It's the year of the horse as far as the Utah girls high school state championship is concerned. Having won their respective state semifinals last weekend, the Orem Lady Stallions and Herriman Mustangs are advancing to the state final on May 9. Orem is looking for its second consecutive state title, while Herriman will endeavor to deal the Lady Stallions their first loss of the season.

Orem played the Lady Alphas from West Valley in the final four and extended its un-scored-upon record by 60 points. The Lady Stallions were looking as strong as they have all season (read more), moving the ball through its skilled backs, who dotted down the majority of the tries, and mixing it up with a few strong scores from the forward pack.

“In preparation for the finals with Herriman, we will be focusing on our rucks,” Orem coach Jeremiah Tiatia said of the upcoming two weeks of training. “We have to make sure they are strong, so there are no opportunities for Herriman to poach or steal the ball.”

Herriman played a closer game against Snow Canyon on Saturday, but still outscored its opponent by five tries. The team relied on a disciplined pick-and-go game, and forwards Kylie Holker – who was a lineout-stealing thief – and Bri Klinger capitalized with tries. When the Snow Canyon defense over-committed to the interior attack, Herriman swung the ball wide, and wing Delaney Rakuita finished two nice tries.

Herriman did struggle with early-game jitters and relinquished a lot of territory and possession due to penalties. The team was punished on the scoreboard only once, and a resolute defense – aggressive in the breakdown, sure tackling in open space – prevented more damage. But the Mustangs must fortify its mental game as it prepares for an intimidating Orem in the state final.

“We have to be mentally resilient,” Herriman coach Joe Hoff asserted. “We can expect Orem to put up points, so we can’t let a little adversity get in our way. Settle the nerves and not commit so many penalties.

“We need to keep the level of defense we showed against Snow Canyon, and we especially need to contain their centers and scrumhalf,” Hoff added. “They have a wider attack than Snow Canyon, so our open-field tackling will have to be very good.”

Orem and Herriman will contest the Utah State Championship on Saturday, May 9, at 1:30 p.m. on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City.