The three-time defending state 6A boys lacrosse champions pulled out a 12-11 double overtime thriller over Davis in the state title game May 24 to remain dominant over the four-year stretch since the UHSAA officially sanctioned the sport. And, the Chargers sent out the only coach they’ve had since 2020 in style as Aaron Ika moved to the East Coast a couple of weeks later, taking his son OJ—the first freshman in Utah to ever be named a U.S. LAX All-American—to attend and play for Loomis Chaffee, a nationally-renowned lacrosse and academic school in Windsor, Connecticut.

“Each state championship has been pretty sweet in its own way, but this was pretty special knowing that it would be my last,” coach Ika said. “These boys worked their tail off to get there. It’s very bittersweet.”

6A Playoff Most Valuable Player Mitch Phippen, the team’s goalie, said, “Winning the state championship this year was one of the most amazing experiences, especially because of how young this team was and it being coach Ika’s last year. This championship really meant so much to everyone on the team.”

Sophomore Tanner Adamson, who was named 6A First Team All-State, said, “Winning state was the best feeling I’ve ever had. It was also super relieving because of all the hard work our team had to go through and it felt like everything we had done and were working for was finally accomplished in that moment.”

Junior Max McKenna said, “Winning state this year meant so much to me. In our program it’s not necessarily about winning the championship, it’s about making it to the dog pile at the end of the year and celebrating all our accomplishments as a team. It was an unbelievable rush when the buzzers went off—everyone rallying around each other and jumping into that pile was pure euphoria. Also, the hard work, sweat, and dedication that we had put in culminated all in that moment as we were able to celebrate that win together.”

At the 6A state tournament, the top-seeded Corner Canyon squad defeated Mountain Ridge 22-23 in the second round—after a first-round bye. In the quarterfinals, the Chargers beat No. 8 Bingham 17-3 before an 11-3 win over No. 4 Farmington in the semis to reach the championship game against Davis.

This year’s state title felt especially gratifying as the Chargers returned a young group and needed to fill voids left by multiple All-State players. In addition, Corner Canyon won its first State Academic Team championship for excellence in the classroom.

“Repeating is tough, but continually building the next group up and having no fall off is really hard to do,” coach Ika said. “It takes a lot of evaluation of players and ourselves as coaches and constant adjustments. But, our large staff is a brain trust of lacrosse knowledge and they have done a phenomenal job.”

After a 13-1 start to the season—where the Chargers outscored opponents 209 to 45 losing only to eventual 5A champ Brighton—they faced two of the state’s best teams in Olympus, where they lost 6-7, and then Park City, who they beat 7-6.

“That was the toughest we’ve ever had in building a schedule to face several top teams, but we wanted to be ready for the playoffs,” coach Ika said. “We had to really work to get better.”

Adamson said, “The keys for winning with a younger team was trusting each other to do their job and putting in the work during practice. We knew we didn’t have as much experience as the older players so we had to make up for it but putting in extra work on and off the field together.”

McKenna agreed. “You can’t make it as far as we have without having trust in your teammates—it doesn’t matter if they’re a freshman or a senior, once we step on the field we’re all one together and we all trusted in each other’s abilities to do our job. Despite our age, the talent that we possessed as a team was remarkable.”

OJ Ika said the beginning of the year was difficult since the team was trying to find its identity. 

“As the season progressed things started to fall into place and everyone started to work together. Everyone had a role no matter what and everyone was expected to do the best they could at their role,” OJ Ika said. 

Phippen said the key to overcoming roadblocks throughout the season was building team chemistry while keeping high expectations. “We pushed each other to be the best versions of ourselves,” he said. “As the year went on each practice began getting more and more competitive and we were pushing ourselves as a team which built overall team chemistry.”

Joining OJ Ika as an All-American was senior Kisen Muramoto while Phippen and senior Conner Zaharis were named Academic All-Americans.

Others on the 6A First Team All-State squad with Adamson were OJ Ika, Muramoto, Phippen and sophomore Rhett King while senior Ashton Free, junior William Perry and freshman Kampton Dutton were recognized as Honorable Mention All-State. Phippen, Zaharis and senior Andersen Lewis were honored as Academic All-State recipients.

Those earning All-Region commendation were Offensive Player of the Year OJ Ika; Defensive Player of the Year Phippen; OJ Ika, Muramoto, Adamson, Phippen, King, Free, Dutton and junior Easton Daynes on the First Team; Perry and fellow juniors Pierson DeGracie and Michael Wheatley on the Second Team; and Aaron Ika as the Coach of the Year.

Also on the CCHS team this past season were seniors Jack Dalley, Nick Erasmus, Carson Hall, Braden Larson, Parker Vincent and Conner Welling; juniors Ben Andrews, Kaden Ballman, Will Broman, Lincoln Crittendon, Noah Dunbar, Jagger Gamache, Cason Hiatt, Aj Leggett, Perry Lundstadt, Tanner Oldroyd, Miles Parkinson, Will Russell, Brock Sorenson, Max Taylor and Cole Wentworth; sophomores Cole Bonham, Jake Bonham, Ashton Brown, Cameron Crayk, Luke Fankhauser, Luke Fisher, Deken Knowles, Andrew Laker, Austin Larson, Asher MacPherson, Marcus Mellenthin, Ren Neilson, Teag Quinlan, Jake Roe, Zack Ware and Bridger Zimmerman; and freshmen James Bowman, Blake Parkinson, Jack Rasmussen and Cameron Wade.

Coach Ika ended his tenure at Corner Canyon with a 75-5 overall mark and an undefeated showing in region play the past four years.

Adamson said, “Coach Ika has built a winning culture throughout our team. He fulfills players’ potential and makes them believe in themselves. He has personally developed me from a young age as well as many other players.”

McKenna said, “Coach Ika is remarkable and you’ll never find another coach like him. He’s not only had an immense impact on me as a coach and mentor, but the program as a whole. He’s helped to instill a deep sense of discipline, teamwork and sportsmanship. Coach Ika has always preached our three pillars: We, not me; Do your job; and Be all in. He’s helped to ensure that all these were put into place.”

OJ Ika said, “My dad has been one of my biggest supporters and has taught me almost everything I know. To have him as a coach this year was special. There were some tough moments, but when we step on the field he’s my coach, and I take what he says and apply it to my game. 

“He has built such a great program with the best coaching staff you could ask for. No one feels left out of anything. Everyone is always included and that goes a long way.”

Phippen said, “Coach Ika’s impact on the program and every individual in it has been so immense. Ika knows how to bring the best out of each and every one of us and his impact has extended past just the lacrosse field. In my experience he’s taught me so many life skills like accountability, the importance of teamwork and how to take responsibility.”

“As coaches we believed in this team,” coach Ika said. “As the year went on, they started to believe. They were determined and overlooked because of how young our team was and how many players we had to replace. No one thought we were going to win, but we were able to prove everyone wrong.” 

Coach Ika, who said this is “one of the funnest, most stressful, most rewarding things I’ve ever done,” now hands the reins of the boys lacrosse program to long-time CCHS assistant coach Jeff King.

Girls lacrosse

The Corner Canyon girls squad, playing as the No. 14 seed, lost to No. 3 Farmington 21-8 May 16 in the second round of the 6A state tournament.

“The score was 9-5 at the half and we had to play another game missing key players due to injuries, illness and a wedding,” said head coach Matt Kenning. “Our kids played well.”

All-State junior forward—and the school’s all-time scoring leader—Cat Faucette scored five goals—on five shots on goal—while All-State junior midfielder Sophie Jacobs had two goals, two caused turnovers and a ground ball. All-State junior defender Mia Ambrose recorded three ground balls, two draw controls and “played solid defense.”

The Chargers earned a first-round bye in the postseason due to a huge upset of Skyridge, one of the top teams in 6A, with a 12-11 win May 10 with sophomore Alice Linford scoring with just seconds left in the game.

“In all my years of coaching that was my favorite game ever,” Kenning said. “It was a key win, on the road, against a huge rival who had a much better record and was loaded with experienced juniors and seniors. I have coached some awesome teams and have had some great wins, but this one is the best of them all.”

Also on the team this season were senior Kayla Vaughn; juniors Janset Aykanat, Brinley Criddle, Emilie Dowland, Lillian Hall, Tessa Hannon, Stefanie Hunt, Lilliam McAllister, Britta Neilson and Marissa Parker; sophomores Avery Berger, Lillian Burnet, Helena Galbreath, Katelyn Moffat, Sophie Parker and Ivy West; and freshmen Sophia Hall and Rebekkah Morris.

“Our young team has been working so hard all season, to get that win [against Skyridge] meant so much to our team and was a validation of our hard work all season,” Kenning said. “It will propel us into next season when we are able to bring back most of our starters and we’ll have several incoming freshmen. We are excited for the future at CC and can't wait to get back to our winning ways.” λ