This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The writing was on the wall Friday at Rice-Eccles Stadium when Maple Mountain quarterback Tyson Denison took the first snap of the game and stumbled for a self-sack loss of four yards.
From there, East did as it had done so many times this season, pulverizing the Golden Eagles for 57 points before halftime and a final score of 64-13 in a 4A semifinal victory.
"We do us, you know; we are who we are," East coach Brandon Matich said. "We have a really good offensive line and we run triple-option football. Our focus is to run the ball and run the ball effectively."
East strolled and rolled into the end zone over and over, starting with its first of nine touchdowns on the day, a 29-yard pass to running back Charlie Vincent from Ben Ford.
East's usually run-heavy offense featured the pass more than usual in the first half, with Ford tossing touchdowns on two of his three attempts. But the ground game was, as always, the crown jewel of the Leopards' offense.
East had touchdown runs of 60, 77 and 70 yards — only two of its touchdowns came on runs of less than 20 yards. Star running back Jaylen Warren ran for 218 yards and found the end zone three times.
"It's all my linemen," Warren said. "We couldn't do it without our linemen, so I've got to give them all the credit. They deserve it."
The total effort was 500 yards on the ground before the break — nearly 21 yards per minute of game action — and a total of 644, boosting East to become the first team in Utah history to rush for 6,000 yards in a season (6,496) and amass 7,000 total yards (7,007).
Maple Mountain got one score back with 3:07 left until halftime, with wide receiver Dawson Beutler finding his way behind East's secondary before Denison hit him in stride for a 77-yard TD. The Eagles added a second touchdown through the air on a 28-yard pass as the game clock expired.
Ford was hurt early in the third quarter, and his right arm was put in an inflatable cast and he had to be helped off the field. Asked afterward about his QB's status, Matich simply said, "It didn't look good."
Backup passer Nic Harris entered the game and completed one of two attempts for eight yards to go along with eight rushing attempts for 34 yards. Matich expressed confidence in Harris if Ford can't go in the title game.
"He's ready to go, he's a good player," the coach said. "He'd start on most teams, and he can throw the football as well as run our offense."
Now in its second straight title game, Matich said just making it this far isn't enough for an East team looking to defend its crown at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
"At the end of the day, I think, it's not about being in the game, it's about going to the game and winning the game," he said. "Finish it the right way."
Twitter: @BrennanJSmith —
Storylines
R East rushes for 500 yards in the first half and 644 total yards to rout Maple Mountain in the 4A semifinals.
• East breaks both the Utah single-season rushing (6,496) and yardage records (7,007).
• East starting quarterback Ben Ford was hurt in the third quarter, backup Nick Harris finishing the game.
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