Prep football: Timpview rolls into final with swagger

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Timpview's Byson McKenzie, #45, runs through Tooele's Marcus Westover, #72, during the first half of the game Friday October 3, 2008. Chris Detrick/The Salt Lake Tribune

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As Chris Badger waited in the tunnel at Rice-Eccles Stadium, he had a different feeling from any he'd had there the previous three years. For the first time in his Timpview career, he felt his team was an underdog.

The Thunderbirds were facing Mountain Crest, a team that dominated Region 5 play and had a prolific quarterback in Alex Kuresa.

"People thought Mountain Crest was unbeatable," said Badger, a safety and receiver. "Having that feeling of having something to prove motivated us. I loved how we responded to the pressure."

Timpview is back in familiar territory. The Thunderbirds will play Springville on Friday at Rice-Eccles Stadium at 11 a.m. for the Class 4A title. The Thunderbirds beat Mountain Crest 38-21 to get to the state championship for the fourth consecutive year but the road back to the title game hasn't been a smooth one.

It wasn't like the last two years, when Timpview came into the Class 4A tournament as the clear favorite. The Thunderbirds weren't undefeated coming into the playoffs, and after a 1-2 start, people questioned how far they could go.

But Timpview coach Louis Wong never did.

"If you hang everything on winning the first or second game, that's short-sighted," Wong said. "We've always had a long-term goal. I've never looked at losses as being a down because there are so many things to be learned. Now, they're just as strong as the last three teams. That's evident with how we played against

At the start of the season, though, there were plenty of questions. The biggest one was who would be the team's starting quarterback. Jeremiah Burr and Trevor Brown started the season on equal footing. They brought different qualities to the position and the coaches didn't settle on one until the third game of the season, giving the job to Brown.

And that wasn't the only issue at hand. Injuries have been a factor all year. The Thunderbirds' running game took a hit as Bryson McKenzie needed time to heal from a broken collarbone. Timpview lost All-American defensive end Bronson Kaufusi to a season-ending injury in the first game against Pleasant Grove. Throughout the season, injuries had a lingering effect and the coaches were forced to move players around to fill the voids. Timpview no longer had the depth it was used to.

"We were transitioning from those injuries and trying to get everyone set in the positions," said Mike Tyler, who moved from outside linebacker to Kaufusi's spot. "Filling his shoes was hard but I think we have enough talent on the team to pull through."

After Timpview's 64-7 win over Provo in its final region game, Wong started to see the team coming into its own and making its own identity. His players looked comfortable and confident and he knew just what to say to them heading into the playoffs.

"He prepares us so well and more than that, he can motivate us so well," Badger said. "He knows the right things to do to get us excited when we need to be excited and to be calm and relaxed when we need to be calm and relaxed."

It wasn't just Wong's belief in the players that has helped the Thunderbirds in their playoff run. The players know very well about the players who have come before them and the tradition that has been built. Timpview is the three-time defending champion and has dominated region play for the last few years. The Thunderbirds won their sixth straight region title this season. And they don't want to stop there.

"It's four in a row, that's a big accomplishment," Tyler said. "That tradition of winning, it just gives us confidence that we can do it."

mthach@sltrib.com