As divisional wrestling began to take place, Salem hills was proud to send twelve of their most elite wrestlers to compete in a tournament in which few prevail. Out of these twelve the Skyhawks sent nine to compete in the renowned state tournament: Derek Mangleson, Craig Findalay, Zack Darling, Chase Wilson, Spencer Davis, Scott Isacson, Stetson Talon and Walker Vantasle. Derek Mangleson has been a huge part of the Skyhawk team. Only a junior, Derek is a favorite to compete for the state heavy weight title. If Derek were able to achieve this amazing feat he would be the second to do so in Salem Hills’ history. He would join Philip Sorenson who won the state title at 189 last year. “Derek is a great wrestler.” said assistant coach Clay Denton. “He is strong in every aspect of the sport and should be a good contender.” A big part of a successful team is confidence in the coaches. And according to wrestler Nate Jellum they have that. “We trust our coaches to lead us to victory,” said senior JT Atkinson. All in all, the Skyhawk wrestling team will have a good challenging run in the state playoffs.

On the 28th of January Salem Hills was fortunate enough to play host to a concert with Shaun Barrowes. This performance involved the Dance Company, Percussion Ensemble and the Singers. The groups collaborated with Mr. Barrowes on different songs and also featured individuals singing solos and along with him. Percussion Ensemble played “Army of Kings”. Dance Company presented many dances one of them being “Emotion Constellation”. While practicing for the performance Shaun Barrowes would share with the people involved the background and meaning of the song to help them convey the true spirit of it. All the different groups performed exceptional and it was a smashing hit as everyone was entertained and pleased with what they saw.

Back Row: Michael Christensen (Business & Marketing), Christopher Beckett (Science), Courtland Cook (Mathematics), Mikhail Collins (Social Science). Middle Row: Shaun Merrill (English), Alexis Zobell ( Dance), Brandon Taylor (Computer Technology), Megan Brimhall (Visual Arts). Front Row: Andrea Christensen (Family & Consumer Science), Kamala Poulsen (Speech & Drama), Jessica Whitlock (Music). Salem Hills High School’s 2011 Sterling Scholars have been working rigorously to prepare for the South Region competition scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 16 at Timpview High School. They will represent SHHS well as they compete against students from 19 different high schools in the South Wasatch Region. Each Sterling Scholar has submitted an outstanding portfolio and has participated in a mock interview event, in preparation for the real thing.

As Salem Hills went to face Payson in basketball this past Tuesday, the new found rival put up a tremendous fight to overcome Salem Hills. With Salem having the lead most of the game, some students are wondering if the pressure is getting too high. As it stands in the region, Springville, thanks to their stunning last second shot to win the game by one point last week, is placing first, with Payson trailing behind them. Salem Hills and Spanish Fork are tied for the third place rank, both hoping to pull out a win. They are scheduled to play each other on the fourth of February. Until that time Salem is going to play Maple Mountain on Friday the 28th. Payson overcame a twenty point deficit mid-way through the third quarter to defend their home court in this region 8 showdown. Braden Wright had a huge night for the Lions, posting 27 points and 10 rebounds to add to the astonishing defeat of the Skyhawks. He also hit the two foul shot that gave Payson the lead in the final seconds of the game. London Simonsen, Jake Skinner, and Josh Treanor combined for a total of 52 of the Skyhawks 57 points. Over all it was a great game, but not enough for the win.

Salem Hills High School’s FBLA & DECA students were delighted to be able to perform this year’s annual service project for Barnett Elementary. FBLA& DECA students met after school one day to make about 100 Thanksgiving hats for kindergarten students at Barnett Elementary in Payson, Utah. A few weeks later, the club adviser, Josie Reynaud, took 5 students to Barnett Elementary to help with two different kindergarten classes. They helped the children with activities, played with them at recess, sang songs, and helped serve their Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone involved had a great time! SHHS FBLA looks forward to this service opportunity each year.

If one walks into the gym at Salem hills high school the night of a men’s basketball game and you will instantly feel the energy of the crowd and players; Thursday night was no different. “We play with a great energy on our team” said senior captain Jake Skinner “and we hope it transfers to our fans.” According to senior super fan Jordan Hanson, it works. “It is impossible to just watch a game here at the Hills; you stand and cheer till you can’t talk.” The team played a long hard game and, unfortunately, lost the contest by one point. Fighting hard and taking control of the first quarter, they lost their lead going into the half down by ten. The boys came out stealing and controlling the ball as they went to rally past west. Up by one in the final second of the came a west player was fouled and given two free throws winning the game for his team by one point. In the end the Skyhawks played a great game with solid defense throughout holding a high scoring West team to a mere 57 points and putting up 56 of their own. London Simonsen led the Skyhawks with 21 points. The team has their heads held high as they prepare for future opponents.

On Thursday, December 2nd the Skyhawks wrestling team squared off in a duel against the Mountain View Bruins that would soon become an epic victory for the Skyhawks. Starting off with a big victory for the Skyhawks was senior 145 pounder Stetson Talon, taking it all three periods and coming out on top 15 to 5. Salem then proceeded to win the next four matches until giving up a pin in the 215 class. The well coached and trained Skyhawks then went on to complete a 57 to 12 pounding of Mountain View. Putting the finishing touches on a good meet was Salem’s 140 pounder Dallin Gividen, pinning Jake Rufel of mountain view 30 seconds into the second round. The Salem hills Wrestling team is now proudly 2-0 and looking good.

On Tuesday November 30th the Skyhawk wrestling team traveled south for a hard core dual meet with Juab. Leading off for the Skyhawks was 103 pounder Nathan Sandage. After a hard fought match that lasted all three rounds, Nate pulled out a victory with a final score of 11 to 10 Giving Salem a three point lead. “I was very proud of the boys and the way they performed” said coach Brindley. Improving on this lead was Zach Darling facing off against Juab’s Kenneth Reynolds at 112 pounds. It was an impressive show by Zach pinning his opponent in the first minute of the first round. This opened the gate for the Skyhawks as they went on to win 9 of the fourteen matches with six of them by fall/pin, going on to defeat Juab 47 to 24.

The temperatures have dropped, snow has fallen, and the swim team has come out from hibernation. It hasn’t been quite the start that the team was hoping to get; but the team has been dealing with sickness and major lack of pool time. Compared to teams like Springville and Uintah, who have two-a-day practices with an average time of 3 hours a day, Salem has about an hour and a half every other day. Even though the team has been dealing with setbacks it still has a strong relay team; they have a very good chance of going to state. Salem does have numbers in its favor; with a whopping 44 kids they have the biggest roster in the region. The swim team is packed with fun and is known to have the best bus rides you will ever have anywhere. So if you’re ever in the mood for supporting your school, and having a lot of fun in a relaxed atmosphere, join the swim team. One Plus: you get to wear a speedo.