may wear different baseball uniforms but they're on the same team in a very different kind of battle.

Kaplan, a Cottonwood varsity baseball player, and Essig, a Brighton varsity baseball player, decided to team up, along with their teammates and fans, to fight cancer. The boys organized and hosted the first pink baseball game, with the help of Swing For Life, a non-profit organization that benefits the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

The game, which Cottonwood won 12-1, raised more than $1,050 with sales from a silent auction, the sale of team jerseys and other donations. The two boys organized and oversaw the event with the help of Swing For Life.

Co-founder Kathy Howa said she continues to be blown away by the generosity and enthusiasm of the state's prep and college athletes who've helped her organization raise nearly half a million dollars in the last eight years.

The annual Swing For Life Softball Tournament is scheduled for April 23 and 24, and includes more than two dozen teams, the Salt Lake Bees, mascots from all of the major sports teams and the local media.

MORE HONORS FOR LOCAL PREP STARS: Provo High School's Kyle Collinsworth was honored as the Gatorade Utah Boys Basketball Player of the Year, while Springville's Lexi Eaton was named the Gatorade Utah Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Collinsworth is a senior who will play for BYU next season. He led the Bulldogs to a 19-4 record with a semifinal finish in the 4A state tournament. He was the Deseret News Mr. Basketball recipient for the 2009-10 season, a two-time first-team all-state player, and he recorded six triple-doubles this year.

He maintained a 3.78 GPA and is an Eagle Scout who volunteers locally at youth basketball camps.

Eaton is just a junior, but she has already committed to play for BYU when she graduates. The athletic guard led the Red Devils to a perfect 23-0 season and a 4A state title. She was named Ms. Basketball for her skills and leadership on and off the court.

She maintains a 3.97 GPA and averaged 26.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. She is an accomplished pianist, organist and violinist, in addition to being a first-team all-state soccer player for the Red Devils.

NEW ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT JUAN DIEGO: The man who helped build the Soaring Eagle's athletic programs is retiring. Steve Cramblitt, who was also the school's baseball coach, announced his retirement this spring and he will assist the school's new AD, Chris Long, as he takes over the post.

"I am very excited and honestly hope to fill a fraction of Steve's shoes," said Long, who has been the assistant principal over Juan Diego student services for 10 years. "He has built and maintained a high level of excellence in the sports programs.

Dr. Galey Colosimo, principal of Juan Diego, had praise for both men.

"Cramblitt's coaching for Utah high school baseball alone is legendary, setting the bar high for the sport's future. But he also brought a greater expectation of academic proficiency, ethics and Christian behavior to the athlete programs," said Dr. Colosimo. "With Chris' experience in the halls, he will build on Steve's great work."

e-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com