This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Holladay • Olympus' football team is a lot like its star running back, Quinn Meier.
The Titans are a little undersized but very, very tough.
Olympus and Meier showed that toughness Friday by taking a 33-22 victory over Murray, earning a top seed at the state tournament and at least a share of the Region 6 title.
The 6-foot-1, 190-pound running back rushed for three touchdowns to send the Titans seniors out with a win in their last home game.
"We came in thinking we would come out strong," said Meier, one of the state's premier backs who has led his team to a 5-0 league record and back into the state tournament after a rare year away last season. "We were doing our jobs and it went as planned. After coming up short last year, it's great to win the region championship."
This was Olympus' fourth title in the last five years, and though the Titans have been a bit under the radar since an opening week loss to Highland, they are playing well enough to be a sleeper when the state tournament begins in three weeks.
"That's a good football team," said Murray coach Mike Richmond, who has led a Spartan resurgence in recent years. "They got on us early and we had a tough time coming back."
Olympus took a 17-7 halftime lead on runs of 12 and 67 yards by Meier and a 29-yard field goal by Parker Rigby. Murray kept it interesting on a 7-yard run by Hunter Jones.
But Olympus got a quick start in the second half, getting a 3-yard scoring run by Meier early. Jones gave the Spartans a little hope by scoring on a 9-yard run, but a 2-yard touchdown run by Sawyer Pierce followed by a 36-yard field goal by Rigby with 5:17 put it out of reach.
Murray never quit, however.
The Spartans got a 2-yard run by their fine quarterback Drew Cash and a two-point conversion and then successfully executed an onside kick. But Cash had to be carried off the field after being sacked as Olympus' defense toughened up.
"We were vacant from the playoffs last year, so this has been fun to watch," said Olympus coach Aaron Whitehead, whose team finishes with a nonleague game at Bountiful and then travels to arch-rival Skyline to end the season. "Anyone can win with No. 5 [Meier] and that offensive line."
Olympus and Region 6 have been out of the rankings much of the year as teams such as Timpview and East have gained the spotlight. But there's a good chance no one wants to run into either of these teams early in the playoffs.
Twitter @tribtomwharton —
Storylines
R Quinn Meier scores three touchdowns, including a 67-yarder, to lead Olympus.
• The Titans win at least a share of their fourth region title in five years and earn a top seed at state.
• Hunter Jones scores two touchdowns for Murray.