This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The 14th and final Friday has arrived. The 2015 high school football season will conclude with three championship games at Rice-Eccles Stadium. In the meantime, here is the ultimate guide, packed with all the goodies, needed to get you ready before the state's three largest classifications kick off for the last time.
Class 3AA championship: Dixie (9-2) vs. Logan (10-2), 11 a.m.
Dixie is attempting to win its third title in four seasons to solidify its dynasty in the southern region, which has maintained a stranglehold on the classification for the past four years (Hurricane, Dixie, Desert Hills, Dixie).
The Flyers average 38 points and 451 yards of total offense, with 240.7 coming through the air. Zak Harrah has been surgical in his first season behind center, throwing for 2,627 yards and 26 touchdowns, but he's shown a propensity for turnovers, with 11 interceptions. Five of those picks, however, occurred in an upset loss against Snow Canyon.
In the preseason, Tre Miller held the distinction as the top returning rusher in the state from 2014, and he didn't falter under expectations. The senior has piled up 1,562 yards and 17 touchdowns on 213 carries — equating to a hefty 7.3 per-rush average. The added attention Miller receives creates more room to operate for Jaden Harrison, Hobbs Nyberg and Bret Barben, who have collectively accounted for 126 receptions, 2,423 yards and 25 touchdowns.
Logan rivals Dixie in offensive production, with 332.8 total yards and 35 points (41.8 against 3AA) per game. The Grizzlies, who've yet to lose to 3AA competition this season, depend heavily on dual-threat quarterback Hunter Horsley. The senior is responsible for 3,530 yards, including leading the team in rushing, and 41 touchdowns, along with nine interceptions.
Receiver Spencer Corbett is four touchdowns shy of tying the single-season UHSAA touchdown record with 20 scoring receptions. Hartman Rector adds 836 yards, 10 touchdowns and 59 catches to complement Corbett's 62 snags and 1,136 yards.
The Flyers are fresh off their best defensive performance of the season, when they held Tooele to 109 total yards in the semifinals. They allow 20 points and 304.9 yards per game — nearly a 128-yard improvement from last season's championship defense — but have shown vulnerability in the run game by surrendering more than 200 rushing yards on three occasions, including a season-high 283 to Canyon View in Week 4. Dixie has shored up that weakness in the postseason against Pine View (55 yards) and Tooele (86), which advertised one of the top rushing attacks in the classification.
Jeff Martinez, who accounted for 87 tackles and 16 tackles for loss, is the top headhunter for Dixie, while Tyson Fisher contributed 11.5 sacks and Payton Wilgar and Malakai Fakahua each corralled three interceptions.
Logan stymies opponents with balance, allowing 150.3 passing yards and 149.3 rushing yards. It, too, coughed up more than 200 rushing yards on three separate outings, but held five teams to fewer than 100 yards in the air. The Grizzlies have forced 28 turnovers (with Eric Laub, Colton Hatch, Will King and Ben Miller all recording three or more interceptions) and 23 sacks, 12 of which come courtesy of Troy Murray.
Logan coach Mike Favero is seeking his fifth title in 17 years, while Dixie's Andy Stokes became the 42nd coach to guide his team to the championship game in his first season. The Grizzlies lead to the series 2-0, with both meetings occurring in the postseason. The Flyers are 8-2 all-time in title-game appearances, including their win in 2014. Logan is 7-8, with its last championship in 2011.
Class 4A championship: East (10-2) vs. Timpview (11-1), 6:30 p.m.
Timpview has won 15 consecutive playoff games — including three against East (2012 semifinals, 2013 championship, 2014 first round) — under Cary Whittingham, who is the only coach in state history to capture titles in his first three seasons.
The Thunderbirds earned an opportunity to play for their fourth straight championship with an undefeated mark against 4A opponents, losing only to 5A's Lone Peak in Week 2. Timpview is 11-1 all-time in championships, with its only loss occurring in 1996 against East — the last year the Leopards were crowned. East is 12-4-1 in the final game.
Staying true to its proven recipe for success, Timpview incorporates a practical combination of run and pass on offense, averaging 190.6 yards on the ground and 202.8 in the sky, correlating to a 36-point per-game pace. Quarterback Kahi Neves has completed 58 percent of his attempts for 2,286 yards, 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and appears to be reaching the pinnacle of performance at the correct juncture, as evidenced by his five total touchdowns against Highland in the semifinals.
Samson Nacua is the headliner, but Fielding Wallace and Sterling Evans, who've combined for 44 catches, 768 yards and eight touchdowns, provide viable targets for Neves on the hashes. Saia Folaumahina, Eric Calantoc and Asten Aspinall rotate by-committee in the backfield, with 269-shared touches between them. All three average more than 5.0 yards per carry.
East, unlike Timpview, is comfortable with its one-dimensional reputation on offense, which posts 38 points per game. The Leopards reel off 387.1 rushing yards per game compared to 75.1 passing — a statistic inflated by an 81-yard touchdown pass they dropped after lulling Springville to sleep in the semifinals. Unexpected passes are difficult to defend, and it's a distinct possibility anytime with East.
Jaylen Warren and quarterback Johnnie Lang generated 3,331 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns in the triple-option to form one of the top combinations in the state. Lang, who completed 10 of 23 attempts for 265 yards and four touchdowns in nine games this season, rips off 13.1 yards per carry, which is on pace for the second-highest average in state history behind Park City's Erik Walker (13.6), who was also coached by Brandon Matich.
Timpview possesses one of the stingiest secondaries in the state, allowing a meager 119.9 passing yards and 16.6 points per game. The Thunderbirds soundly prevent the run, too, surrendering 137.2 yards on the ground, but they were gashed for a season-high 253 against Highland, which employs the same triple-option scheme as East.
Nate Richardson, who leads the 'Birds with 119 tackles, is expected to play with a casted hand. He's aided by 12 teammates that have produced 32 sacks, including Donovan Faumui's team-high six, and safety Will Watanabe's five interceptions.
The Leopards successfully minimize opponents' preferences, with only four programs reaching the 100-yard plateau in both statistical categories, but two of the four — Alta and Springville — transpired in the playoffs. East allows 272.7 yards per game, including a paltry 105.4 yards on the ground. Six opponents failed to gain 100 rushing yards against the Leopards' defense, led by Loa Kaufusi (52 tackles, 6.5 sacks), Soni Fonua (56 tackles, 7 sacks), Moa Heimuli (48 tackles, 4 sacks), Fusimalohi Teisina (58 tackles, 6 sacks) and Daymon Murray (52 tackles, 3 interceptions).
Both East and Timpview have scored at least six touchdowns in each of their three postseason games. The Thunderbirds ranked first in average margin of victory in the 4A classification this season, defeating opponents by 20.2 points per game. East ranked second at 18.4.
Class 5A championship: Herriman (10-3) vs. Lone Peak (13-0), 2:30 p.m.
Lone Peak is attempting to apply the exclamation point to its undefeated season, which would be the second 14-0 campaign in school history, placing the Knights in elite company with Bingham as the only two programs in state history to win 14 games twice.
Lone Peak has already enjoyed the 10th-largest turnaround in state history after finishing 5-6 in 2014. The Knights, who appeared in several national rankings after dispatching Bingham in the semifinals, put up 38.4 points per game — one part of the equation in their 28-point average margin of victory, which ranks second behind Diamond Ranch. They'd need to beat Herriman by 45 points to claim the MOV title.
Lone Peak has the ability to strike in an array of ways, by mustering respectable numbers in the run game (190.5 ypg) and pass game (194.2). Quarterback Talmage Gunther is the key to both. He's thrown for 2,174 yards with a sparkling 32-5 touchdown-to-interception ratio, while leading the team in rushing with 822 yards and nine scores.
Tyler Kap, a bruising straightaway runner, relieves Gunther of carrying all the responsibility with 727 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground with the support from Jon Christensen, Jackson McChesney, Tyson Doman and Ty MacPherson, who create running lanes with their ability on the outskirts.
It's the 125th regular-season rematch in the championship. The loser of the first meeting — in this instance, Herriman, which fell 30-0 against the Knights in the Region 4 Championship — has won 46 times, or 37 percent. Herriman has never played in a title game. Lone Peak is 1-2.
The Mustangs, which would be one of the youngest programs ever to claim hardware, in only their sixth year of existence, are striving to become the 58th program to spoil an opponent's bid for perfection in the final game.
Herriman doesn't shy away from its identity on offense. The downhill, powerful rushing attack generates 246.2 yards on the ground each outing, compared to 63.3 in the air, for an average of 27 points per night.
Sophomore quarterback Hayden Reynolds has improved incrementally throughout the season, throwing for 690 yards and eight touchdowns with six interceptions, but Herriman's four-headed monster in the backfield creates headaches for opposing defenses.
Jake Jutkins, Kaden Strasters, Brig Rush and Noah Vaea have scampered for 2,935 yards and 28 touchdowns with a collective 6.1 per-rush average.
The explosiveness of Lone Peak's offense overshadows the defense, surrenders a mere 211.9 yards per game, including a hard-to-believe 75.1 rushing yards. It held Herriman to 97 yards total.
The Knights feature 11 players with 30 or more tackles, highlighted by Michael Cannon, Tyler Everett, Parker Magee and Terrence Levy, but where the defense truly shines is generating pressure on the quarterback for sacks and turnovers. Lone Peak has 13 players with at least one sack, totaling 42 as a team, and created 26 turnovers, including 19 interceptions, fueled by Nate Bennett's team-high five picks.
The Mustangs pride themselves on ball control and defense. Vaea (79 tackles) leads the state with 12 interceptions out of team's 23 picks on the year. Add in 10 fumble recoveries, 24 sacks and support from Peniamina Mobley (73 tackles), Leki Fotu (71 tackles), Matt Everton (69 tackles), Cody Eldredge (64 tackles) Denver Osborne (52 tackles) and Tomasi Tonga (51 tackles), and you get a defense that allows 13.4 points, 167.5 yards in the air, and an even-harder-to-believe 53.6 yards on the ground, which including holding Fremont and Sky View to a combined negative-28 rushing yards the past two games. Lone Peak exploited Herriman for 422 total yards — the most the Mustangs surrendered all season.
Utah prep football historian George Felt contributed to this report.
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Prep football championships
P Friday, at Rice- Eccles Stadium
Class 5A
• Herriman vs. Lone Peak, 2:30 p.m.
Class 4A
• East vs. Timpview, 6:30 p.m.
Class 3AA
• Dixie vs. Logan, 11 a.m.
All games on KJZZ