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Davis bounces back after a low scoring loss to Alta last week and hands previously undefeated Bingham their first loss of the year 77-67 Tuesday night.

Bingham, who was ranked #2 in the state according to the Deseret News, may have been overlooking Davis as the Miners are packing their bags to play in a San Diego Christmas tournament.

Davis jumped out early, scoring 25 points in the first quarter.  Davis, now 2-2 travel to Cedar to play in the Utah Summer Games Tourament Friday and Saturday.

The Darts nailed eight treys to get the upset road win over the second-ranked Miners.

 SCORING SUMMARY Davis – Welk 14, Larrabee 11, Taylor 12, Daniels 25, Cowser 13, VanWeezep 2. Totals — 25 19-28 77. 3-pointers – Daniels 4, Welk 3, Taylor.

 Bingham – Krahenbuhl 8, Sommerville 8, Girsberger 8, Marlor 8, Clifford 15, Arnell 8, Steffensen 2, R. Peck 10. Totals — 27 7-11 67. 3-pointers – Kahenbuhl 2, Girsberger 2, Marlor 2.

The Deseret News selected their All-State selections Thursday. Some players from totalUTAHpreps.com schools earned these coveted positions:

Davis -Two Darts earn first team All-State honors. RB Tanner Hinds, who was the key component to the Davis offense this season. Hinds grinded out nearly 1,400 yards and scored 11 TD’s for Davis.

James Cowser, a 6′4″ 230 lb defensive lineman also made the first team. Cowser recorded 15 sacks this season to blend with his 79 tackles and three fumble recoveries.

One surprising omission from the first team selections is Davis defensive star Marshall Burton, who was a major factor in one of the top defenses in the state. Burton made the second team. Josh Kariya and Jordan Welk also made second team honors.

Hurricane - The state runner-up Tigers earned four players on the first team and could have easily added another three players.

Leading the way was the state’s leading rusher in Gordie Dotson. The brusing fullback punished opponents for over 1,800 yards rushing, led the Tigers in receptions and scored 29 TD’s. Dotson is the TUP Player of the Year for 2008.

For the second straight season, Ryan Butler was a first-teamer. Leading the way for Dotson was this 5′10″ 265 lineman who has started for the Tigers for three seasons.

Defensively, Hurricane boast two players with linebacker Riley Pentico and DB Gary Bracken earning honors. Pentico was the heart of the Tiger defense, racking up 112 tackles and at least that many scared running backs. Bracken, whose stayed on opponents tighter than glue, rarely had teams throw in his direction, yet still picked off a state high nine interceptions.

Four Tigers made the second team. QB Jase Langston, defensive linemen Geovanny Flores and Danan Wood and safety Tyler Ewell.

Northridge - The Knights had a great season and three players earned spots on the second team. QB Junior Cole, Blake Smithing at WR and DB Chris Washington.

Bonneville - After making the state quarter finals, two Lakers earned second team success. Justin Stofferhan, who was an academic all-stater earned the team as a DB and TE Austen Richards who had a terrific season for the Lakers.

Photo of D-News First Team 5A-4A All-State Team

 3A All-State Team Photo

Megan Clyde, Hurricane

This article is from the Deseret News

Megan Clyde is so nice her coaches actually discussed how they might convince her to be a little meaner — at least on the court.

“She’s the nicest person you’ve ever met,” said Tigers head coach Daniel McKeehan.

While they couldn’t quite convince the soft-spoken three-sport athlete to be mean, when her team needed her most, she found a way to be more aggressive at the net. Tall and athletic, she is not only effective at setting up her teammates for kills but slamming down a few herself.

“She went from one or two kills a game to five and continued that all the way through the tournament,” McKeehan said. “She’s a very quiet leader. She just goes out and plays hard. She works hard and has a great attitude. She’s diving for balls, into the stands, under the scorers table, and she sets that tone the minute she walks in the gym. Her teammates feel bad if they don’t match that.”

Clyde averaged 30 assists per match in leading the Tigers to a 3A state title. She’s started at setter since the middle of her freshman year and over time has developed into an effective leader, mostly because of her incredible work ethic.

“She’s just gotten more and more comfortable with her role as a leader,” McKeehan explained. “She knew her role and she was able to step up when we needed her to.”

Clyde, also a softball and basketball player, is mulling over scholarship offers from Southern Utah University as well as Idaho State.

SALT LAKE CITY - After missing his first three kicking attempts of the day, junior backup kicker Jaron Bentrude found the inside of the uprights in giving Juan Diego a 21-18 last second win over Hurricane to win the 3A State Championship.

Bentrude missed his first point after touchdown wide right, the second PAT hit the metal upright and the third PAT was blocked by Hurricane’s Ian Gates.  So with just 3.2 seconds left, Bentrude nailed a 23-yard field goal to help secure the Soaring Eagles first ever 3A title.

JD took the opening kick and roared 70 yards on 11 rushing plays with Tyler Morales hitting the end zone, giving JD a early 6-0 lead.  Hurricane took their opening kick and two players fought for the ball and knocked each other down at the 15-yard line. The Region 9 champs looked very  mediocre the first quarter, while JD manhandled Hurricane on both sides of the ball.

Juan Diego intercepted a Jase Langston pass on Hurricane’s first possession and they marched down to the Tiger 9-yard line, before the tight Tiger defense came up with a turnover with Danan Wood recovering a fumble to end the drive.

The Tigers defense made good adjustments to the JD team, who played no huddle all game long. Hurricane finally put together a solid drive with a 14-play 70-yard drive, ending with sophomore Corey Edwards drilling a  23-yard FG to tighten the game at 6-3.

Hurricane made a major mistake with 8.3 seconds remaining in the half. They kicked the ball to Lars Gunderson at the 3-yard line and the junior ran through a whole the size of a parting Red Sea and went 97-yards to quickly elimate an momentum Hurricane had going into halftime. Gunderson’s kickoff return was the second longest in UHSAA playoff history. It would come back to haunt the Tigers.

Hurricane did rebound in the second half. On their opening drive, H-town got their game back in full motion, taking advantage of a pair of JD mistakes before Gordie Dotson scored his first of two TD’s, this time from 19-yards out. Edwards kick tightened the game at 12-10.

JD showed grit, countering Dotson’s score with one of their own as QB Brian May hit Tyler Bauman for a TD.

Hurricane was absolutely determined to come back and put together a remarkable drive late in the fourth quarter. Facing overwhelming challenges, Hurricane made play after play. A remarkable catch by Chance Johnson on a third and long kept the drive alive. And the Tigers finally scored on their 15th play of the drive with Dotson scooting into the endzone untouched. Hurricane had to go for the two point conversion and was successful with their leader Dotson crossing the goal line to knot the score at 18-18 with 50.7 seconds left.

That time proved to be enough as May found Tana Vea on a screen pass that went for 55 yards taking the ball to the Tiger two-yard line. Three plays later, JD could not find paydirt and call on Bentrude for what proved to be the championship kick.

An archived copy of this broadcast can be purchased by clicking on this link

D-News article

D-News blog

SLTrib article

SLTrib article

Francisco Kjolseth/Salt Lake Tribune photo

SALT LAKE CITY - While the more marquee matchups are making the UHSAA administrators tickle with delight, knowing that a big payday is at hand, the Hurricane-Juan Diego matchup may be the best actual game of the bunch. With just one loss in 26 games between them, this looks as if it has the makings of a flat out classic.

Both teams prefer to grind it out on the ground, sprinkling enough pass plays in to keep the other team honest.  It is a matchup that could likely repeat itself in the future years as both programs appear to be headed for powerhouse status with the new 3A alignment beginning in 2009. Don’t be shocked if we don’t see both teams back here next November.

But in the mean time, beginning at 10:30 a.m. the Soaring Eagles and the Tigers will looking for any possible edge to win the trophy.

So we will also look at certain matchups that may prove pivotal Friday.

1.     COACHES

      JD - John Colosimo 9^th year 81-24 at JD; 2 state championships

      Hurricane - Chris Homer 40-36 7^th year 2 Region 9 titles

Advantage Colosimo. He has built a powerhouse out of scratch. After leaving Judge Memorial, Colosimo has won two 2A titles and made it to another final. This is their first final game since 2004. JD is only in its eight year of existence.

2.     QUARTERBACKS

      JD- Brian May 59-119 49% 1152 yards

      H – Jase Langston 83-145 57% 1075 yards

Advantage Even -Both QB’s have been efficient in what has been asked of them. Both teams are primarily running teams that use the pass to mix up the run. Both signal callers can run the ball as needed. Look for Langston to execute the QB draw to perfection. May and Langston will do nothing to hurt their respective teams and will likely be a significant factor in a win. Whichever QB steps up the biggest will hold the trophy at 1:00 p.m.

3.     RUNNING BACKS

      JD - Tyler Morales 123 carries 1,044 yards 17 TD’s

      H – Gordie Dotson 261 carries 1,763 yards 27 TD’s

Advantage Dotson -Morales wasn’t even the primary back as the season began. He has filled in more than admirably when given the chance. He has averaged 8.3 yards per carry in the playoff run.

 Dotson is the most powerful and durable FB in the state and has now started in 32 straight games beginning in his sophomore year. Experience and toughness give Dotson the edge.

4. OFFENSIVE LINE

Advantage Juan Diego – Size matters and the Soaring Eagles have it and then some. This is the unit that has helped JD be the top scoring team in the state. With Jamie Markosian leading the charge, this battle in the trenches will be very fun to watch.

That being said, the Tigers front line, led by All-State selection Ryan Butler and center Justin Edwards, this unit is outstanding as well. You don’t let Dotson score 27 times and rack up 2,000 all purpose yards without something working. 

5.     DEFENSIVE LINE

Advantage Juan Diego – Both teams will have many players going both ways in the trenches. JD has limited opponents to a meager 5.3 points per game. This line is the reason why. They punish running backs and have the size and speed to pop a Quarterback as needed. They are aggressive and will be tough to contain.

6.     LINEBACKERS

Advantage – Hurricane – It is rare that you could have an all-state player that doesn’t start, but with the talented linebacking unit of the Tigers, that may be the case. With Ian Gates, Riley Pentico and Fernando Sefita in the middle and only two of them in on any given play, this trio has been murder on offensives all year. Time and time again, one of these three has come up with critical fumbles, tackles and plays at crucial times.

7.     SECONDARY

Advantage – Hurricane – It would be hard in the 5A or 4A games later on Friday to find a more athletic group than the Tigers quartet.  With All-State corner Gary Bracken leading the charge with 9 interceptions and safety Tyler Ewell with  7 picks of his own,  passing on this group if often futile.

8.     SPECIAL TEAMS

Advantage – even – Hurricane has a solid kicking game from brothers Justin and Corey Edwards. Corey has hit 45-49 extra points and is now 3-5 on FG’s. Elder brother Justin punts for over 40 yards per boot.  Why this matchup is even is defensively, Hurricane has gotten beat on kickoff returns and has been vulnerable on trick plays.  JD hasn’t been much better with a sporadic kicker and perhaps the one area the Soaring Eagles haven’t exactly soared in this season.

So who wins…

      JD hasn’t seen a RB like Dotson all year. Dotson hasn’t been hit by a defensive like JD’s. If Dotson can muster 150 yards on the ground, Hurricane will win.

      If the O-line of JD is able to control the Tigers D-line and dominate the time of possession statistic, JD could run away with this one.

      Look for a player who is not in the spotlight much to come up big. It is going to come down to a play or two in the fourth quarter. Hurricane has gone to Dotson so often near the goal line that it has completely free up Jacob Pugh and Zach Sorenson to score easy TD’s. Pugh made a big catch for a TD last week against Morgan.

      It is often a overused cliché, but defense wins championships.  Turnovers will be the difference in the game and that is the reason why Hurricane will win in a close 17-13 battle.  A late pick by Bracken will seal the deal for the Tigers.

Tuesday, TUP looked at some analysis from the Deseret News. Wednesday it is the Salt Lake Tribune’s turn

Class 3A title game
    Juan Diego vs. Hurricane
    The one thing Juan Diego hasn’t seen this year through an undefeated run is a team better than Hurricane. In fact, the Soaring Eagle may not have seen a team as good as the Tigers. Hurricane loves to grind it out. The Tigers are tough, they are big and strong on the lines and they will take Juan Diego to places no team has taken it before. That’s a guarantee. Whether the Soaring Eagle can handle that remains to be seen.
    The prediction: Hurricane 21, Juan Diego 17
    - Tony Jones

CLASS 3A
    Juan Diego vs.
    Hurricane, 10:30 a.m.,
    Friday
    * Hurricane wins if: This just in - The Tigers’ defense is going to have to stop Juan Diego’s running game, for multiple reasons. For one, Hurricane didn’t fare well in the one shootout it got caught up in, a 34-28 loss to Pine View.
    On the upshot for the Tigers, Pine View was a 4A semifinalist, so they know how to beat talented teams. Stopping the Juan Diego run game will be a challenge. The Soaring Eagle only threw the ball seven times in their 27-3 win over Park City in the semifinal. You know Juan Diego is going to run the ball.
    Try stopping it.
    * Juan Diego wins if: The Soaring Eagle offensive line has been moving the meat all season. Jamie Markosian is 6-foot-2 and 275 pounds - very big by 3A standards - and he anchors a unit of big men that has had its way.
    Juan Diego simply has to keep it rolling. It has beaten Logan and Delta, two of the top teams in 3A. The defense has been excellent, allowing no more than 21 points, and that came to a high-powered Logan team. Senior linebacker Jacob Doughty has been a terror all season. He is fast and hits hard, and he finished the semifinal game with 10 tackles, three tackles for a loss and 1 1/2 sacks.
    * The pick: Juan Diego by 7.

Deseret News Article on Tiger Linebackers

photo/Deseret News

This week, TUP will be giving much attention to the Hurriane-Juan Diego match up as we can before kickoff at 10:30 on Friday morning.

Today two articles have been posted from the Desert Morning News. For comments on the Hurricane article, go the Hurricane High page on totalUTAHpreps.com

Is Hurricane a Powerhouse?

Juan Diego’sQB Brian May

D-News Player of the Week

 SALT LAKE CITY - 1948 and 1949. Those are the two years that it registers “State Champion” next to Hurricane High School in football.  And in those two post World War II years, they didn’t even compete with 11 players.  Go a few more years forward and the Tigers have been the bridesmaid, but never took the vows as the bride, the last time in 1989, losing to Delta.  

So to get back to Rice-Eccles Stadium for the first time in three years and to know you are within just four quarters of making history is…historic. And you can sense in this group of players that it is time to create a new page in the books. They want it and they made sure the Morgan Trojans were not going to take it away from them as they took the Trojans behind the woodshed 26-9 Thursday night in the 3A State Semi-Final game.

Senior Gordie Dotson, proving that he is truly one of the all-time best players to ever wear Tiger gear, plowed his way to 124 yards rushing and two scores to lead the Tigers to the win. Dotson, who rarely plays on defense, ended a Morgan drive late in the first quarter with his first interception of the season. Dotson picked off the ball on the Tiger 15 and took it to the 41-yard line.  The offense took over at that point as QB Jase Langston found Jacob Pugh in the end zone on a 17-yard pass to give Hurricane an early 6-0 lead.

Both teams exchanged field goals before halftime. The second half belong to the Tigers. They marched down on their first possession, running through the Trojan defense before Dotson scored the first of his two scores, this time from 15 yards. 

Hurricane’s defense was stellar all evening. LB Riley Pentico had 18 tackles, 7 unassisted and played like a man possessed most of the evening. Tyler Ewell snatched his 10th interception of the year and Anderson Rich picked off two Trojan passes to end critical drives in the second half.

For more statewide coverage of the Tiger-Trojan game, click below:

Deseret News

Deseret News

Deseret News

Deseret News

Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake Tribune

Standard Examiner

Photo Mike Terry/Deseret News