By Catherine Garrett | [email protected]

Corner Canyon High’s boys lacrosse coach Aaron Ika was recently named the Utah High School Activities Association Coach of the Year. This honor comes following a 22-0 season that ended with the state’s first UHSAA-sanctioned championship. 

“What a great time it is to coach these young men,” Ika said. “They worked their tails off to become state champions. They make me look good and put in a ton of hard work to get where they are.” 

CCHS Athletic Director Patrick Thurman said Ika’s involvement in lacrosse for years as well as his role in transitioning the program from a club sport to being sanctioned was instrumental in the Chargers’ success this year. “Aaron is passionate about the sport and is happy to share his knowledge with other coaches around the state,” Thurman said. “He also has put together an all-star staff, full of former head coaches and players who know and love the game. They push the boys hard, but with the end goal to help them to be their best.”

The Chargers dominant play all season also brought national recognition to the program with a top-10 finish. “This is a great group of players to coach and they are driven to become even better,” Ika said. “They are focused on the next game and making the next play. They won’t rest on what they have done because they know they have more to give and more to prove.” 

Ika was introduced to the sport 15 years ago when his oldest son, Parker—who went on to play at Utah and Utah Valley University—began to play. His son, Trae, currently plays for St. Joseph’s University, his daughter Malia is on the CCHS JV squad and his youngest won, OJ, played for the eighth-grade state championship team last season. 

“Coaching at Corner Canyon is great,” Ika said. “The school is fantastic and does whatever they can for their students whether you are in a club or on a sports team. They want everyone to succeed and everyone to feel like they belong. It makes coaching easy.”