Game Details - Boys Volleyball

Payson coach Kyle Adams said it’s been an up and down season for his team this year, but he believes they’re hitting their peak at the right time in the 4A state tournament. After the fifth-seeded Lions beat Mountain View in four games earlier on Wednesday in the second round, they swept No. 4 seed Crimson Cliffs 25-17, 25-22, 25-21 in the quarterfinals to advance to Thursday’s semifinals. Payson will face top seed Orem at 10:15 am., a team it lost to twice in region play. “This season, it's been up and down. We've had fantastic play, we've struggled. It's typical high school sports a game of momentum. And we've made some adjustments throughout the season. And I think we're starting to come into our peak right now,” said Adams. Senior Waylon Francom led Payson with 11 kills in the quarterfinal win, with Brockton Shirley added 10 more. Francom was a member of Payson’s boys basketball team that won its first-ever state title a few months ago, and Adams said he’s helped bring that same winners mentality to the volleyball team. “Right now they're believing in themselves, and Waylon is one of the captains, one of the leaders of this team,” said Adams. “He plays like he has never won anything, and he has the hunger to win everything. And the guys feed off of Waylon. They look up to him. He's a class act in school and outside of school, and definitely on the team.” Jace Mangum had another well-balanced game for Payson as he finished with six kills and three blocks. Sophomore Zack Kenison was strong in the middle as well for Payson, and his emergence has been a big plus for the team late in the season. “I think what we've been able to do this season has been to develop some of our younger players and players that are brand new to the game this year. And now one of our middles, he's really starting to pay off all that time that we put him to JV and practice. He's really coming into his own and being really disruptive at the net, and that's allowed us to be able to shift guys to other positions,” said Adams.