When the top teams in Class 5A boys lacrosse were both from your region, you know you were in elite company. 

The Alta boys team finished the season third in Region 6 with a 4-2 mark in league play. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. The team finished behind Brighton and Park City, the eventual state finalists. Meanwhile, Alta advanced to the semifinals where it came up just short, losing to Brighton 15-10 in a hard-fought match. 

Alta finished the season 14-7, with all of its losses coming against top-notch teams, including Park City and Brighton (twice) as well as against a pair of squads from California. 

Head coach Brandon Horoba acknowledged the team didn’t achieve everything it wanted but still put together a nice year.

“We had a good season,” Horoba said. “We came up short from what we wanted and underperformed in a few games, but as a whole, we had a good season. We made it to the semifinals at state. Our goal at the beginning of the year was a state championship, so we fell short of that.”

In the semifinals loss to Brighton, the Hawks stayed within striking distance most of the way but couldn’t overcome a strong Bengals’ offense. Alta got four goals from Beckham Horoba and two more from his brother Braxton Horoba, who also added three assists. Colby Blackham also scored twice. Goalie Colton Tueller made 14 saves. 

Brandon Horoba had several players this past season who contributed and led the team. 

“Braxton Horoba, a senior, was our leader on offense and one of the team captains,” Brandon Horoba said. “He led the team in points, goals and assists. We also had sophomores JJ Massi and Beckham Horoba, along with Colby Blackham. On defense, we were led by our senior goalie Colton Tueller, and anchoring the defense were juniors Sam Fredley and Kristian Morris, along with sophomore Spencer Parry.”

Brandon Horoba said the players performed well when they were aggressive and tenacious on both ends of the field. 

“I felt like the team meshed well with each other and played hard,” he said. “We are best when we are playing fast and with energy, and when we did that, we were successful.”

Many times this season, the Hawks were dominant, leaving no doubt on the field which team was better. 

Alta had three games this season scoring at least 23 goals and seven games of scoring 19 goals or more. The Hawks had eight victories of double-digit margins. In the state tournament, Alta had the No. 4 seed in 5A and posted a pair of wins to reach the semifinals. First, the Hawks crushed Spanish Fork 19-5 in the second round on May 15. Eight players scored for Alta, with Massi leading the way with five goals. Braxton Horoba also scored five goals in the win, and Beckham Horoba added four more goals. Braxton Horoba contributed four assists on the day. 

Two days later, in the quarterfinals, Alta had little trouble with Region 5 foe Woods Cross in a 16-6 win. Blackham had four goals, and four other Hawks had two goals apiece. Beckham Horoba assisted on five goals. Defensively, Parry caused eight turnovers, and Tueller had eight saves. 

Getting to within one game of the state title match was a memorable highlight for the program. Brandon Horoba was also pleased with how well the Hawks competed with some out-of-state competition. 

“Making it to state semifinals in a tough 5A division is a good accomplishment for us,” he said. “We had a great trip to California with our varsity team, where we played two great teams and got to really know one another away from the field.”

A slew of Alta players lit up the stat sheet this past season and helped guide the team deep into the state tournament. Braxton Horoba had 119 points on the year, scoring 72 goals and dishing out 47 assists. Massi had 65 points, including 51 goals and 14 assists. Beckham Horoba had 32 goals and 30 assists to total 62 points. Blackham was another active player, compiling 56 points—41 goals and 15 assists. Tueller totaled 177 saves this season and had a lot of help from his defensive teammates. Parry, for example, caused 54 turnovers and had 82 ground balls. Kellen Torina had 114 ground balls to lead the Hawks. 

The objectives for Alta boys lacrosse are always high, and Brandon Horoba expects big things from his squad in 2026. 

“We expect a championship every year, and next year will be no different,” he said. “We have some big shoes to fill with some of our seniors graduating, but we have capable players ready to step in. The returning players need to continue to work hard away from the field, keeping their sticks in their hands and getting stronger in the weight room.” λ