Ty Jones helped lead South Summit to the Utah 3A state title.
File photo by Dave Argyle
did not need to wait three decades to win another state title this time around. A year after winning the Class 2A championship to break a 28-year title drought, the Wildcats came out on top once again in Cedar City.
South Summit used big plays on both sides of the ball to beat
Summit Academy (Bluffdale), 28-6, on Friday afternoon. It was the second time the Wildcats (11-1) beat the Bears this season. Summit Academy (10-2) also fell 42-24 to South Summit in region play on Sept. 19.
South Summit's defense came through again. The Wildcats have allowed just 10.9 points per game in 2014. Summit Academy was the seventh opponent they held to nine points or less this season.
Momentum initially favored the Bears. South Summit fumbled on its first play from scrimmage, and Summit Academy quarterback
Hagan Hines jumped on the ball at the Wildcat 28 yard line. The Bears cashed in quickly, taking a 6-0 lead on
Steven Har's 1-yard scoring run.
The Wildcats didn't stay down long. Senior quarterback
Ty Jones broke free and scampered 49 yards to put South Summit up 7-6 on the following possession.
Jones showed off his big-play abilities again early in the second quarter. His first pass of the game went over the top to
Bracken Santos, who took it 46 yards for the score to put South Summit ahead 14-6.
The Wildcats capitalized on a series of mistakes to get another touchdown before halftime. A bad snap forced Hines to punt inside his own 10. South Summit partially blocked the punt and got the ball back at the Bear 24 yard line.
Jones converted a fourth down with a 6-yard keeper and then, on the next play, found Santos on a seam route in the end zone. Santos made a diving grab to give the Wildcats a 21-6 lead with 41 seconds left in the half.
South Summit locked down defensively after halftime to prevent a comeback. Summit Academy drove 75 yards to open the third quarter, only to come up short when the Wildcats forced a turnover on downs at the 5.
Then, in the fourth quarter,
Harley Georgi picked off a pass from Hines and returned it 13 yards to put the Wildcats up 28-6 with 4:44 remaining.
South Summit claimed back-to-back state titles for the first time since winning the Class 1A crown in 1977 and 1978.
Rich (Randolph) 20, Diamond Ranch Academy (Hurricane) 0
Cache Sabey, Rich
File photo by Dave Argyle
In Cedar City, Rich used stifling defense to shut down Diamond Ranch and claim the Class 1A state title for the first time since 2009.
The Rebels (9-3) beat the Diamondbacks for the second time in four weeks. They also knocked off Diamond Ranch 37-6 on Oct. 24 to close out the regular season.
Rich got on the board first when
Cache Sabey punched it in from a yard out to give the Rebels a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. Diamond Ranch (7-5) fumbled the ball at its own 36-yard line to put Rich in prime position to score.
A bad snap on a Diamond Ranch punt early in the second quarter gave Rich the ball at the Diamondback 6 yard line. Sabey broke loose for a 6-yard scoring run a play later, making it 14-0 for the Rebels.
Kyler Clark put the finishing touches on the shutout late in the fourth quarter. Clark picked off a pass and returned it 13 yards to make it 20-0 with 1:29 remaining.
Judge Memorial (Salt Lake City) 63, Juab (Nephi) 14
Max Barnett, Judge Memorial
File photo by Dave Argyle
At Cedar City, Judge Memorial literally ran all over Juab to claim its second-consecutive Class 3A championship. The Bulldogs tallied 536 yards on the ground and rushed for nine touchdowns in a 63-14 win over the Wasps on Friday.
Judge (12-1) put the game out of reach during a second-quarter offensive explosion. The Bulldogs shredded Juab (11-2) for five touchdowns – starting with a 9-yard keeper from quarterback
Ayden Auer on the first play of the quarter and ending with a 2-yard run from running back
Max Barnett on the final play before halftime to make it 49-0.
Barnett got Judge on the board early in the first quarter with a 21-yard run.
Nathan Higley picked off a pass on Juab's subsequent drive to set the Bulldogs up at the Wasp 20. Barnett quickly converted the turnover into points, muscling in for another touchdown from 2 yards out to put Judge ahead 14-0.
The Bulldog defense produced another interception before the first quarter ended to set up Auer's score as the second quarter opened. It set the stage for a one-sided offensive explosion.
Michael Kearns ripped off a 62-yard touchdown run to give Judge a four touchdown lead. Barnett added a 30-yard run and Auer ran it in from 5 yards out to give Judge a 41-0 lead with 5:02 left before halftime.
Judge made it 56-0 early in the third quarter on Kearns' 12 yard run before Juab finally broke the ice on an 81-yard bomb from
Nick Robins to
Kyler Nielsen.
John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps. You can contact him at john_coon@hotmail.com and you can also follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports
