This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The contrasts between the six teams playing in Friday's Class 3A, 2A and 1A state football championships at Southern Utah State in Cedar City couldn't be greater.
Teams such as Judge, South Summit and Rich own rich winning traditions earned through decades of football. Summit Academy and Diamond Ranch are playing in their first state title games, and Juab will be seeking its first state title in its third try.
Judge and Diamond Ranch are private schools, while Summit Academy is a charter school. Athletes choose to attend these institutions. Most of the players come from urban backgrounds.
On the other hand, Juab, South Summit and Rich are more traditional small-town programs that rely on the athletes living in their area.
Thus, the Judge-Juab 3A matchup, South Summit-Summit Academy 2A title battle and 1A test between Diamond Ranch and Rich pit urban versus rural, public versus private or charter school and teams with rich football traditions versus relative newcomers to the sport.
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Class 3A
Judge (11-1) vs. Juab (11-1), 4 p.m. • The defending champion Bulldogs have one of Utah's most storied football traditions. The Salt Lake City-based Catholic school is playing its 88th year of football and has won 10 state titles and is appearing in its 16th championship game. Since taking over as coach in 2003, Bulldogs coach James Cordova has been to the playoffs every year but one.
Juab, on the other hand, has never won a state title in 60 years of playing football. The Nephi school lost a pair of 2A title games, to Grantsville in 1997 and Juan Diego in 2004.
Judge, which is 22-3 over the past two seasons, beat Juab 41-20 in last year's semifinals.
The Bulldogs possess a great combination of big lines and quick backs. Though they are run-oriented, quarterback Ayden Auer has shown he can pass, throwing for 1,120 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. His primary receiver is Xavier Price, who has caught seven of those scoring passes. On the ground, Judge relies on the combo of Michael Kearns, Max Barnett and Auer.
Juab coach Mike Bowring is 88-38 overall in his 11 seasons and has an 11-9 playoff record at the Nephi school. He did coach Monticello to a 1A title in 2001.
According to Utah football statistics expert George Felt, the Nephi school has its second-most season victories in school history and most since winning 12 games in 1997.
Brandon Smith, Diego Carmona and Nick Robins lead Juab on offense.
Class 2A
South Summit (10-1) vs. Summit Academy (10-1), 11 a.m. • The big question here is how much have the Bears improved since losing a 42-24 home game to South Summit earlier in the year.
South Summit is in its 77th year of football, while Summit Academy, a charter school in Bluffdale, is only in its third season. The Wildcats are defending their state title and trying to capture their sixth in school history. According to Felt, Summit Academy could join Highland, Juan Diego and Snow Canyon as the "youngest" school to win a state football title.
South Summit is helped by continuity. Jerry Parker has coached at the Kamas school since 1992 and has made the playoffs every year except for his first. The Wildcats' only loss this year came to 3A power Morgan.
South Summit is primarily a run-oriented team, though quarterback Ty Jones has passed for seven touchdowns. Jones leads all rushers with nine touchdown runs, though Isaac Tillett and Bracken Santos both can be effective runners.
Summit Academy is led by quarterback Hagan Hines, who passed for 14 touchdowns and rushed for 13 scores. He is helped by backs Joe Denos, Steven Harp and Nate Gordon.
Class 1A
Rich (8-3) vs. Diamond Ranch Academy (8-4), 1:30 p.m. • The Rebels go into this game as the favorite based on their 37-6 victory at Diamond Ranch on Oct. 24. Rich coach Ashley Brown, who is also the school's head boys' basketball coach, is 4-1 against Diamond Ranch's Robbie Dias.
Based on season scoring averages against mostly common opponents, the game could be close. Both teams average just under 29 points a game.
Rich, which has won five previous state titles, last won in 2009. The Randolph school has played for the title 14 times. Diamond Ranch, a private boarding school located in Hurricane, is playing in its first state title football game.
Rich runs out of a wishbone, with backs Joseph Leifson, Cache Sabey, Kyler Clark and Koy Brown all capable of scoring on any play.
The Diamondbacks are led by quarterback Noah Courtney, running back Aaron Kern and receivers Ryan Gardiner and Nicholas Johnson.