Coverage of high school athletics consumes the majority of space on the sports pages in the Tooele Transcript-Bulletin, but as the county grows in population and diversity, the number of interesting and influential non-high school sports stories expands as well.

Tooele High Softball aside, none of the county prep teams came close to state titles, and in the top two prep sports of boys football and basketball, all the schools struggled. However, the Grantsville girls basketball team is currently undefeated and probably destined for great things during the early part of 2008. Individually, Tooele High's Erin Christiansen won the 3A state javelin championship with a toss of 123 feet 9 inches, but individual state titles were also in short supply.

That left non-prep sports and more human-interest sports stories to carry our Top 5 list. Fortunately, there was no shortage of these stories in 2007.

1. Tooele High Softball takes another state title

Canyon View spoiled Tooele's bid to win its fourth consecutive state championship back in 2006, but Tooele was able to win a fourth state title in five years in 2007.

During the past seven-year reign under Coach Barry Pitt, the Lady Buffs sport a glossy 30-6 record in state tourney play with an 83.3 winning percentage. Tooele softball is 42-11 mark over the past decade in state tourney action..

Now, THS softball has set its sights on the move to Class 4A, beginning this season. Coach Pitt said his team wanted to win another title before moving up.

"We felt very confident if we played to our potential that we would win this tournament," Pitt stated. "What Canyon View did to us last year helped us prepare for this year's title run," the coach said after winning the championship. "I think the girls were more united, more focused. Every title means something different. This one was special because we came back and beat the same team that beat us for the title last year.

The Lady Buffs outscored their post-season foes 33-4, recorded three shutouts and even upended the defending state champs, Canyon View, en rout to the state title run in Spanish Fork.

After posting a 12-2 rout of Carbon in the opening round of state play May 12, Tooele reeled off consecutive wins over Canyon View (1-0), Juan Diego (3-0) and Hurricane (11-2, 6-0) in succession to capture their fourth state championship in the past five seasons.

2. Miller Motorsports Park's sophmore year

Toward the end of 2006 Miller Motorsports Park was named "Motorsports Park Facility of the Year" at the Professional Motorsports World Expo in Cologne, Germany. The Larry H. Miller organization continued to pump more money into the Tooele County motorsports facility during 2007 with major landscaping projects and redesigns of the track and other facilities at the park. In July, NASCAR racing debuted in Tooele County with a visit from the Grand National West Series. Racing legend Mario Andretti visited the site in September and raved about the new racing venue.

Miller Motorsports Park announced in November that it had teamed with Ford and BF Goodrich Tires to create a new racing series with eight stops in the United States and Canada with the final race staged in Tooele County. It is the first time a racetrack in the United States has sponsored a professional racing series.

Officials at Miller Motorsports Park are still concerned about attendance at the major races and plan additional advertising campaigns this year to lure nearby visitors along the Wasatch Front to the many events and activities at the Tooele County motorsports park.

3. New nine opens at Oquirrh Hills

The month of May was significant for sports in Tooele County. Along with Tooele High bringing home its fourth gold trophy for girls softball. Tooele City unveiled nine new holes at Oquirrh Hills Golf Course. City leaders said building the nine holes was the culmination of years of work by previous city councils who had to negotiate deals to provide water and acquire land to improve the golf course.

"What a special day today is," said Tooele City Mayor Patrick Dunlavy during the opening ceremonies. Andy Johnson, the architect of the new back nine, told those in attendance at the opening ceremonies that his goal was to have a comprehensive 18 holes where both the front nine and back nine share a resemblance in style and play.

Ceremonial tee shots were hit off hole No. 10 by the original architects of the front nine holes, Max Anderson and Toby Shields. Also taking part in the ceremonial tee shots were the players from the 1999 Tooele High state championship golf team which included Brock Griffith, Nich Waters, Jordan Smith, Ryan Holt and Casey Dunlavy.

The back nine, which isn't very long yardage wise is more of a test of a golfer's accuracy than power hitting. The greens are especially challenging.

4. THS and GHS add Wall of Famers

Grantsville High School selected former football coach Kevin Butler to its Wall of Fame.

Butler's career stretched over 16 seasons. His record over this period was 117 wins and 54 losses, with a playoff record of 32 wins and 11 losses. Coach Butler went three for four in state championship games, his teams reached the semifinals seven times, the quarterfinals 11 times and went a perfect 6-0 versus undefeated teams. The veteran coach guided the Cowboys to 16 consecutive appearances in the state playoffs and delivered three state football titles; the schools first in 1992, followed by two more titles in 1996 and 1997. He coached 50 first-team All-State players, scores of second team, honorable mention, and all region players, and seven All-State MVP players.

Butler started the little league wrestling program in Grantsville in 1985. He started Grantsville High School's wrestling and golf programs in 1986, and Butler founded the Grantsville little league Ute football program in 1987.

Tooele High honored Glen Rupp and Bill Gochis this year.

Rupp was a top athlete at Tooele High School and coached at Grantsville, Tooele and Cyprus during his career. From 1957 to 1963 he tutored several winning football, basketball and tennis teams at Grantsville High School. He coached the first team to win a region championship in football at Grantsville. Despite all the high school and college accolades, Rupp said he is especially proud of winning the LDS All Church Basketball Championship back in 1954 while playing for Grayson Ward from Blanding. "I made the All-Church team in 1953 and 1954. It was a worldwide competition and we went undefeated in 38 games which included games against colleges," Rupp said.

Rupp taught school for 34 years and also sold real estate for 36 years. He is still active often going to the spa to keep fit. His skills and love of the games have lasted a lifetime. In 1988 his senior team won the gold medal at the World Senior Games in St. George. The following year they won the silver.

Gochis graduated from Tooele High school and became a professional wrestler. After his wrestling years he returned to Tooele and helped organize youth sporting programs. He spear-headed several baseball leagues, would announce games from the press box and would raise money to run leagues.

In 1956 Gochis led a drive to raise money and then helped build a press box at the Tooele High football field. Seven years later he repeated the fund-raising efforts and helped raise $700 through donations and then installed an electronic scoreboard at the football field.

Gochis was short, but he was also a muscle-man with fighting skills. One newspaper article touted Gochis for his strength. It states that he developed from a 130-pound high school freshman weakling to a 230-pound world-class wrestler who competed in 3,600 matches. The article states that Gochis possessed a 52-inch chest, 32-inch waist and 22-inch collar.

Another talent Gochis possessed which added flavor to the Tooele sports scene was his ability to broadcast games on the radio. From 1953 to 1980 he either broadcast games over the airways or announced them from the booth to the crowd at the game.

5. Soccer girls accident and recovery

Five teenage girls heading home from an indoor soccer game in January in their automobile were struck by a vehicle driven by a drunk driver just outside of Stansbury Park. Rebecca Deleeuw, 17, Lauren Howsden, 14, Shannon Howsden, 13, Stephanie Pixton, 13, and Jenna Morgan, 15 -- all of Tooele -- were injured in the accident.

Rescue workers had to cut the roof off of the girls' car to free them.

In September the driver who hit the girls was sent to prison. At the sentencing the girls described the impact, the sounds of screaming and the overwhelming smoke from the gunpowder that deployed their airbags. They talked of IVs, neckbraces, backboards and helicopter transports to the hospital.

The teenagers, four of whom played on the same league soccer team, were driving home after a losing game when their car was struck by an SUV making an illegal left-hand turn in front of them. The driver of the other car, Steven Shaw, 50, was drunk.

In September Shaw was sentenced in 3rd District Court to 0 to 5 years after pleading guilty in August to a third-degree felony DUI.

The girls braved a long recovery and four of them are still playing soccer today.

Mark Watson: mwatson@tooeletranscript.com