Sooner or later, though, Hurricane's bruising ground game will take it's toll on the opposition. It's fearsome defense will make plays, and the Tigers, as they have done in all but one game this season, will come out on the winning side of the scoreboard.

In Thursday night's 26-9 win over Morgan in a Class 3A semifinal, all of those attributes were in play for a Hurricane team that's rarely been challenged this year. The Tigers held a 9-3 lead at halftime, but pulled away in the final two quarters. Gordie Dotson, the leading rusher in the state, had just 33 yards on the ground in the first half, but finished with 124 and two touchdowns.

Most importantly, the defense was dominant, picking off four passes, recording a sack and never letting the Trojans find their groove in the double wing-T offense.

"We were really determined to play well tonight because we don't feel like we played up to our potential in our first two playoff wins," said senior defensive back Tyler Ewell. "We came out and played much better in the second half of this game, and that's what we wanted to do. We played with a lot of heart."

With the win, Hurricane advances to the state title game next Friday, where it will face the Juan Diego-Park City winner. It's the first time since 1989 that the Tigers will be in the championship game, and just the fourth time in school history that Hurricane will play for a title.

The Tigers accomplished this with two second-half touchdown runs by Dotson, and an opportunistic defense that came up with huge plays when it counted most. It can be argued that none were bigger than Ewell's interception at the Hurricane 1-yard line with his team up 23-9.

Morgan had just scored a touchdown and gotten the ball back on a turnover. Armed with the ball and momentum, the Trojans marched inside the Tigers 10 with a mixture of runs and quick passes designed for the receiver to get out of bounds. With seven minutes remaining, and just when it looked as if the game would get interesting, Morgan quarterback Matt Largent threw a pass up for grabs, which Ewell happily plucked out of the air for the pick. It turned out to be the Trojans last gasp as they never threatened again.

"That was a crazy play," Ewell said. "I knew that somebody needed to step up and make a play because they were driving. I kept telling my team to try and strip the ball, but then that pass came my way. I knew I had to go up there and get it."

With that, Hurricane did everything it needed to stay on top. The Tigers made two field goals. Dotson, who occasionally plays on defense, intercepted a pass and Anderson Rich came up with a pair of interceptions, the last of which allowed Hurricane to take a knee at the end.

"We just made big plays all around," Tigers coach Chris Homer said. "The seniors all played with passion and heart. I'm really happy for the kids and for the program."

tjones@sltrib.com

Gordie Dotson scores two second-half touchdowns.

* Hurricane advances to the state title game for the first time since 1989.

* The Tigers score 10 consecutive points in the second half to take a commanding 23-3 advantage.