This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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 southern region has ruled over the 3AA classification for the past four seasons.
A new king arrived on Friday at Rice-Eccles Stadium. In its first season in the classification following the region reshuffle this summer, Logan captured its eighth state title in school history with a 26-15 win against defending champion Dixie.
"It feels just as good, if not better this time," said Logan coach Mike Favero, who earned his fifth title at the school. "You see kids reap their rewards, the success of their hard work. That's the joy."
Logan opened the season 1-2, including lopsided losses to Class 5A's Sky View and Mountain Crest, but the confidence never wavered. The Grizzlies (11-2) traveled unscathed against 3AA competition.
"I feel on top of the world right now," said defensive back Eric Laub. "We dreamt about this day [since] we put pads on in grade school."
Logan set the tone from the onset against the Flyers (9-3). A steady combination of Hunter Horsley and Colton Hatch moved the Grizzlies deep into Flyer territory on their opening drive, and if not for Horsley stumbling on his own accord, it would have produced the first touchdown.
Logan instead contemplated attempting a fourth-and-goal conversion from the 3, but a false start procedure instead led to Josh Young's 25-yard field goal for an early 3-0 lead.
Logan extended its advantage in déjà vu fashion: pondered fourth-down attempt at the 3, false start squashes opportunity, Young boots 25-yard field goal, 6-0.
"It's real loud in this stadium; with that shift, it kept getting us offsides," Horsley said. "We didn't point any fingers. They switched into a 40-front, so we knew we could get them on that draw."
The draw equated to Horsley galloping down the sideline for an 82-yard touchdown with 3:41 left in the second quarter to put the Grizzlies up 13-0.
The chunk play blended in with the theme of the morning. Logan exploited the Flyers' inability to dictate the line of scrimmage, with a 281-68 disparity on the ground. Horsley tied the state's championship-game record for carries, with 37, and finished fourth in title game rushing yards, with 258, including 181 in the first half alone. The philosophy yielded several short-yardage situations on later downs, allowing the Grizzlies to avoid punting at all by successfully converting all three of their fourth-down tries.
Dixie (9-3), which averaged 451 yards per game before Friday, mustered 78 yards total in the opening 24 minutes. The Flyers finished with just 216 yards.
"They were 11 for 11 last week throwing the screen against Tooele for a million yards," Favero said. "That play wasn't going to beat us. Zone read wasn't going to be us. We put Troy Murray and Levy [Atuatasi] in what we call 'Beast Mode,' and we knew they throw a few verticals. The kids stuck to the game plan and executed it to perfection."
Dixie surpassed its first-half total on the opening series of the third quarter. After Payton Wilgar provided a spark with an interception, the Flyers embarked on a nine-play, 85-yard drive that culminated with Jaden Harrison's 10-yard dash to pull within 13-7.
Logan needed to respond immediately to fend off Dixie's newfound momentum. The Grizzlies navigated 57 yards on 11 plays before Horsley hit Spencer Corbett for their 21st scoring connection of the season, placing Corbett fourth all-time for single-season touchdown receptions.
More importantly: It pushed the cushion to 19-7 with two seconds remaining in the third quarter. Horsley added another touchdown late in the fourth quarter to squash any chance of a comeback.
"It's what champions do," Favero said.
Following Logan's semifinal win against Snow Canyon, Corbett said he had no preference to play either Dixie or Tooele, confidently saying, "We're going to beat them."
The statement proved true.
"I don't lie," Corbett said with a laugh.
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Storylines
R Logan responds after two early losses to post an undefeated record against 3AA competition en route to its eighth title in school history.
• Grizzlies quarterback Hunter Horsley ties the championship-game record for carries, with 37, and finishes fourth in title game rushing yards, with 258.
• Logan limits Dixie to 216 total yards, more than 200 yards lower than the Flyers' season average.