OREM — All season long, Maple Mountain coach Jeff Wright called opponent Trey Thornton the best at his position in the state.
Saturday's final whip to the left arm left Thornton and the Golden Eagles wondering who is the best team in 5A.
Piloted by smart sophomore setter Taft Hillman and powered by Thornton's incredible performance of 19 kills, the Maple Mountain Golden Eagles overcame deficits in each set on Saturday at the UCCU Center. They swept the Bountiful Redhawks 25-21, 25-23, 25-22. .
Bountiful's six-hitter, two-setter system kept the Golden Eagles off balance all afternoon, led by Connor Burleson's 13 kills, but the Redhawks had no answer to Thornton, who came up with big kill after big kill for the Golden Eagles. There was no. They are floating.
“Every day we're going to have a different scenario unfolding (where we're at a disadvantage),” Wright said. “In that timeout, we said to them, 'We've been here before. You guys understand this.'
The scenario that played out that day saw Maple Mountain take a 23-21 lead in the second set, and a rally that started with a Mac Hillman dig kill at the near line kept it within limits.
Thornton then took over.
He hit a rocket into the far corner to tie the set at 23-23, then pushed Landon Chism into the net to give the Golden Eagles set point at 24-23. He ended the set with a bomb that Redhawks libero Vicente Perez couldn't deliver, sending the UCCU Center Maple Mountain faithful into a frenzy.
“It's just incredible,” Taft Hillman said of Thornton. “He has made everyone around him better this season, including me.”
That carried over to other Maple Mountain players like setter Taft Hillman, who Thornton said had a good mix of where he went on the floor when he was getting a lot of attention.
Mac Hillman simply came up with three big kills, no better than the aforementioned dig kill that sparked the Golden Eagles' second-set comeback. Taft Hillman said this is always reliable.
The third set played out similarly to the second set. Bountiful led 20-19 in the third set, with Maple Mountain scoring six of the final eight points, during which Thornton's 19th goal punctuated the championship-clinching goal. First championship point.
Wright said it was “no surprise” that Thornton got the winning goal, adding: “It was special for him and the team.”
“It was really cool to play in front of such a big crowd my first year,” Thornton said. “I hope the same thing happens next year.”
And while Maple Mountain is the first champion in 5A volleyball history, Wright said it's not out of the question for the team to win again. The Golden Eagles will only lose three seniors, with Thornton also returning.
But before that, Thornton said he plans to go to In-N-Out to celebrate – and likely most of the team will too.
“I’m definitely excited,” Taft-Hillman said. “I think we have a good chance of winning back-to-back titles next year.”
