Ogden • Morgan took control by dominating the run game, thanks to Briger Miller, and pulled away late from Juab for a 34-18 victory in their Class 3A state semifinal game Friday at Weber State.
Miller, a senior, rushed for 120 yards on 21 carries and scored twice.
The Trojans got out to a fast start in the first half by controlling the tempo while keeping the ball on the ground. They scored 20 points in a span of three minutes. Two short rushing touchdowns by Miller as well as a 27-yard interception return by Ethan Wheeler got Morgan out to a commanding 20-0 lead.
“Getting off to the hot start was really important for us, but I think we got a little too confident,” Miller said. “We took our foot off of the gas and they started to come back, but we were able to pull it out in the end.”
Juab kept its composure and stayed close, thanks to a 3-yard rushing touchdown by Joey Aggard and a 15-yard touchdown reception by Alex White from quarterback Easton Wright to make it an eight-point game heading into the break.
PLAYER OF THE GAME <br>Morgan’s Bridger Miller ran for a pair of first-half touchdowns to help the Trojans punch their ticket to the Class 3A state title game. He finished with 120 yards rushing.
The Juab defense tightened up in the second half and held Morgan scoreless in the third quarter to give the Wasps a chance.
Wright’s 43-yard touchdown reception cut Juab’s deficit to two points.
But a 54-yard touchdown reception by Tyson Hurd as well as a 2-yard rushing touchdowns by running back Porter Giles put away the game for the Trojans.
“A lot of our fans really pushed us to the finish line,” Miller said. “Pretty much our entire community came out. I know we were really devastated last year, and we weren’t ready for our season to end.”
Morgan quarterback Jacob Stephens threw for 283 yards and a touchdown. Juab quarterback Easton Wright threw for 166 yards and two touchdowns, while Aggard led the way for the Wasps on the ground with 66 yards and a score.