The woman behind an application for a group home for recovering drug addicts in an upscale Eagle Mountain neighborhood says she plans to sue if the City Council doesn't approve the facility at its April 7 meeting.

"We're just waiting for Eagle Mountain to make a decision," Boberg said. "I'm hoping that they'll understand, that they'll really open up and listen. I don't know what they're afraid of. I honestly don't. They've got people in their neighborhoods that need help."

Since the last meeting, Boberg said she has been complying with the council's requests to draw up professional site plans for the eight-bed facility and clarify some aspects of her proposal. A state inspector walked through the property Tuesday and said the Ark meets licensing standards and will be granted permission to open if the city approves the permit Boberg has been seeking.

"I will sue them if I don't have a license by April 7," she said. "There will be no second chance."

Council member David Lifferth said the Daily Herald's call was the first he'd heard of the threat, but it isn't unusual. He said housing laws do appear to apply and may limit the council's discretion to some extent, but resorting to litigation is premature.

"She's definitely got the cart before the horse by threatening a lawsuit before she's gone through some of these expected legal steps for approval," Lifferth said. "On a very regular basis, there are people that threaten to sue the city for whatever reason. I don't know if she's justified in that."

Boberg said a similar facility in Sandy, The Ark of Little Cottonwood, faced similar legal issues before opening. Last year, Highland residents fought a similar proposal for a group home. After the applicants threatened to sue, the city acquiesced. In 2005, Eighth District Judge John R. Anderson reversed a Duchesne County Commission decision to deny a conditional use permit for a residential treatment center for teenage boys.

Council member Nathan Oschenhirt, who voiced the strongest opposition to Boberg's legal argument during the March 17 meeting, declined to comment for this story.

• Ace Stryker can be reached at astryker@heraldextra.com.

EAGLE MOUNTAIN -- Katie Neal of Midvale is a veterinary technology student who wants to work with horses. Problem is, she doesn't have a horse.

"I've never really worked with a horse before, so I get experience," Neal said. Konik, the horse she was working with on a recent day, "makes me happy," she said.

At the shelter, the students give vaccinations, worm medication, take blood samples, do X-rays, give physical therapy, and help socialize both horses and dogs, putting into action all the things they have been learning in school from textbooks and lectures.

Many, if not all, of the animals at the shelter have been mistreated or neglected in some way. Many have physical problems or health issues. Many arrive scared of humans because of the neglect they have suffered. The students work to overcome all of this.

"I had no idea about horses," said Aubree Gailey of Riverton. Since volunteering with her class at the Eagle Mountain rescue shelter, "I've learned how to halter the horses. I've learned not to be afraid of horses. The horses don't scare me anymore, so I can enjoy them."

Shannon Daley of Sandy was working with Titan, a 20-year-old Spanish mustang who was 200 pounds underweight and suffering from skin lesions when Friends In Need rescued her.

"He had bad manners," Daley said of the Titan's early behavior at the shelter. "He would bite and push and spook a lot. After working with him, he's become a real gentleman."

Blake Horn of Riverton said she had no horse experience before coming as a volunteer to the shelter.

"I was more afraid of Titan than he was of me," she said with a laugh. "I have started to be comfortable. This is a great program, and a great opportunity."

Working at the shelter gives the students hands-on experience, said their teacher Kathy Nuttall. The students get to see the benefits of consistent work with sick or abused animals, and the animals get the attention and care they need, too.

"Too many times the students get to see only bits and pieces, not the whole put together," Nuttall said.

To donate or volunteer with the Friends In Need animal rescue shelter, call (801) 891-2622.

Walking past her husband and out of her Eagle Mountain home on Jan. 31, 2008 to waiting police officers was the scariest walk of Mindy Graham's life.

Mindy Graham said in court that her husband's anger mounted to the point that he strapped on his guns and told their four children that she was going to kill herself. Though the couple had argued in the past, he had never before taken his guns out during an argument, she said.

"At that point, I had resigned myself to the fact that that might be the day that I die," she said.

She wrote her children a note because she feared what her husband might do to her, telling them that she loved them and would always be their mother. Two of their children (ages 10 and 12) testified that their father read the note to them, saying that their mother was leaving for a while to clear her head.

"It made me feel upset because I didn't want my mom to leave," said the couple's 10-year-old son.

Their 12-year-old daughter said she knew her parents had been arguing that day, and by the time her father read the note to them, she didn't know if she could trust either of them because her father was making her mother cry, and her mother seemed to be leaving them.

She said her father had a gun that day, but that wasn't uncommon -- he usually carried a gun. She described her father that day as angry -- knit brows, thin lips and a "fire in his eyes."

"He looked as angry as he did whenever he would whip us with a belt," she said.

As the argument progressed, Mindy Graham said she felt the children should not be in the home and called a friend to take them to a movie. Matthew Graham told her the kids would not be going anywhere, and he repeatedly told her to call the friend back and tell her not to come, she said.

"He said, 'Tell her not to come or I will shoot her,'••" she said.

Fearing her friend would not be able to help her, Graham said she sent a text message to her LDS bishop asking for help and spoke briefly with him before hanging up the phone as her husband returned to the room. The bishop in turn called police, who soon turned up at the Grahams's residence.

Walking down the stairs to open the door, Matthew Graham said, "Here we go," Mindy Graham testified. Though he eventually allowed her and the children to leave with officers, she said she feared he would shut the door and turn on her with the .45-caliber pistol he was holding behind his back.

Their 10-year-old son said that as his mother left the house with him and his siblings, he saw his father at the door, holding his .45-caliber pistol and a .38-caliber handgun.

Mindy Graham said she feared someone would be hurt if her husband became involved with police.

"When he said, 'Here we go,' I expected gunfire," she said.

Defense attorneys questioned the consistency of her story.

Attorney Lisa Estrada noted several differences in her testimony Tuesday and her statements to police at the time of the incident. Estrada said Mindy Graham did not mention to police in three separate interviews that Matthew Graham had threatened to shoot her friend, and she said Mindy Graham told officers she was afraid Matthew Graham would hurt himself, not her. However, Mindy Graham said the day was stressful and she could not recall exactly what she told officers at the time.

Estrada also noted Matthew Graham never pointed his gun at the children or at Mindy Graham throughout the incident.

"So Matt never threatened you with a gun?" she asked.

"No," Mindy Graham replied.

Estrada also questioned Mindy Graham about a note she wrote to her children that morning. Mindy Graham testified that she wrote the note while she feared for what Matthew Graham may do to her. On cross-examination she told Estrada she did not know what had happened to the note.

An eight-day trial began Tuesday for an Eagle Mountain man accused of holding his wife and children hostage before a four-hour standoff with police.

The nine-member jury heard opening statements from both sides Tuesday afternoon, with prosecutors describing a terrifying morning in which Graham and his wife, Mindy, argued and Mindy eventually became afraid for herself and her children.

Defense attorney Lisa Estrada described in her opening statement two adults arguing and saying ugly things they should not have. As a concealed weapons permit holder, Matthew Graham had the right to own and carry guns in his home, she said.

"There's nothing illegal about having weapons in the house," she said.

Prosecutor Doug Finch said the argument began early in the day and continued throughout the morning. Eventually, he said, Mindy would send text messages to her LDS bishop and a friend in an effort to get help. Her text message to her bishop, Ryan McMurtrey, said simply, "Please help me," while her message to her friend Becky asked for Becky to come take the children from the home.

"At that point in time, Mr. Graham escalates," Finch said.

Finch said when Mindy Graham later returned to the room where her husband was, he had strapped on two pistols and threatened to shoot her if Becky took the children.

Estrada pointed out that Graham is not charged with holding his children in the home. As their father, he has the right to say they should not go to another person's house. When Mindy Graham tried to have a friend come pick up the children, Matthew Graham exercised his right as a parent and refused to let his children go with the friend, she said.

"He's allowed to do that," she said. "He's their dad."

When police officers showed up at the house due to McMurtrey's 911 call, Graham initially refused to show them his hands and at times held one hand behind his back, Finch said. Graham allowed his wife and children out of the home, but he stayed in the home while police negotiated with him, Finch said.

Through the negotiations, Finch said Graham "played games" with police, walking out of the home with one hand behind his back and telling officers he could "take them out."

"At that point, Mr. Graham begins to threaten the police officers," Finch said.

When police asked for Mindy Graham and the children to leave, Matthew Graham allowed them, Estrada said. While he was inside the home negotiating with police, Estrada said Graham never felt he had done anything wrong. Rather than holing up in the home, he was getting ready for school. As he was getting ready, Graham noticed footprints outside his window and saw an officer pointing a gun at him. Estrada said Graham's military training kicked in when he saw the officers, and he turned over tables to protect himself from gunfire. In communications with officers outside the home, Graham said he felt threatened by the tactical positions being taken up by police, she said.

"That's not a threat," Estrada said. "That's a, 'I'm scared. I'm terrified. What's going on?'••"

Lt. Mike Brower with the Utah County Sheriff's Office also testified Tuesday, saying police found overturned tables in the home. Brower said this, as well as coverings in the windows, indicated a person's attempt to conceal himself. Brower also testified numerous guns were found in the home, some of which were loaded and ready to fire. Brower was shown pictures taken at the scene and identified empty ammunition boxes, gun safes and high-powered rifles.

"Those weapons have the ability to shoot long distances with the scope fairly accurate," he said.

Defense attorneys, however, pointed out that Brower responded to the scene as an investigator and did not have first-hand knowledge of what occurred.

Judge Samuel McVey emphasized before the trial began that Graham's diagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder can be brought up only when it involves direct evidence in the incident. Examinations before trial concluded that Graham suffers from the disorder, but was not having an episode at the time, so McVey said PTSD cannot be used as a defense in trial. Finch also told the judge he had received information that Graham had asked fellow military members to wear their uniforms to court in support, but McVey noted no one present was wearing a uniform and said the issue will be dealt with if and when someone shows up in uniform.

"I'm hoping it's much ado about nothing," Finch said.

Walking past her husband and out of her home on Jan. 31, 2008 to waiting police officers was the scariest walk of Mindy Graham's life, she testified during her husband's trial Wednesday.

Mindy Graham said that her husband became angrier and angrier that morning to the point that he strapped on his guns and told their children that Mindy was going to kill herself. Though the couple had argued in the past, Matthew had never before taken his guns out during an argument, she said.

"At that point, I had resigned myself to the fact that that might be the day that I die," she testified.

Mindy testified that Matthew began getting frustrated that morning when she did not want to be physical with him. As the argument progressed, she felt the children should not be in the home and called a friend to take them to a movie, she said. Matthew told her the kids would not be going anywhere, and he repeatedly told her to call the friend back and tell her not to come, Mindy said.

"He said, tell her not to come or I will shoot her," she said.

Fearing her friend would not be able to help her, Mindy said she sent a text message to her bishop asking for help and spoke briefly with him before hanging up the phone as Matthew returned to the room. The bishop in turn called police, who soon turned up at the Grahams' residence.

Walking down the stairs to open the door, Matthew said, "Here we go," Mindy testified. Though he eventually allowed Mindy and the children to leave with officers, Mindy said she feared he would shut the door and turn on her with the .45-caliber pistol he was holding behind his back. She also feared someone would be hurt if Matthew became involved with the police.

"When he said, 'Here we go,' I expected gunfire," she said.

OREM -- A short stretch of aqueduct under construction along 800 North in Orem will help complete a $300 million infrastructure project to deliver water to Utah and Salt Lake counties.

Portions of the water from the aqueduct will also go to the Jordan Valley Water District, which covers Salt Lake County.

Finlinson said the cities of Lehi and Eagle Mountain have filed requests for culinary water supply from the Central Utah Water Project, while Saratoga Springs still has the matter under consideration.

"We are in negotiations at this time with the cities," she said. "We've been working with these areas, and Lehi city, for really a couple of years to work through the pricing mechanism. ... They have reserved the water."

The final price the district contracts with user cities and water districts for the culinary water not only includes the cost of the actual water, but also the costs for the expensive delivery system infrastructure it takes to get the resource where it needs to go, she said.

The aqueduct is part of the Central Utah Project, which when completed will provide up to 54,400 acre-feet of drinking water annually to communities in Utah and Salt Lake counties, according to the project's Web site at www.800northaqueduct.com.

Construction on the Orem aqueduct began earlier this month along 800 North, but Finlinson said it will not impact the newly built 800 North and State Street intersection because water pipe between 1000 East and 400 West was laid during the Utah Department of Transportation's rebuild of 800 North, completed last year.

The aqueduct will run from the treatment plant, down 800 North to Geneva Road and hook into a future North Shore Aqueduct. From there the line will go underneath the future Pioneer Crossing transportation route, and connect to a planned distribution holding reservoir that will be built on the west side of Utah Lake, she said.

The Orem 800 North Aqueduct will have a peak capacity of 18,400 gallons per minute and is designed to carry 13,500 acre-feet of water per year from the treatment facility, according to an online Central Utah Water Project brochure.

In the past week, crews have worked on installing a 24-inch section of pipe next to a canal crossing at 1100 East, though the majority of the 800 North Aqueduct will be 36-inches in diameter, Finlinson said.

Most of the construction will have minimal impacts to motorists, residents and businesses, because the water line is being laid along street shoulders from 1000 East to 1150 East and 400 West to Geneva Road, but there may be some inconveniences. Lane restrictions and weekend or night-time closures of the Interstate 15 interchange at 800 North may take place this summer, she said.

The pipe will cross the road at 800 North between 1000 East and 1100 East, work slated for the first week in April during which traffic will be limited to one lane in each direction, according to the project Web site.

Construction may take place between the hours of 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday. There are also two other projects that will be happening in the same area.

Chris Tschirki, water resources manager for Orem, said Orem and Lindon have bid out work on the two cities' combined water and sewer project to install replacement water lines along 800 North from 980 West to 1430 West, and new pressurized sewage lines from 1200 West to 1430 West.

Condie Construction was the low bidder for the cities' project at $764,000. Orem's portion comes from the city's water fund, he said.

UDOT will be adding one more lane from 400 West to the I-15 interchange later this summer, said UDOT Region Three spokesman Scott Thompson.

Tschirki said the cities, the district and UDOT are coordinating their activities with weekly meetings to minimize traffic disruptions and ensure there are no safety issues as all three projects converge on one another.

"We're making sure the work doesn't conflict," he said.

To the public, Finlinson said it may appear there is one huge construction project going on, when in reality, they are three smaller projects taking place near simultaneously.

"But compared to the construction in the middle of the road [800 North] last year, this will not be nearly as disruptive," she said.

It's anticipated that the 800 North Aqueduct will be finished later this fall, while the overall Central Utah Water Project is still about five years out, Finlinson said.

"That's the way we have to do a delivery system," she said. "A segment at a time."

To sign up to receive weekly e-mail updates on the Orem 800 North Aqueduct project's progress and any construction impacts, send a request to 800northaqueduct@langdongroupinc.com.

EAGLE MOUNTAIN -- The Eagle Mountain City Council postponed a decision Tuesday night to approve a group home for recovering drug addicts after several residents voiced vehement opposition to the idea.

"It's not about what it is, it's about how well it fits into what we are out here," said Charlotte Ducos, an Eagle Mountain resident. "It just seems like a little bit of common sense would say this isn't the best location for it."

Richard Schmitz, another resident, said he knew someone who had gone through a similar program, and what he heard was enough to raise concerns about security should the Ark come to the small, secluded Utah city.

"This is the wrong venue, the wrong place to have a home like this," he said. "They have security breaches. They have problems with the neighborhood. ... Nobody has a perfect track record when it comes to those security issues."

Boberg disagreed, saying her Sandy facility had never had trouble with clients burglarizing nearby homes. A Utah County Sheriff's Office employee backed up her claims, saying his research showed most emergency calls have been for medical reasons.

Boberg said many Eagle Mountain residents oppose the idea because they don't understand the clientele the facility would serve. Before moving in, clients would have to pass rigorous background tests and meet numerous criteria -- including no minors, no current drug users, and nobody with a history of violent behavior, she said.

"We're not Charles Mansons," she said. "I give you my word of honor I am going to do everything I can to make this the best thing in Eagle Mountain."

Despite their concerns, some detractors conceded the council's decision may be out of its own hands -- federal fair housing laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act mandate that cities can't deny housing on the basis of a disability, including drug addiction. That could mean Eagle Mountain would expose itself to lawsuits by denying the application.

Nikki Wickman, who owns a lot with her husband in the neighborhood, pleaded with the council to find another legal basis to prevent the business from opening.

"By allowing a residential group home in a subdivision, you are devaluing all surrounding lots," she said. "Look a little harder for a valid legal reason why this group home cannot be set up. Please listen to the residents and help Eagle Mountain to continue to be the desired location it currently is."

The strongest objection to the legal argument came from council member Nathan Ochsenhirt, who said the idea that Boberg would "hide behind the ADA and cram this down our throats is so offensive to me that it defies intelligent comment." Still, he said, there is a definite need for facilities like the Ark.

"I've never been more troubled in my short time here on the council," he said. "I am conflicted beyond measure because these people need help."

Fellow council members David Lifferth and Ryan Ireland both said discrimination laws appear to prevent denial of the application. Ireland added that the city can still put conditions on the approval to ensure neighbors' concerns are addressed.

"Based on everything we've heard tonight, it's my opinion that state law and federal law says that this can happen as long as we put appropriate conditional uses together," he said.

The council requested that several new conditions be added to the permit, including rules against parking on the street and treating minors and a requirement that landscaping improvements be made within a reasonable amount of time.

The council voted to push the final vote back to its April 7 meeting to give Boberg time to draw up a professional site plan. After the meeting, Boberg said she was angry.

"This has been stalled and stalled and stalled," she said. "They could have approved it."

She said she faced a similar battle when her Sandy facility was opening. She said the city levied six lawsuits in that case, none of which ultimately prevented the Ark from operating. She said she was tired of the back-and-forth, but is still optimistic the Eagle Mountain house would eventually open.

"Tell me another house that has to submit all of this stuff," she said. "At this point, I don't know what they will come up with next."

• Ace Stryker can be reached at astryker@heraldextra.com.

LEHI -- After standing on State Street and 200 East in Lehi for 118 years, the "Old Lehi Hospital" is being demolished, bit by bit.

The Lehi Historical Commission had hoped the building could be restored into a diamond on State Street, but city officials, afraid the hospital would collapse the way another pair of old Lehi buildings did in January, gave the go-ahead for demolition.

"As sad as it is, we're taking it down brick by brick," building owner Todd Vincze said Saturday on site.

There are regrets, he said, mostly that of seeing a dream begun in 2001 never be completed. He had wanted the structure restored to its original grandeur. "I've never quit anything. I've always followed through in things," he said. "It hurts."¬ 

They are using a sledgehammer and other hand tools to take the historic building apart, instead of the faster backhoe. Vincze hopes to recover some of his losses from his investment in the building by selling bricks and wood to a developer looking for materials to restore another old structure in Utah County.¬ 

"Not that long ago, part of the building fell down and we told him it just wouldn't work, and before we knew it he had a [demolition] permit and was tearing it down," Mayor Howard Johnson said during a Saturday phone interview. "He had a building that couldn't be restored. One of the impetuses on that was when the building on Main Street fell down, then people started thinking about the other one and that it could fall down." ¬  ¬  ¬  ¬ 

Termed the "Old Lehi Hospital" by Lehi natives, the structure was built in 1891 for the Lehi Commercial and Savings Bank after the establishment of the sugar-beet industry and Lehi Sugar Factory, which paid its workers in cash instead of script as was previously done for goods and services purchased by the People's Co-op in the town. The Deseret Telegraph Company office, managed by Mosiah Evans, moved its office to the building.

After the bank began to fail, the building was sold to N. O. Malan in 1923. He operated a funeral parlor and automotive repair service on the main floor until 1925, when Dr. Frederick Worlton purchased the building and moved his Lehi Hospital onto the second floor. The following year, the ground floor was also renovated to become part of the hospital.

The large building has also housed the Utah Sugar Company offices, a notary public, an attorney, a photo studio, a school and a ballroom. In 1989, the building was vacated, and since then there have been a few attempts to either condemn the building and raze it or to renovate it. A full history of the building up to 1990 can be found in "Lehi: Portraits of a Utah Town" by Richard Van Wagoner.

The Lehi Historical Commission members present at a May 2008 meeting on a prospective buyer's proposal said they were excited about the project. "It's going to be a diamond on State Street," historical commission Chairwoman Connie Nielsen said at the time.

Carl Mellor, another member of the commission present at the meeting, said the building was the site where early pioneers wrote up the Utah State Constitution.¬ 

"Many people don't realize the historical significance of that building," Mellor said.

History or no, neighbors of the now-wobbly structure say they feel relieved the old building is coming down.¬ 

"I'm excited about getting it torn down. It's such a mess," said Katy Veach, whose home is south of the building, on Saturday. "The biggest thing is, somebody's going to get hurt in there," she said

Since the demolition began, people have regularly passed by to take a brick. Most of them were older and didn't want to be identified for this report. "I remember this place 55 years ago, so it's that important to me," said a visitor. "This is where I was born."

He said it would be too embarrassing to say who he was, because people know him.¬ 

Sometimes, if Vincze is there working, visitors ask for a brick.¬ "I have people come by everyday now [and say], 'Oh, can I buy a brick?' " he said.¬ 

He initially tried selling bricks from the building as a way to raise money for the renovations.¬ 

"I sold a few, not very many, like a hundred bricks," he said. Each brick was engraved with a person's name and birth date and came with a certificate of authenticity.

Vincze also tried raising money for his dream of restoring the old building by turning it into a haunted house from 2004-2006. Neither attempt at building a restoration fund was too successful. He said he is looking forward to one day being able to return and build on the site.¬ 

"One step at a time. Let's get it down first," Vincze said.

The World Weather News Web site indicated that southern Australia has heated up again, causing the threat for wildfires to increase again. "Hot northerly winds lifted the temperature to 113¬°F at Eucla." Meanwhile, in the U.S., rare snowfalls occurred in the southeast part of the country. Four inches of the heavy, wet snow fell in both Atlanta, Georgia and Charlotte, North Carolina, basically bringing traffic to a standstill. "In Europe, parts of western Austria and southern Germany were hit by heavy snow, triggering some of the worst avalanches so far this winter. At least three people died in a series of avalanches in the Tyrol region of Austria, bringing the total killed in Austrian avalanches this winter to thirteen. Permafrost temperature has increased by one or two degrees in northern Russia during the last 30-35 years. This observed increase is very similar to what has been observed in Alaska."

c_

1. The 4A and 5A girls basketball tournaments ended on Saturday, with Mountain View and American Fork both winning state titles. What did you enjoy most about the tournaments?

• Beaton: First, watching some terrific and even heroic basketball. Second, sharing the emotions displayed by both the winners and the losers. The latter are pretty tough to watch, of course, but sports mirror life, and all of us can expect to experience our share of triumphs and disappointments. These tournaments provide a great clinic for the future leaders and parents of our communities.

2. Both Provo and Lone Peak are going for three straight state boys basketball championships this week. What's the key for each team to achieve that goal?

• Beaton: For the Knights, the biggest key will be playing together as a team on both ends of the court. When this squad shares the ball and the players communicate well while executing their typical tough defense, they will be awfully difficult to beat. With coach Quincy Lewis at the helm, they won't likely overlook anyone, either.

• Lloyd: I believe that Provo has the experience and the pieces to make this happen once again. What they have to avoid is any complacency. It doesn't take much in the high-pressure atmosphere of the tourney to give an underdog some hope. The Bulldogs need to take control of their contests early, especially with their trademark defense, and not give anyone a shot at an upset.

3. Starting today, the 5A state boys basketball playoffs tip off. What matchup from the first day intrigues you most?

• Lloyd: All three games involving Utah County teams could be interesting, but I think I'll pick Pleasant Grove meeting Skyline. This is an Eagle team that is very dangerous and has had a great year, only to be edged out in league play and dropped to the third spot. The Vikings haven't found a way to get past the first round yet and this is the last chance for their talented seniors.

• Beaton: Whenever two top five teams such as Pleasant Grove and Skyline meet in the first round, that's a contest everyone will be interested in, since it means one of the main contenders will be eliminated right out of the gate. This game will go to the team that's mentally tougher. I also think the Brighton-Lehi bout will be a dandy. If the Bengals think their higher seeding will give them an advantage in this one, they're going to go home early.

4. Five Utah Valley 4A teams (Provo, Timpview, Mountain View, Orem and Springville) will compete in the state first round on Tuesday. How many will advance to Thursday's quarterfinals?

• Beaton: If I were the rest of the 4A field, I wouldn't want to play any of these guys, but how well they actually do will depend on which teams show up. Provo has been solid all year, but the other four have had their ups and downs. If they play their best, however, any of them could come out with a victory.

• Lloyd: I would love to say that all five will be moving on, but I just don't think it's going to happen. My number will be four, as I think the Red Devils will be edged out by Snow Canyon in a very close, competitive game. How would you like to be the Warriors or Olympus? Both of those teams won their regions and find themselves facing Springville and Orem in the first round. Ouch.

5. What's your favorite part of covering the state high school boys basketball tournaments?

• Lloyd: I love the anticipation of that pressure-cooker atmosphere. I've always thought that the moment right before tipoff is like being on the brink of a huge rollar coaster drop; everything seems to freeze and you just drink it in. Then the rest is almost a blur as it rockets by so quickly. Those are some of the great moments of high school sports.

• Beaton: As far as tournaments in general go, I love watching kids I've seen labor to improve, in some cases for six or seven years, step into the spotlight and perform at their very best. In terms of hoops, I've seen high school boys play basketball all across the country, and our local teams and players can compete with anybody out there. It's a privilege and a treat just to watch them, especially since I fully appreciate how very good they are.