If Spanish Fork takes state, the Dons would go down as one of the best teams in school history.

If Lehi takes state, it would be the first state championship for the school since the Pioneers won it all in 3A in 1997.

And if Tooele takes state, it would solidify the Buffaloes' position as one of the state's top softball programs after they won seven state titles in 3A.

While a state championship would mean something different to each of the 32 schools playing for titles in the 4A and 5A state softball tournaments which begin today, only two teams will realize their ultimate goal come next Thursday's championship games. What happens between now and then is anybody's guess, as a number of teams in both classifications appear to have legitimate shots at hoisting the championship trophy.

In the 5A classification, the same two teams that played for the state championship a year ago, Taylorsville and Spanish Fork, are back in the picture and are the favorites to be there again. However, there are a number of teams at their heels in Lehi, Bingham, Fremont and Riverton. Other local teams include red-hot Pleasant Grove, which was the only team to beat Spanish Fork in Region 4 play, and American Fork, which won a play-in game against Timpanogos.

Spanish Fork opened the season 19-0, but since then they have lost two of their last three. The Dons still earned the No. 1 seed from Region 4 and will play Layton out of Region 1. The real threat to the Dons isn't likely to come until Thursday, where a likely matchup with Riverton awaits. Spanish Fork and Taylorsville are on opposite sides of the bracket, so a rematch between last year's finalists wouldn't happen until next week if both teams win their first three games.

The Dons are led by Cami Robinson, Whitney Holm, Caitlin Elliott, Ashley Chappel and Kylie Brinkerhoff, who is one of the team's hottest hitters.

While the Dons are fielding one of the best teams they have ever had, Spanish Fork coach Don Andrews believes that most of the other teams are also better across the board.

"Well I think there's better teams this year," Andrews said. "Nobody lost much, so the teams are going to be tougher."

The region's second-place finisher, Lehi, will also look to make some noise in the tournament. The Pioneers will play host to Northridge in today's first round.

Lehi will look to sisters Ariel and Ashley Zimmerman to lead the way.

"Lehi, all they've got to do is step it up just one little notch and they're going to surprise some people," Andrews said of his Region 4 rivals.

One of the hottest teams in the state could be Pleasant Grove, which was the first team to defeat Spanish Fork this season and also beat Lehi recently.

"I don't know if I'd want to play them right now," Andrews said. "They're playing the best ball they've played in a couple years, I think. Somebody's got to look out."

The Vikings will open against a beatable team in Viewmont; however, the game is on the road. Pleasant Grove's recent surge has been led by Angie Mikalauski and Sammi Dodson.

American Fork won a trip to the playoffs by winning a play-in game over Timpanogos. The Cavemen will face a tough test in Fremont.

Much like the 5A tournament, the 4A playoffs are headlined by the same two teams that played for the title last year, Murray and Springville.

If Springville is to bring home the school's first-ever state championship, it will need to work its way through some very tough competition. Whereas in most years, teams that won region championships are favored to win it all, the parity in 4A is shown by the fact that seven of the 16 teams in the tournament won at least a share of a region championship.

"I can't ever remember that happening," said Springville coach Karl Jensen. "Nearly half of them are champions of their own regions. Any one of those teams could win it."

After finishing second last year, the Red Devils are hungrier than ever and are in the middle of a hot streak, having defeated both Tooele and Spanish Fork recently.

"I think our girls are playing their best softball of the year right now," Jensen said. "They've worked very hard to peak at the right time and hopefully they can perform very well and reach their goals."

Returning for Springville is pitcher Sarah Clark, catcher Whitney McCray and Kandice Kirkham, who lead a deep and experienced team into today's game against Box Elder.

"This group of girls is very close, they're friends, they're dedicated and they have big hearts," Jensen said. "I don't like making predictions, but I do know that they will play well; that I will predict."

A team that always seems to play well at this time of year is Tooele. The main question about the Buffaloes is if they can compete as well in 4A as they did on the 3A level. Tooele will begin to answer that question against Woods Cross.

Timpview has been one of the biggest surprises of the softball season and the T'Birds will look to continue surprising people in their first round game against Olympus.

"I've been incredibly impressed with Timpview and what they've done," Jensen said.

Payson is another dangerous team that could surprise some people. The Lions open at Roy.

"It should be a great tournament and it should be very competitive. There will be a lot of fun softball to watch," Jensen said before adding his final plug for the local teams, "Go Utah County both in the 4A and 5A ranks."

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