The Hive Sports

by James Tate

The Clearfield Falcons are off to a great start to their season, and a big reason is the emergence of starting guard Xiyah Yarbrough. Yarbrough, a junior, has bought into Head Coach JT Soter’s coaching philosophy of applying pressure defense. As elite as Yarbrough’s defense is, her much-improved overall game is a welcome addition to the Falcons.

How it started

Yarbrough was part of the 2021-2022 Falcons team that finished the season without winning a game. Soter came on board, changed the team’s approach in the off-season, and carried it over into the regular season. In addition to pressure defense, Soter’s overall philosophy is to make the opponents uncomfortable and push the pace on offense. 

Yarbrough played in 19 games as a freshman, and with senior Julia Smith and junior Navea Cordova, they are the only holdovers from that squad. Last season, Yarbrough and the Falcons saw freshman Izzy Wyaskett come onto the scene and immediately impact the backcourt. The Yarbrough-Wyaskett duo is quick, has great anticipation on defense, and pressures opponents into turnovers.

Yarbrough and Wyaskett form a confident, relentless combination that keeps teams off-balance on both ends of the court. Yarbrough averaged 2.4 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game as a freshman. Her sophomore year saw Yarbrough play in 21 games and increase her productivity by averaging 6.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.3 steals per game. This season has seen Yarbrough turn the corner with 11.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4 steals per game.

Yarbrough puts in the work to get better

The most notable difference in Yarbrough’s game is her ability to care for the basketball. After her sophomore season, the team needed a flip in the turnovers area, and Yarbrough would be a prominent player to help that change. A confident player each time on the court, Yarbrough knows her abilities and how she can disrupt a game on any possession.

“Comparing myself from last year to this year, I feel like last year I was not putting what I had in my bag on the court,” said Yarbrough. “I have a chip on my shoulder this year, and got back in my bag, playing more aggressively, and to my strength on the court, which is defense. It opened many opportunities for me to score and play good defense.”

She improved her scoring and the ability to turn steals into layups. With another year to play after this one, the sky is the limit for Yarbrough and the Falcons, who are still young but experienced.

“Xiyah has come a long way since her freshman year,” Coach Soter said. “She was a different player beginning last year during her sophomore campaign. She has gone to some great trainers, and they have helped, but she is self-made and has put in the work.”

Yarbrough’s bright future

Yarbrough has worked tirelessly to improve her game in the off-season with training from the Kongo Basketball Club. Once the season was underway, Yarbrough immediately became a strong player at both ends of the court. Her ability to drive to the basket and hit the outside shot makes guarding her extremely difficult.

“Helping me achieve all the success that I had to this point is Amber Daly and Flip from Kongo and my family,” Yarbrough said. “They showed me love on and off the court and helped me through so much. They helped with my confidence, allowed me to use my talent on the court, and did not shame me for any mistakes. They are understanding, and I appreciate them.”

The entire coaching staff is working to help the team succeed.

“Assistant coaches Matt, Lou Gomez, and Haley trust me and push me daily,” Yarbrough said. “I have known Frank Dankwa for a while, and I can see that he wants to see the best of me. He brings confidence, cares for me, and helps me stay calm on the court.”

Even though she is a junior, Xiyah is in her third year on varsity and is a leader on the team. The team looks at her preparation and demeanor on the court because she is vital to the team. Bad call or no calls, Yarbrough’s focus is on the next play and how she can best help the team win. Yarbrough has seen the down days at Clearfield and focused on being part of the comeback to winning basketball games.

“Being a Clearfield Falcon to me means that nothing will come easy, and nobody will appreciate who we are unless we prove who we are to them,” Yarbrough said. “Being a Clearfield Falcon brings me happiness, especially when I can prove people wrong. There is much talk about Clearfield, but we have tough, caring, and hard-working people. What we have accomplished this year, we proved and earned respect on and off the court.”

Falcon family

The Falcon community, family, and supporters stay behind the team and show up for games, home and away. The competition in Region 5 is tough, challenging teams every game, but Yarbrough and the Falcons are ready to play their best and never quit. Yarbrough understands how to be tough and keep working to be her best.

“Neveah and I have been through a lot with each other, including mixed emotions and times when we were like we should just quit, but we know who we are and put our talent on the court,” Yarbrough said. “We work hard every day, and no matter how many people came up to us and tried to break us down, we kept pushing, not just by ourselves, but we went through it together, which made us even stronger.”

Even when she wanted to quit, Yarbrough was able to find a way to keep going.

“There was a time when I was like, I’m done, and we’re never going to win the game, it’s over,” Yarbrough said. “Nobody’s going to see me and the talent that I have. I was physically and mentally drained and felt like I was doing all this hard work for nothing. My parents told me that I might be missing out on a huge opportunity to never give up on a huge opportunity cause there is a chance that it would never come to you again. Also, being a black girl in Utah, playing sports is not easy. It takes a lot of work to get recognized. You have to work ten times harder than others. You have to prove to yourself and others that you earned and deserve this.”

Yarbrough’s family support

Yarbrough comes from a competitive family striving to be at its best in all it does. Her commitment to doing well in the classroom is as important as being a great basketball player. 

“My family, like I said, has always been competitive, and they always told me never to say I can’t because I always can, and it takes hard work,” Yarbrough said. “They brought me confidence and joy through the hard times, the pain, and the emotional state; they pushed me through because they saw the best in me. I especially want to give a shout-out to my sister, Trinity Yarbrough. She is a year older than me. We grew up playing basketball with each other. She went through a tough shoulder injury and had to get surgery, and she found a new hobby of being a medical assistant. I am proud of her. Even though we were like that one duo on the court growing up, she still pushed me and wanted the best for me. I love her and appreciate her so much for that.”

In her spare time, Yarbrough is able to make time to have fun as well.

“I enjoy spending time with my family, and I love drawing,” Yarbrough said. “Drawing brings me peace. I like going on vacation to see and explore new things. This is rare to hear from a high schooler, but I also enjoy going to school to learn new things to come home and tell my family members all about it.”

Yarbrough inspires others

Yarbrough’s success has come with hard work and a never-quit attitude, and she will inspire others to follow their dreams and keep going no matter the obstacles.  

“My six-year-old nephew looks up to me, and I want to show him that the Yarbrough family is competitive and athletic, and he can do anything he wants if he puts his mind to it and puts the work in,” Yarbrough said. “If you didn’t make your high school basketball team, have been brought down by others, or have been told you are not good enough, keep pushing no matter what. If you hit the ground, push through that and bounce yourself back up. Many have not made their high school team and quit basketball and doing what they’re doing in school because they felt lost. At that point, they lose the opportunity to become the person they always wanted to be, which is likely successful. They went a whole different route and started doing bad things, doing drugs, and found themselves lost, and now they’re digging themselves out of a deeper hole, so never give up. The hard work you do will pay off. It takes time and is a process.”

Accomplishments and stats

2023 The Hive Sports All-Defensive Team

class of 2025 career stats 

300 points, 160 rebounds, 120 steals

photos courtesy James Tate