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Ogden • Beaver coach Randy Hunter said it eloquently: "What the hell?"
The Beavers were gashed vertically playing with four down linemen in the first half, so the defending champions decided to make the change: Switch to a three-man front, use an extra defensive back, and challenge Summit Academy to beat them on the ground.
"We weren't getting any pressure with four, so we thought: What the hell? Let's try three," Hunter said.
The philosophy limited the Bears to 84 yards in the second half, as Beaver dictated the final 24 minutes with physicality to earn the right to defend its title with a 35-14 victory in the Class 2A semifinals at Weber State on Thursday.
"It means a lot to our program, but more importantly to our community," Hunter said about playing for another state title after capturing the program's first championship since 1990 last season. "For these small communities, sports are the lifeblood. This is a big thing for our community, and we're very excited to represent them next week."
Summit Academy (9-2) took a 14-6 lead at intermission after racking up 248 yards on 38 plays. Quarterback Issac Hamilton orchestrated consecutive scoring drives, starting with an eight-play, 86-yard march following an interception that culminated with a 20-yard strike to Gavin Davey and gave Beaver a 6-0 lead. Hamilton followed up with a 32-yard TD pass to Baylor Harding with 2:02 remaining in the first half.
"We felt fortunate going in at half down only one score. They had all the momentum," Hunter said.
After starting 15 of 20 through the air, though, Hamilton completed only seven of his next 22 attempts while throwing four interceptions (two in the second half), mostly because of the camouflage provided by Beaver's cover-3 zone. Treyden Young snagged two picks, and said the opportunities were available by simply doing what he'd been taught.
"We were just prepared," Young said. "We all stuck together and did our jobs."
Beaver (10-1) limited Summit to three first downs in the second half, two of which occurred on a meaningless final drive after the outcome had already been decided. Meanwhile, the Beavers' offense, which squandered several chances early, started chugging behind quarterback Jordan Hardy, who completed just 1 of 10 passes for 19 yards, but rushed for a team-high 146 yards and two touchdowns.
Dillon Smith, who led the team with 10 tackles, added 73 yards and two touchdowns on 18 attempts, while Colton Leos contributed 55 yards and one score. Beaver finished with 279 yards on the ground with a 5.2-yard per-carry average.
"We got comfortable and decided we didn't want this to be it — we wanted to go back [to the state championship], because we're defending," Smith said. "We had heart and played hard."
Beaver reeled off 29 unanswered points, with 23 in the final frame. Leos' 3-yard run pulled the Beavers to within 14-12 before Smith's touchdown runs of 1 and 8 yards sandwiched a 39-yard burst by Hardy.
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Storylines
• Beaver reels off 29 unanswered points for the right to defend its title after defeating Summit Academy in the Class 2A semifinals.
• The Beavers fluster the Bears with a change defensively in the second half.
• Beaver rushes for 279 yards and five touchdowns, while corralling four interceptions on defense.