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Sandy » In a game filled with turnovers and slow-moving offense, it was San Juan that capitalized last. The Broncos' Cameron Shumway set up beneath floating South Summit pass and fell to the snow-covered Alta High School field to secure San Juan's 7-0 win in the Class 2A title game Saturday.
Shumway's interception, which came with just seconds remaining in the game, was the eighth turnover of the game. It was cold, it wasn't pretty, and it was San Juan's fifth state championship win.
There were a total of eight turnovers coughed up by the two teams, leading San Juan coach Monty Lee to feel thankful. Has he ever seen more turnovers in a game?
"Only in my dreams," Lee said. "We were just lucky."
Lucky and stout on defense.
The snow started around halftime, which helped make South Summit's offense one-dimensional. The Wildcats only threw once in the second half before their final two possessions, when they had to try something to move the ball down the field.
It didn't work. South Summit had just two first downs in the second half. One of those came thanks to a horse-collar tackle. The other came on South Summit's second-to-last drive, when Wildcats quarterback Trevor Lewis hit Levi Thompson for seven yards on fourth-and-4. Three plays later, with less than two minutes to play on fourth-and-3 at the South Summit 47, Lewis tossed an interception to San Juan's Nache Nielson. South Summit got the ball back with about a minute to play, but Lewis tossed his second interception of the game, this time to Shumway.
The ending shouldn't have been a surprise. South Summit gained just 29 yards rushing in the second half and 16 passing.
"We pride ourselves on defense," Lee said. "That's where you win championships. You stop them on defense and allow the offense to capitalize on good field position"
The San Juan offense capitalized in the second quarter on the strength of a pair of long passes. Shumway hit Benny Royer on a long corner route for a 35-yard gain to the South Summit 13. Shumway hit Royer again on the next play in the front left corner of the end zone for the game's only touchdown.
Then came the snow. San Juan kept the ball on the ground in the second half, grinding out 79 rushing yards. Jace Holliday was the featured running back in the second half as well as the return man and said the snowy weather had everything to do with the sputtering offenses.
"On one return, I wanted to cut it back but I just couldn't," Holliday said. "You just had to cover up the ball, keep your heads up and just go."
Covering the ball proved to be a problem for both teams. South Summit had three lost fumbles to go with two interceptions. San Juan tossed a pair of interceptions and lost a fumble.
And there could have been more. Early in the fourth quarter, South Summit's Niko Klus appeared to strip the ball from Holliday and was streaking toward the end zone when the officials blew the play dead, ruling Holliday's forward progress was stopped when the strip came.
Lucky? Maybe. But San Juan will take it.
"We absolutely were lucky," Lee said. "... But you create your own luck."
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The Broncos score in the second quarter, then clamp down on defense when the snow became heavy in the second half.
» San Juan gives up three turnovers and South Summit loses the ball five times in a sloppy game.
See images of the Class 2A title game at tribpreps.com