The Dove Creek Class of 2023 will certainly loom large in the stories and banners that adorn the halls of a school with an already-proud athletic tradition.
Graduated senior Cole Taber played a huge part in the unprecedented success of Bulldog athletics during a memorable 2022-23 school year. The four-sport star added one more honor to a lengthy list of achievements, earning recognition on the 1A baseball all-state honorable mention team.
An outfielder and pitcher for a Bulldogs squad that finished 11-9 this spring, Taber provided a speedy threat at the top of the order for head coach Trent Daves’ group. Taber led the team in runs scored and stolen bases and served as a regular starter on the mound.
Taber helped generate a midseason turnaround for the ‘Dogs, as Dove Creek collected a nine-game winning streak to put the Bulldogs in the mix for a league title. Ultimately, Dove Creek would advance to the regional round of the 1A postseason to cap the program’s fourth consecutive winning season.
The baseball all-state honor joins his first team all-state selection in football after the Bulldogs won the program’s first football state title. Taber also posted a strong season in track and field, turning in strong performances in the jumps and sprinting events, aiding the ‘Dogs to a San Juan Basin League title, and runner-up team finish at the 1A state championships.
The Bulldogs senior also helped propel the basketball team back to the round of 16 in the 1A state hoops tournament, after Dove Creek had captured the SJBL title during the regular season.
