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CEDAR CITY — The Panguitch High School Bobcats won their fourth consecutive state wrestling championship on Saturday in Richfield.

Competing at the 1A state tournament at the Sevier Valley Center, the Bobcats saw six wrestlers make it to their finals, with five of them winning their respective brackets.

Panguitch head coach Colin Marshall told Cedar City News that his wrestlers bounced back from a tough day on Friday to finish strong on Saturday.

“On Friday, we lost some tough battles in the semifinals and the team was a little deflated,” Marshall said. “We met together as a team and tried to refocus for a tough day on Saturday.

“The boys came out firing,” Marshall added. “That momentum took us into the finals with a lot of energy. We won some tough battles to put a solid group in the placement rounds for third and fourth.”

Panguitch ended up with 215 total team points, while second-place Altamont had 163 and third-place Milford finished with 162.

Leading the way for Panguitch were the following wrestlers who all won their respective brackets: junior Tanner Marshall at 106 pounds, sophomore Shad Partridge at 126 pounds, sophomore Braxton Atkin at 132 pounds, senior Cael Houston at 165 pounds and senior Cole Harland at 285 pounds.

“Tanner Marshall at 106 came up with a big win against a solid opponent from Milford,” Marshall said, referring to his nephew’s second-round pin of Boston Thompson.

“He was followed by Shad Partridge at 126, who has been fighting an injury since divisionals and has had limited time in the wrestling room due to the injury,” coach Marshall added. “Shad showed his mental toughness by fighting through the pain of an injury and pulling off a win.”

In the very next match at 132 pounds, Panguitch sophomore Braxton Atkin went up against Milford senior Hagen Mayer, one of the state’s top-ranked wrestlers.

“This match was a battle that Braxton ultimately won with a third-round pin,” Marshall said.

Panguitch’s next individual champion was senior Cael Houston at 165 pounds. His finals match was a repeat of last year’s state finals against senior Monty Morrison of Piute.

“These two wrestlers have faced each other multiple times over the years and it is always a battle,” Marshall said. “Cael was able to come up with a win in overtime and earned a well-deserved outstanding wrestler award.”

Panguitch later capped off the night with a win in the 285-pound heavyweight bracket, with senior Cole Harland defeating Jordan Johnson of Rich in an 8-3 decision.

Also for Panguitch, junior Theron Evans finished second in the 175-pound bracket, losing a tough finals match to Altamont’s Bryant Mullins.

Others placing at state for the Bobcats were Max Albrecht (third place at 106 pounds), Tavin Leibbrandt (fourth place at 113), Randy Marshall (third place at 120), Owen Crofts (fourth place at 126), Bryson Henrie (third place at 132), Cameron Atkin (fourth place at 138), Ronan Mooney (fourth place at 144), Jacob Marshall (third place at 150), Koda Bridges (third place at 190) and Gage Julander (fourth place at 215).

“The boys came together as a team and it made all the difference on Saturday,” coach Marshall said. “I am so proud of these great young men. This is our fourth state championship in a row and these boys have shown grit and toughness to help this team win each championship.”

Marshall also thanked the Panguitch parents and fans for their support.

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PANGUITCH — Following the recent opening of the Vernal Innovation Hub in Uintah County, Garfield County is getting ready to open its own space for remote work, creativity and connection.

The Panguitch Innovation Hub will celebrate with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house on Monday, March 29. Callie Ward, a Utah State University Extension professor who's launching the hub with her USU co-worker and Panguitch City Councilman Mike Sarles, told KSL.com the project is nearly two years in the making.

"We actually received the funding in September of 2019," Ward said, referring to a grant from the Governor's Office of Economic Development. The space chosen — inside the Panguitch city hall and library — was being used for storage at the time, she said. "There was a lot of random stuff. One of the rooms held all the newspapers from the past, probably, hundred years."

They got started on clearing the space, but were interrupted twice by the coronavirus pandemic — once during the initial stay-at-home recommendations, then later again when cases surged in the fall. Finally, though, the team was able to spend time on the project this spring and is prepared to open.

Ward said the hub will include large-format printers, copiers, laser engraving equipment, a 3D printer, a podcasting setup, photography and video equipment, and more. The location will even have a commercial "innovation kitchen" for those interested in becoming food entrepreneurs, she said, baking or cooking their products on-site.

"Individuals can lease the (kitchen) on an hourly or daily basis," Ward said, "and do temporary storage of their food product."

Those interested in using the other co-working space can rent dedicated or shared desks for the day or on a longer-term basis, Ward added.

"What we're hoping for is to get more of the permanent remote workers," she said, "but we also want to have this facility be accessible to tourists that are coming through. If they're on vacation and need 20 minutes to run some copies or check their email, they can do that, or they can purchase a day pass."

We want to promote opportunities for remote workers. People would love to live in rural Utah and reap the benefits of rural communities, these beautiful places, without sacrificing job opportunities.

–Callie Ward, Utah State University Extension professor

Ultimately, Ward said the hub's goal is to attract and retain talent in Garfield County and allow its online workers to stay local. "We just jumped on the opportunity to provide a facility and infrastructure for our community, and give a spot for people who want to be remote workers or entrepreneurs. ... We want to promote opportunities for remote workers. People would love to live in rural Utah and reap the benefits of rural communities, these beautiful places, without sacrificing job opportunities."

And after the Panguitch hub is off the ground, Ward said her team will begin work on another hub in Escalante she hopes to have open by the end of the year.

The Panguitch Innovation Hub is located at 25 S. 200 East. Its ribbon cutting and open house will be Monday at 2 p.m., and those interested can RSVP at 435-676-1113.

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PANGUITCH, Utah — The remains of Paiute children forced into a southern Utah boarding school in the early 1900s are believed to be buried in an unmarked cemetery.

Now, a local historian and members of the tribe hope to uncover a secret kept hushed for more than a century.

Panguitch Historic Preservation director Steven Lee suspects the bodies of at least 12 young Paiute children have been buried after dying at the school that once was run north of the city.

“There are these kids that shouldn’t have been here in the first place with things happening to them, here without their families knowing about it,” Lee said at the remote site.

Students as young as six were taken from their tribe, forced to live at a Panguitch boarding school, overseen by the federal government. Some children were taken at gunpoint from St. George and Moccasin, Arizona.

“I was shocked that one of those existed in a town I grew up in. It was shocking,” said Lee.

Lee came across a small reference to the Panguitch Indian School last year and has worked closely with Dorena Martineau, cultural preservation director for the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah. They believe the facility was not unlike those in other parts of the US and Canada used to assimilate indigenous people in the 1800s and 1900s.

“It wasn’t uncommon for students to die at boarding schools — most often from disease and tuberculosis, especially. It wasn’t uncommon and I don’t see why it wouldn’t be the same here,” Lee said.

The boarding school operated from 1904 to 1909 and was shut down because of rampant illness, according to Lee.

He suspects nearly 150 children were sent to get an American education, but in fact, forced into farm labor on 150 acres. Some children ran away, others never left.

“They lost their culture, their language, their identity. The whole point was to assimilate us to a workforce,” said Tamra Borchardt-Slayton, Indian Peaks band chairperson of the Paiute Tribe.

The story was first reported on by The Salt Lake Tribune and southern Utah reporter Alastair Lee Bitsóí.

“I did get nauseous from it because I am aware of those narratives that exist in native communities, and for me to write about it, it actually took me out,” said Bitsóí.

With more awareness of the boarding school and possible cemetery, Borchard-Slayton hopes the children can be identified and honored properly.

"Stuff has been pushed under the rug, and I think that is appalling, you know,” Lee added.

The tribe is hoping for archeologists from Utah State University to use ground-penetrating radar to confirm how many people are buried at the suspected site.

In Canada, the bodies of more than 800 people were discovered buried at two former residential schools for indigenous children. Former students say they were physically and sexually abused.

Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Rural southern Utah is cowboy country, and with it comes a deserved reputation of being a meat and potatoes kind of place. So after a recent three-day hiking trip in Bryce Canyon National Park, when Kim Johnson saw a sign advertising a Tandoori Taqueria, she pulled over immediately.

Johnson and her family, who live in Salt Lake City, are vegetarian.

"We've eaten a lot of Subway sandwiches [this trip]," she says, laughing. "And a lot of large side salads because it's a pretty meaty environment here."

Inside, the family grinned as they dug into heaping plates of cauliflower tacos, with garbanzo beans, smoky Mexican spices and tomatillo chutney.

"They're not flavors we've had for the last few days in rural southern Utah," Johnson says.

And that's exactly the idea. Five years ago, Ripple Desai opened the Tandoori Taqueria in her hometown of Panguitch, which has population of about 1,500. The Tandoori Taqueria definitely stands out on the town's short main drag among several mom and pop coffee shops and diners, a Family Dollar and NAPA Auto Parts store.

"I'm Indian, my parents are both from India," says Desai, quickly adding, "And, I love tacos."

Her menu is a fusion of traditional Indian dishes with that beloved Mexican staple — tacos. She uses naan bread as the tortilla. Over a busy recent lunch hour, customers packed the tidy dining room eating slow-roasted beef chorizo tacos topped with tomatillo chutney, spicy pozole with pork marinated in a turmeric dry rub and a dish called curry a la verazcruzana, chicken and garbanzo beans in a roasted red pepper sauce. Every dish is cooked to order in a small kitchen off the dining area.

"I wanted to do something completely different," Desai says. "I wanted to make sure that you're eating something unlike anything else you've had."

The Taqueria mostly caters to tourists who visit Bryce Canyon and Zion national parks and the nearby Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. Desai says she did get a few second looks initially from locals. But she was used to it. They were the only Indian family in a mostly white, Mormon town for most of her childhood. Her parents still own the motel they bought in the 1980s, down the street from the restaurant, which is in a building Ripple's father also owned.

Desai recalls fondly begging her mom to make tacos as a kid — her mom mostly made traditional Gujarati dishes from her native state of Gujarat in India, lots of spices, lentils, vegetables and rice. She grew up learning to cook it.

"And that's what my mom [still] makes every single day, even to this day," Desai says. "That's what I have when I leave here at 10 p.m. and go home."

Her mom, Tarla Desai is always cooking, except when she stops into her daughter's Taqueria for a snack.

"She samples everything," Ripple says, adding that she's always letting her know if her rice is too crispy or if a dish needs more seasoning.

It's clear though that Tarla is proud of her daughter.

"She's doing good, everyone loves it," Tarla says. "She has a business mind and got the Indian cooking style."

And Mom is playing another key role. Every winter when the tourists leave, she and Ripple's father close up their hotel and travel, usually home to India. They return in the spring with spices in two 50-pound suitcases.

It's what gives those tasty chicken tikka tacos that extra kick.

Drive 260 miles to the northeast of Las Vegas into Utah for the breathtaking beauty of Bryce Canyon National Park. That name is a misnomer; rather than a canyon, the star here is a giant natural amphitheater formed by erosion along the eastern side of the Paunsaugunt Plateau. Crimson-colored hoodoos, those spire-shaped rock formations, are perfect at sunrise and sunset. In between hiking and setting up the best photos, hunger sets in. Here’s a look at some of the restaurants near the entrance to Bryce Canyon, where visitors can get a caffeine fix, chow down on steaks, or grab a fun cowboy experience filled with country music.

Texas-style barbecue smoked over mesquite reigns at Cowboy’s Smokehouse Cafe in Panguitch, Utah. Try tri-tip, ribs, chicken, turkey, or pulled pork paired with sweet potatoe fries, a baked yam, mashed potatoes and gravy. Or make it a green chili pork burrito, country-fried steak, trout, or a range of steaks.

Kenny Rays in Panguitch, Utah, offers breakfast dishes to fuel the day, including fried steak and eggs, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, and eggs. A soup and salad buffet awaits at lunch and dinner. Try hot roast beef, a garlic Reuben, or pulled pork sandwich for lunch, or pot roast, country fried steak, or garlic- and herb-rubbed rib-eye steak for dinner.

Pick up a kolache to go with a fresh drip coffee, latte, or cappucino before heading out to Bryce Canyon. Wanderlust Cowgirl Coffee sits inside a little log cabin with a picnic table for outdoor seating 20 minutes from the park.

Comfort foods galore make the menu at Bryce Canyon Pines, which has been in business for more than 50 years. The menu features cowboy-sized steaks, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade soups and pies to die for, ranging from sour cream with raisins and strawberry banana to blueberry and chocolate angel. Stop here for breakfast steaks, biscuits and gravy, muffins, or omelets for fuel before any hike.

Outdoor lovers get a taste of the Old West mixed with Mexican flair at this restaurant at Bryce Canyon Resort. Steaks, chicken, and burgers have a campfire flavor. The restaurant uses Utah-raised fish and beef and produce from local farmers. Must-drink Baba Black Lager and HooDoo Golden Ale sit on the 12 taps behind the bar. Stop by for the breakfast buffet with eggs, hash browns, meats, and Danishes starting at $12.99.

Dinner here is defined by classic dishes: flat-iron steak, salmon, barbecue platter, or chicken, all on the menu for $32 to $38. Each meal comes with cowboy beans, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, a biscuit, dessert, and a drink. Cowboy demonstrations and country music entertain in this restaurant at the Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn.

Inside Stone Canyon Inn, you’ll find this white-tablecloth restaurant with views of the mountains. Chicken Florentine, Alaskan salmon, rib-eye steaks, and pork chops make up some of the favorites here. Diners should try the seared scallops with mushroom and spinach risotto.

Stop by I.D.K. Barbecue for a plate of pulled pork and brisket with coleslaw and macaroni and cheese or make it a sandwich with sweet chicken.

This rustic, Western-themed restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus complete with patio tables. Mexican dishes such as smothered burritos and taco plates, double bacon cheeseburgers, rainbow trout, mango-glazed salmon, and wild mushroom pesto make the menu. Try breakfast favorites such as peanut butter pancakes, peach pecan waffles, strawberry cheesecake French toast, or omelets.

For a coffee fix, hikers head to this coffee shop 10 miles from the entrance of Bryce Canyon. A log cabin with a patio sets the scene for the full espresso bar with lattes, cappuccinos, and mochas, along with smoothies, baked goods, and breakfast bites.

The drive alone to Sweetwater Kitchen is worth the trip, taking diners through Dixie National Forest with views of sagebrush and pinon pine forest and Boulder Mountain in the distance. The restaurant at Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch features steaks from the Bar None Ranch, their own ranch, sweet potato enchiladas, and trout tacos with goat cheesecake and apricot cobbler for dessert. Plan ahead to order lunch to go, with pan-seared Utah red trout, falafel, and garden veggie options.

Look for the 1993 aqua colored Chevy Bluebird Bus for kimchee breakfast tacos, a vegan burrito, or homemade churros before heading out in the morning. Order loaded fries, a Cuban press, or tacos for lunch, then head to the picnic tables.

Kiva Koffeehouse offers a view of the Escalante River Canyon near Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument. Snack on tamales, apple crumb pie, breakfast bagels, quinoa potato cakes, or oatmeal pancakes and order a cup of cappucino, espresso, or cafe mocha in this quaint little cottage.

Texas-style barbecue smoked over mesquite reigns at Cowboy’s Smokehouse Cafe in Panguitch, Utah. Try tri-tip, ribs, chicken, turkey, or pulled pork paired with sweet potatoe fries, a baked yam, mashed potatoes and gravy. Or make it a green chili pork burrito, country-fried steak, trout, or a range of steaks.

Kenny Rays in Panguitch, Utah, offers breakfast dishes to fuel the day, including fried steak and eggs, biscuits and gravy, pancakes, and eggs. A soup and salad buffet awaits at lunch and dinner. Try hot roast beef, a garlic Reuben, or pulled pork sandwich for lunch, or pot roast, country fried steak, or garlic- and herb-rubbed rib-eye steak for dinner.

Pick up a kolache to go with a fresh drip coffee, latte, or cappucino before heading out to Bryce Canyon. Wanderlust Cowgirl Coffee sits inside a little log cabin with a picnic table for outdoor seating 20 minutes from the park.

Comfort foods galore make the menu at Bryce Canyon Pines, which has been in business for more than 50 years. The menu features cowboy-sized steaks, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade soups and pies to die for, ranging from sour cream with raisins and strawberry banana to blueberry and chocolate angel. Stop here for breakfast steaks, biscuits and gravy, muffins, or omelets for fuel before any hike.

Outdoor lovers get a taste of the Old West mixed with Mexican flair at this restaurant at Bryce Canyon Resort. Steaks, chicken, and burgers have a campfire flavor. The restaurant uses Utah-raised fish and beef and produce from local farmers. Must-drink Baba Black Lager and HooDoo Golden Ale sit on the 12 taps behind the bar. Stop by for the breakfast buffet with eggs, hash browns, meats, and Danishes starting at $12.99.

Dinner here is defined by classic dishes: flat-iron steak, salmon, barbecue platter, or chicken, all on the menu for $32 to $38. Each meal comes with cowboy beans, mashed potatoes, coleslaw, a biscuit, dessert, and a drink. Cowboy demonstrations and country music entertain in this restaurant at the Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn.

Inside Stone Canyon Inn, you’ll find this white-tablecloth restaurant with views of the mountains. Chicken Florentine, Alaskan salmon, rib-eye steaks, and pork chops make up some of the favorites here. Diners should try the seared scallops with mushroom and spinach risotto.

Stop by I.D.K. Barbecue for a plate of pulled pork and brisket with coleslaw and macaroni and cheese or make it a sandwich with sweet chicken.

This rustic, Western-themed restaurant offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus complete with patio tables. Mexican dishes such as smothered burritos and taco plates, double bacon cheeseburgers, rainbow trout, mango-glazed salmon, and wild mushroom pesto make the menu. Try breakfast favorites such as peanut butter pancakes, peach pecan waffles, strawberry cheesecake French toast, or omelets.

For a coffee fix, hikers head to this coffee shop 10 miles from the entrance of Bryce Canyon. A log cabin with a patio sets the scene for the full espresso bar with lattes, cappuccinos, and mochas, along with smoothies, baked goods, and breakfast bites.

The drive alone to Sweetwater Kitchen is worth the trip, taking diners through Dixie National Forest with views of sagebrush and pinon pine forest and Boulder Mountain in the distance. The restaurant at Boulder Mountain Guest Ranch features steaks from the Bar None Ranch, their own ranch, sweet potato enchiladas, and trout tacos with goat cheesecake and apricot cobbler for dessert. Plan ahead to order lunch to go, with pan-seared Utah red trout, falafel, and garden veggie options.

Look for the 1993 aqua colored Chevy Bluebird Bus for kimchee breakfast tacos, a vegan burrito, or homemade churros before heading out in the morning. Order loaded fries, a Cuban press, or tacos for lunch, then head to the picnic tables.

Kiva Koffeehouse offers a view of the Escalante River Canyon near Escalante-Grand Staircase National Monument. Snack on tamales, apple crumb pie, breakfast bagels, quinoa potato cakes, or oatmeal pancakes and order a cup of cappucino, espresso, or cafe mocha in this quaint little cottage.