Stefan Cantwell's greatest asset to any team is intangible, but it's not hard for coach Joe Sato to put into words.

"He just competes and he's a winner — he hasn't lost a region game in two years in football or baseball," Sato says. "He's a great young man and a great teammate. Everyone else loves and respects him, and they know they can count on him to compete the crap out of the game."

Whether it's as the quarterback of the one of the greatest football teams Utah has ever fielded, or as a feared pitcher and hitter for the Miners on the diamond, Cantwell seems to have a knack for leadership. And on a baseball team that had flamed out in past postseasons, the senior was a role model and potent contributor for Bingham, making him The Tribune's 5A MVP.

He offered a frightening array of weapons to hurt his opponents. As one of the aces on the Miners' top-notch pitching rotation, his fastball regularly knocked around in the low 90s and blew by batters. But he was equally adept in the field as a reliable glove at shortstop and a home run threat at the plate.

In fact, Cantwell's 12 dingers and 12 doubles led the Miners, who ended up with a No. 30 national ranking in the ESPN poll.

But there was one thing lacking: a state title. It had evaded Bingham despite regular-season success. When the Miners were down 6-2 in the championship game against American Fork, it flared up some self-doubt.

"Nobody likes to get down in the championship game," Cantwell says. "But we prepared for it and came through. After the past four years where we came up short, I was really proud of our team."

Cantwell came through himself, making up for a few runs he surrendered with a home run that ignited an eventual 10-6 victory, and Sato says it's a great way to end Cantwell's baseball days.

"He gave us a great career," he said. -

The teams

All-State baseball teams (pdf) • http://bit.ly/iD2Zye

All-State baseball MVPs (pdf) • http://bit.ly/mfkZbL