Timpview wins its fourth consecutive Class 4A state title

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Salt Lake City - Timpview's Boden Christianson, right, and Josh Burr scream with excitment as time expires at the end of the 4A state football championship game at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City Friday Nov 20, 2009. Timpview defeated Springville for the title.

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With each year, Timpview establishes itself more and more as the premier Class 4A high school football program in the state. With each championship, the Thunderbirds come closer and closer to the rarefied air of success that only Skyline has enjoyed.

And you can add another trophy to the collection.

On Friday afternoon, with a 35-6 win over Springville at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Timpview won its fourth consecutive Class 4A state title and its fifth championship in the last six years.

In doing so, the Thunderbirds proved that they could win even when things weren't all going their way. Prohibitive underdogs, the Red Devils were as close as 14-6 midway through the third quarter. But Timpview responded with three

"Winning championships never gets old," Thunderbirds coach Louis Wong said. "You have to give credit to everyone involved in the program. The players, the coaches, the community is starting to rally around us. This feels great and it really never gets old."

Middle linebacker Ofa Latu made the play of the game, stepping in front of a Steven Bate pass and returning it 32 yards for the touchdown. With Springville driving for what could've been the potential game-tying touchdown, the play staked Timpview to a 21-6 lead and served as the backbreaker in the process.

It was the second interception of the game for Latu, who celebrated his touchdown with an elaborate dance in the end

"The coaches told me that I was coming up too far in pass coverage," Latu said. "They told me to drop back a little bit. I did exactly as I was told and the ball came to me."

Latu's day was indicative on how dominant the Thunderbirds defense was throughout the game. As a team, Timpview forced five turnovers, sacked Bate once and forced him into four interceptions.

That was more than enough to give the offense room to breathe and time to get its bearings.

Offensively, the Thunderbirds were far from as dominant as they were last week in a semifinal win over Mountain Crest. Quarterback Trevor Brown fumbled three times, losing two of them. The running game was held relatively in check and the passing game, while effective, didn't really take off until late in the second half.

Timpview's win leaves it one short of recent powerhouse Skyline, which won five from 1995 to 1999. East holds the all-time consecutive titles mark with six in a row from 1917-1923 (with a year off for the Spanish Flu).

But Brown, who accounted for a quartet of touchdowns, found his footing late, running the ball for 90 yards on 18 carries. He was 12-for-19 for 142 yards and did all of this with a shoulder that will need to be surgically repaired.

"He gutted it out, and that's what champions do," Wong said. "Trevor's been hurt all week. He didn't take a single snap in practice. He was pressing a little bit and I think that's because he was so great last week."

tjones@sltrib.com