Cedar City multi-sports star 1 of 3 girls in Utah nominated for All American Games – St George News

Logann Laws is fouled in a quick try, Cedar City versus Ogden, 11th Hodson Cancer Classic, Cedar City, Utah, December 27, 2019 Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

ST. GEORGE – Logann Laws watched from the sidelines on Thursday night at Desert Hills High School as their Cedar Reds played their last regular season game of their senior season wearing their # 4 jersey over a long sleeve shirt and leggings. She was the designated handshaker for the five starters and pimped the players during the time-outs.

Logann Laws sits on the sidelines during a cedar basketball huddle in the team’s loss in Desert Hills, St. George, Utah, February 28, 2021 Photo by Rich Allen, St. George News / Cedar City News

But she didn’t take over the court. She hadn’t played in any of the team’s games this season, either, apart from an emotional moment on the Seniors Night when she undisputedly landed the last basket of her prep career against Pine View and hugged every player and coach on both teams as she got out. Laws lost her entire senior season after undergoing emergency surgery in November to treat Chiari malformation, a growth of brain tissue in the spinal cord. The Reds have lost one of their top players, a multisport star.

Laws watched the Reds drop the game and pass the torch to Desert Hills as the undisputed champion of Region 9. This concluded the unbeaten run of the thunder through the region, an achievement that the Reds achieved with laws in the middle of the last two seasons. It was the end of an era for Cedar with little fanfare – but not none.

Earlier in the day, Laws was named a nominee for the McDonald’s All American Games, which showcases the best basketball players from across the country for both boys and girls. Laws is the only Region 9 representative in boys ‘or girls’ basketball and only one in three girls from the state of Utah.

It’s not just a feel-good story either: Cedar head coach Corry Nielsen said nominations were made before the season and before they knew Laws was going to miss out on a significant time, if not the entire season. For the Grinder Laws, she wanted it to be that way.

“It means so much to me,” Laws told Cedar City News on Thursday. “I worked my butt out for it. I’ve worked hard so it feels good when it pays off. I wouldn’t want pity because I’m hurt. If it were, I would have said, “No, I don’t want that.” I wouldn’t want it. If it comes from all of my hard work and dedication and what I’ve shown over the past three years, it means a lot to have. “

That hard work and dedication speaks for itself. Law established itself early on as one of the best basketball players in the state.

Logann Laws signs her letter of intent with BYU Athletics at Cedar High School in Cedar City, Utah on November 13, 2020 Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Laws received the three-year nomination for the Cedar basketball team. She made many trips to the gym at 5 a.m. She was the point guard of a successive state champion. She received a full-time scholarship to BYU to throw the spear after winning the state championship in that event in her first year of competition. She did everything while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and staying active in her church.

“I always tell girls who want to move in and get better, ‘Do exactly what Logann Laws does. You become her best friend and do exactly what she wants to do, ”said Nielsen. “It’s not too often that you find girls willing to put that time, effort and other things into trying to be great. Over the past four years we’ve spent thousands of hours just shooting and shooting and shooting. Only thousands, all year round, sometimes 5 a.m., sometimes 10 p.m., holiday weekends. She wants to be the best. “

Laws was named all-state in 2020. She is the third representative of the Cedar girls’ team’s All American nominees for the past two years and joined teammates Mayci Jorgerson and Japrix Weaver a year ago.

Logann Laws of Cedar competes in the javelin throw during the Region 9 championship meeting at Snow Canyon High School in St. George, Utah. May 9, 2019 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Laws were often the supporting role for these two in the state championships and distributed aid to the two. This year Laws should be in the spotlight. But even from the sidelines, her presence could not only be felt on the cedar bench.

When teams across the state heard of Laws’ operation, they sent care packages. Even teams in the north from outside the region did so. Regional teams like Pine View and Desert Hills even visited her in the hospital.

“She’s a great competitor,” said Desert Hills head coach Ron Denos. “It was a difficult thing when we heard this. All the girls wanted to do something. Sa’de (Turlington) put her number on her basketball shoes…. We are competitors but when it comes down to it there are a lot of feelings and people crowd each other. She is a great player. I really wanted to play her again this year because she had to be her girl this year and I wanted to see what she would achieve. “

Laws will not be participating in the upcoming state tournament, nor would she have participated in the All American Games had it not been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But she will be able to throw the spear in the spring, and she will move on to BYU in the fall. Previously, Nielsen said he would have one final training session with her. He doesn’t know when it will be and it will be up to her.

“She will end her basketball career (at Cedar) on her terms,” ​​said Nielsen.

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Rich joined St. George News in October 2020. Born in Colorado, he graduated from Metropolitan State University in Denver in December 2018, where he was the sports editor and editor-in-chief of the student magazine The Metropolitan. He worked as a media assistant for the New Orleans Baby Cakes minor league baseball club in 2019.