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Richfield • Rich players meandered on the court, laughing alongside and embracing their fellow classmates who trekked the 4.5-hour journey south to watch the Class 1A state championship. Lost in the crowd, Lincoln Huefner sobbed into the shoulders of his supporters.
Pointing one finger to the heavens, he yelled: "We got it! We finally got it!"
After seven straight failed attempts in the semifinals, the Rebels are kings of the hardwood for the first time in school history after knocking off Green River 65-45 at the Sevier Valley Center on Saturday night.
"This is the best feeling in the world, I mean we've never won," said Huefner, who finished with 18 points and eight rebounds. "I'm just really proud."
Rich is the first program in the 1A classification to capture both football and boys' basketball titles in the same season since North Summit accomplished the feat in 1991-92. And Rebels' coach Ashley Brown was at the helm for both teams — cementing his position in rarefied air amongst coaches who've won titles in multiple sports.
"It's incredible. These kids have worked their butts off," said Brown, quickly deflecting credit to his players, all of whom participated in both sports. "We finally got one. It means a ton. We've had lots of good teams, and we've never got over the hump. I'm just dang proud of this bunch. They deserve it."
Rich (22-4) was never seriously threatened, trailing only briefly, 4-0, in the first quarter. It embarked on a 10-0 run after the early deficit, with Wyatt Muirbrook — who led the team in scoring at better than 16 points per game this season — resting with two fouls. Muirbrook logged three minutes in the first half, yet Rich still led 27-19 at intermission.
"We've been that way all year. We've got seven kids that do a great job. We just don't rely on one kid, we're a team," Brown said. "The others stepped up and took his place today."
Mitch Jarman finished with 16 points for the Rebels, including three 3-pointers. He swished his first triple with 5:41 remaining in the first half for a 18-12 advantage, and added his second early in the third quarter to furnish the Rebels' first double-digit lead, which they would not relinquish.
"We told them all year long, 'You're going to be the champs,'" Brown said. 'They bought into it, and they did it today."
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Storylines
• Rich wins its first title in school history with 65-45 victory over Green River. • Rich becomes first program in 1A to capture both football and basketball title in same season since North Summit did it in 1991-1992. Rebel coach Ashley Brown was at the helm for both Rich teams.