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Ogden • Milford appeared to have earned an interception on the opening possession of the game, as the defender looked to have made a football-related move before fumbling out of bounds. The play, however, was ruled incomplete.
That was the extent of the Tigers' competitiveness.
Duchesne found the end zone on the following play and didn't stop scoring in its 47-0 runaway victory over Milford in the Class 1A semifinals at Weber State on Friday morning.
"I didn't really expect [for] things to go our way that easy in the first half," said Duchesne coach Jerry Cowan. "Milford hasn't been to the semis in any year I've ever coached, so congratulations to those guys. That game isn't any indication of how they've been all season. I think they've earned respect from our town, our coaches and our players, and it's unfortunate for them that it went that way, but for us — we're excited to move on."
Duchesne, the preeminent program in the 1A classification for the past decade, clinched its first appearance in the state championship since its string of four consecutive titles came to a conclusion in 2013. The Eagles played in the state championship five straight years from 2009-13, winning the final four, while claiming a state-record 48 straight victories.
"It feels great to be back [in the state championship]," Cowan said. "This was our goal. It's always our goal, to go to the finals. We've met our match the last couple of years. We're excited."
The 1A championship is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Southern Utah on Saturday, Nov. 12.
Milford, which won its first playoff game since 1999 in the previous round, was held to 75 total yards, but was stuffed for minus-58 yards on the ground — the fifth-fewest in state history and the fewest since 1983.
Duchesne accumulated 474 total yards, 405 of which occurred on the ground.
The Eagles led 40-0 at halftime forcing the final 24 minutes to a continuous running clock to adhere to the mercy-rule policy, which is initiated with a 35-point margin.
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Storylines
• Duchesne returns to the state championship after a two-year hiatus.
• The Eagles build a 40-point lead by halftime.
• Duchesne holds Milford to minus-58 yards rushing, the fifth-fewest in state history and the fewest since 1983.