Payton Henry and Pleasant Grove have embraced the "Clutch City" moniker, and it's showing.
Courtesy photo
– Clutch City.
Those two words have become a team motto for
Pleasant Grove High during the 2015 season. They also sum up perfectly what the Vikings are all about.
Staring down a two-run deficit in extra innings against region rival Lone Peak simply meant a chance for a dramatic rally. Pleasant Grove erased the deficit with back-to-back home runs from
Ben Eldredge and
Payton Henry. Then the Vikings wrapped up an 8-7 win over the Knights after
Logan Hooley singled in the winning run.
It added another chapter to a tradition that has been building around Pleasant Grove since the Vikings finished second in the Class 5A baseball tournament a year ago. All the players sport "Clutch City" T-shirts under their game jerseys as a reminder of their identity when the game is on the line.
"Every inning we battle, every pitch we battle and every play we battle," senior pitcher
Easton Walker said. "We put our hearts on the line for our school, for our fans and each other. 'Clutch City' is a term where you get the job done. No matter how you find a way to do it, you're going to find a way to do it. That's what it kind of is to us. It's a big deal."
Clutch play isn't the only thing setting the Vikings apart these days. Pleasant Grove is good enough to rip out the hearts of most of its opponents long before the final inning rolls around.
The Vikings ripped off 15 consecutive victories to open the 2015 season and rose to as high as No. 17 in the
MaxPreps Computer Rankings before suffering a pair of losses against Lone Peak. Pleasant Grove is 5-1 in games decided by two or fewer runs.
"Pressure is not a word in this program," Vikings coach Darrin Henry said. "We have clutch. It's an opportunity to become clutch and the guys love that. They feed off that, because if they come through in the clutch, they become a member of clutch city."
Pleasant Grove (16-2) remains one of the clear favorites to claim the Class 5A title next month. What is the secret to the Vikings' success? It starts with what they do at the plate.
Pleasant Grove is averaging 9.1 runs per game this spring and has scored 10 or more runs in 10 games. Henry is leading the charge. He ranks in the top five among Utah high school players in several key batting categories, including on base percentage (.672), slugging percentage (1.040), batting average (.580), RBIs (24) and home runs (6).
Pleasant Grove is no slouch on the mound, either. Walker and
Logan Carlson are each 4-0 so far this season. The Vikings are allowing just 3.7 runs per game this season – third-fewest in Class 5A behind Cottonwood and Fremont.
Every impressive stat can be traced back to a single cause. Pleasant Grove is a team that simply refuses to throw in the towel. The Vikings practice hard and then play hard to the last out.
It has given this team an unparalleled confidence that it can get the job done in any situation.
"They believe they're going to win every game," coach Henry said. "They don't think people can beat them. They believe they're going to win every single game. It doesn't matter if we're down or whatever. They just think that."
The "Clutch City" philosophy espoused by the Vikings had its roots in their state tournament run last spring. After opening the playoffs with a 5-3 loss to Viewmont, Pleasant Grove had to battle its way through the one-loss bracket. The Vikings met the challenge with success, running off six straight wins to reach the championship game.
Pleasant Grove ultimately needed to beat Jordan twice to emerge as the state champion. The Vikings fell short in the second game, losing 4-3, but a new identity was firmly established from that point forward.
"We've been saying it forever, but it was when we got in state last year that we started emphasizing it,"
Payton Henry said. "We lost our first game obviously and made an amazing run. That was our thing. Clutch City. Every time I feel like we'd say 'Clutch City,' somebody would come through."
Clutch City continues to be built by Pleasant Grove – one win at a time.
John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps. You can reach him at john_coon@hotmail.com and follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports
