Morgan High boys sports: year in review
Jun 06, 2024 12:48PM ● By Liisa London Mecham
The Morgan boys track team was one of two boys teams to take state in 2023-2024. Track and tennis have earned a combined 11 state titles since 1994, and nine of those championships since 2018. Photo by John Heywood
Morgan’s golf team poses after winning the state championship last fall. They overcame horrible weather to earn back their title after losing it in 2022. Morgan golf has won six state championships. Photo courtesy of MHS Golf
Looking back over the 2023-2024 school year, there are many amazing moments and performances. There are moments known to many that occurred under the spotlights and resulted in accolades and trophies, and there are moments known to few that happened when no one else was looking or even realized the grandeur of the action of an athlete or team. Each athlete competed with heart and dedication, and it’s exciting to look back at their accomplishments.
Two boys teams brought home state titles, adding to their coffers. Golf won their sixth title while track earned their fifth. Both teams have found tremendous success in recent years. Boys’ wrestling earned an outright third place whereas football, baseball and soccer achieved theoretical bronze status due to no games being played after semifinal losses in their tournaments. Morgan’s boys volleyball team excelled in its inaugural season, claiming fourth overall in the state. With 26 state championships in the books since MHS began, the male athletes at Morgan are doing a great job bringing ”honor to Morgan’s proud name.”
2024 state champions
Boys Golf – Last fall, the MHS golf team reclaimed their state championship title which they held from 2018-2021. They won by an impressive 15 strokes over second-place Union and third-place Richfield. Junior Lance Loughton and senior Zayline McCleary took individual medalist and runner-up honors. This title is Morgan’s sixth overall (1994, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023).
Boys Track- The Boys’ track and field team won their fourth championship in five seasons and a sixth overall. Each member of the team added points to the total at state as the track family rallied after placing second at the Region Championships for the first time since 2015. Brogan Garrett (400m) and Tucker Giles (800m) won individual state titles while the 4x400 relay (Giles, Maverick Guymon, Kenny Whitmer, Garrett) and medley relay (Jacob Carter, Jacob Halls, Guymon, Giles) added to the stash of gold.
2024 state third place
Boys Wrestling- The boys’ wrestling team produced two individual champions, Zak Sargent and Drew Korth, and two additional finalists, Ryler Jorgensen, and Luke Woolsey. As a team, the Trojans placed third behind Juab and South Summit.
Football- The Trojans won Region 13 handily and earned a No. 3 seed in the tournament. They fell to Manti 35-21 in the semifinal game, finishing the year with an 8-4 record, with three early losses coming against bigger schools including Crimson Cliffs, the 2023 4A state champions.
Boys Baseball- Trojans baseball was one win away from returning to the state title game for a chance to win Morgan's first baseball championships since 1951. No. 5 Morgan lost a 3-1 game to No. 4 Canyon View and dropped into the one-lose bracket before beating No. 1 seed Grantsville and No. 8 seed Emery to set up a rematch with Canyon View. Morgan won the rematch 8-1, forcing a second game which went to Canyon View 10-3. No. 7 Union beat Canyon View, 3-2 and 9-3, to win the state title.
Boys Soccer- The No. 2 seeded Trojans lost a heartbreaker to No. 3 Ogden in the semifinals 1-0. The Tigers went on to win the title 4-1 over No.1 Manti. Morgan finished the season with a 14-3 record. Two of their losses were to Ogden (one in the semis and one during region play 3-0), and the other to 6A Syracuse, 2-1.
2024 state fourth place
Boys Volleyball- Morgan came very close to winning a region title in volleyball after knocking off first-place Grantsville in Grantsville in four games. At state, Morgan won their opening two matches before falling to eventual champion, North Sanpete, 3-1, in the semifinals The Trojans will return a strong, experienced team next year for their second-year campaign.
2024 state fifth place
Boys Cross Country- After losing some runners to graduation, the young team pulled together to place fifth overall. Junior EJ Lee finished eighth overall. Morgan’s other scorers were one junior, a freshman, and two sophomores. The future looks bright for the Trojan harriers.
2024 state sixth place
Boys Swimming-The boys’ swim team continues to grow and improve. The top individual placers were Elijah Pfeifer (7th-Boys 100 Freestyle) and Connor Smith (7th-Boys 100 Backstroke). Morgan’s highest finish was the Boys 400 Free Relay placing sixth.
End-of-year state results
Boys Basketball- No. 7 seed in RPI, lost 59-59 to Judge Memoria in the second round of playoffs.
Boys Tennis- Boys tennis played 15th at State. No. 13 Treyson Ordyna, 2nd Singles, upset the No. 4 seed from Ogden in the round of 16 before falling in the quarterfinals. Luke Wilson and Jackson Flitton, 1st Doubles, and Blake Hadley and Tripp Curtis, 2nd Doubles won their first-round matches to advance to the Round of 16.
State championships by sport
Football: 8 (1940, 1977, 1979, 1983, 1993, 1997, 2019, 2022)
Golf: 6 (1994, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023)
Track: 5 (1996, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2024)
Basketball: 4 (1974, 2013, 2014, 2019)
Baseball: 1 (1951)
Cross Country: 1 (2018)
Wrestling: 1 (1962)
Soccer: 0
Swimming: 0
Tennis: 0
Volleyball: 0
UHSAA sanctioned sports that Morgan didn’t have a team in 2023-2024
Boys Lacrosse. λ
