Duchesne defense stifling opponents across the board

Duchesne, Utah – Boom and bust cycles are familiar to the town of Duchesne. It is at the epicenter of the Eastern Utah oil industry. So it seems fitting that the town's football team is enjoying a boom cycle that has put it squarely on the Utah high school football map.

Duchesne entered the state record books earlier this season with a 35-0 victory over Carbon. It marked the Eagles' 37th consecutive victory at the time — breaking the previous record of 36 straight wins set by Timpview from 2006 to 2009.

"It was surreal almost," senior quarterback Trent Roberts said. "You just got to enjoy the moment — that's about 10 minutes — and realize we're right back to reality. Time to get back to work."

The Eagles haven't stopped winning since that moment. Duchesne is 7-0 and ranked No.1 in Class 1A with 41 straight victories and counting. South Summit was the last team to deal the Eagles a loss — beating Duchesne 39-19 on August 27, 2010. It isn't all 1A teams lining up for losses either. The Eagles are 7-1 against Class 2A teams and 3-0 against Class 3A teams since the start of the 2010 season.

It has turned the football team into a group of virtual celebrities in their hometown. Fans pack the stands at every home game and often outnumber fans of the home teams when Duchesne plays on the road.

"It's become a way of life," Duchesne coach Jerry Cowan said. "Hopefully, it's the cool thing to do in this town."

What is the secret behind all this success? The simple answer is defense.

The Eagles are allowing just 6.7 points per game this season. Only Davis (Kaysville) (5.8) and South Summit (Kamas) (6.1) are stingier against offenses. It is the third consecutive season where Duchesne has given up less than 10 points per game.

"Our slogan here is 'Out-hit and out-hustle,'" junior back Dylan Despain said. "We take pride in outworking other teams and showing we want it more and we're going to do whatever it takes to win."

Tough defense is rooted in tons of preparation. Duchesne coaches and players break down film and do chalk talks so often during the week they feel like they know an opposing team's game plan as if they devised it themselves.

It doesn't matter what the Eagles see on the field. They always find an answer for it.

"I'd say we're prepared for everything they can throw at us unless it's some brand new formation that nobody has seen," senior linebacker Colin Moon said.

Life is much easier on offense with such a stout defense to lead the way, and Duchesne doesn't waste the scoring opportunities it gets. The Eagles average an impressive 34.4 points per game.

Being a 1A school, every player plays both ways out of necessity. And nothing gets those players feeling more excited than having the power to guarantee good field position and even better scoring opportunities with what they do on defense.

"We expect to have huge plays," senior back Matt Muir said. "We all know what we have to do on offense. But when it comes down to defense, we kind of get excited. We can fly around and make our own plays and make our own hits. On offense, you're almost set on what you have to do."

This year's players want Duchesne's current run of success to be more than a boom cycle. None of them are old enough to really remember the 16-year drought between region titles that occurred only a decade ago. But they do know they want to keep their current winning tradition firmly rooted long after this season.

That means winning a fourth consecutive state championship at the end of the season. It also means playing like they have everything left to prove.

"Everybody is on the same page," Roberts said. "Everybody knows what's going to happen and everybody knows what to do."

John Coon covers Utah high school sports for MaxPreps.com. He is a former prep sports reporter with the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News. You can contact him at john_coon@hotmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @johncoonsports.