PAGE, AZ In their first basketball game of the season the Hurricane Tigers defeated Page, Arizona 55 -40.   Hurricane took an early lead and was up by 12 points at the half.  With just over three minutes left in the game Page was able to come back within 9 points, but that was as close as they would get.  Gordie Dotson led the Tigers in scoring with 12 points and Zach Sorenson added 10 points.  Cory Hinton and Ryan Smith each scored 7 points.  The Tigers were 6 for 7 on free throws and put down three 3-pointers.  Vincent Littleman of Page led all scoring with 20 points.

SALT LAKE CITY - While the more marquee matchups are making the UHSAA administrators tickle with delight, knowing that a big payday is at hand, the Hurricane-Juan Diego matchup may be the best actual game of the bunch. With just one loss in 26 games between them, this looks as if it has the makings of a flat out classic.

Both teams prefer to grind it out on the ground, sprinkling enough pass plays in to keep the other team honest.  It is a matchup that could likely repeat itself in the future years as both programs appear to be headed for powerhouse status with the new 3A alignment beginning in 2009. Don’t be shocked if we don’t see both teams back here next November.

But in the mean time, beginning at 10:30 a.m. the Soaring Eagles and the Tigers will looking for any possible edge to win the trophy.

So we will also look at certain matchups that may prove pivotal Friday.

1.     COACHES

      JD - John Colosimo 9^th year 81-24 at JD; 2 state championships

      Hurricane - Chris Homer 40-36 7^th year 2 Region 9 titles

Advantage Colosimo. He has built a powerhouse out of scratch. After leaving Judge Memorial, Colosimo has won two 2A titles and made it to another final. This is their first final game since 2004. JD is only in its eight year of existence.

2.     QUARTERBACKS

      JD- Brian May 59-119 49% 1152 yards

      H – Jase Langston 83-145 57% 1075 yards

Advantage Even -Both QB’s have been efficient in what has been asked of them. Both teams are primarily running teams that use the pass to mix up the run. Both signal callers can run the ball as needed. Look for Langston to execute the QB draw to perfection. May and Langston will do nothing to hurt their respective teams and will likely be a significant factor in a win. Whichever QB steps up the biggest will hold the trophy at 1:00 p.m.

3.     RUNNING BACKS

      JD - Tyler Morales 123 carries 1,044 yards 17 TD’s

      H – Gordie Dotson 261 carries 1,763 yards 27 TD’s

Advantage Dotson -Morales wasn’t even the primary back as the season began. He has filled in more than admirably when given the chance. He has averaged 8.3 yards per carry in the playoff run.

 Dotson is the most powerful and durable FB in the state and has now started in 32 straight games beginning in his sophomore year. Experience and toughness give Dotson the edge.

4. OFFENSIVE LINE

Advantage Juan Diego – Size matters and the Soaring Eagles have it and then some. This is the unit that has helped JD be the top scoring team in the state. With Jamie Markosian leading the charge, this battle in the trenches will be very fun to watch.

That being said, the Tigers front line, led by All-State selection Ryan Butler and center Justin Edwards, this unit is outstanding as well. You don’t let Dotson score 27 times and rack up 2,000 all purpose yards without something working. 

5.     DEFENSIVE LINE

Advantage Juan Diego – Both teams will have many players going both ways in the trenches. JD has limited opponents to a meager 5.3 points per game. This line is the reason why. They punish running backs and have the size and speed to pop a Quarterback as needed. They are aggressive and will be tough to contain.

6.     LINEBACKERS

Advantage – Hurricane – It is rare that you could have an all-state player that doesn’t start, but with the talented linebacking unit of the Tigers, that may be the case. With Ian Gates, Riley Pentico and Fernando Sefita in the middle and only two of them in on any given play, this trio has been murder on offensives all year. Time and time again, one of these three has come up with critical fumbles, tackles and plays at crucial times.

7.     SECONDARY

Advantage – Hurricane – It would be hard in the 5A or 4A games later on Friday to find a more athletic group than the Tigers quartet.  With All-State corner Gary Bracken leading the charge with 9 interceptions and safety Tyler Ewell with  7 picks of his own,  passing on this group if often futile.

8.     SPECIAL TEAMS

Advantage – even – Hurricane has a solid kicking game from brothers Justin and Corey Edwards. Corey has hit 45-49 extra points and is now 3-5 on FG’s. Elder brother Justin punts for over 40 yards per boot.  Why this matchup is even is defensively, Hurricane has gotten beat on kickoff returns and has been vulnerable on trick plays.  JD hasn’t been much better with a sporadic kicker and perhaps the one area the Soaring Eagles haven’t exactly soared in this season.

So who wins…

      JD hasn’t seen a RB like Dotson all year. Dotson hasn’t been hit by a defensive like JD’s. If Dotson can muster 150 yards on the ground, Hurricane will win.

      If the O-line of JD is able to control the Tigers D-line and dominate the time of possession statistic, JD could run away with this one.

      Look for a player who is not in the spotlight much to come up big. It is going to come down to a play or two in the fourth quarter. Hurricane has gone to Dotson so often near the goal line that it has completely free up Jacob Pugh and Zach Sorenson to score easy TD’s. Pugh made a big catch for a TD last week against Morgan.

      It is often a overused cliché, but defense wins championships.  Turnovers will be the difference in the game and that is the reason why Hurricane will win in a close 17-13 battle.  A late pick by Bracken will seal the deal for the Tigers.

by Mike Butler totalUTAHpreps.com

One year ago this week, nearly to the day, I was approached by people in the community and asked to sign a petition to encourage the Hurricane High Principal to remove the current football coaches from their duties.

The petition claimed that the players were getting verbally abused and challenged their manhood amongst other things. I had a son who was a senior on that 3-8 team. He was a starter, not a star, but one that was involved in the program in each of his four years at Hurricane High.  He said there were comments that were not appropriate at times, often in the heat of the moment. They often, if not always were followed up with apologies from the coaches for not using better judgment.

I have wondered if that team, which loss a number of games by a very small amount of points, had they been 6-5 or 7-4, if the petitions would have been as rampant or even written in the first place. I didn’t sign the petition. I felt the accusations were based more on the frustration of the wins and losses and people used these other things as a scapegoat.

Many, if not all of those people pushing the petition a year ago, have been spotted at the games this season. I haven’t heard a word about getting rid of the coaches. I haven’t seen a letter calling for their heads to be placed on a platter. Instead, I have heard cheers. Ironic isn’t it. What is the difference?

Have the coaches made changes in their personal behavior? Did they need to in the first place? I have attended some practices this season and have not seen or heard anything that drew alarm. In fact, just the opposite has been observed. Cheers, encouragement and motivation.  It is amazing what winning does. 

People are just as emotional as they were a year ago. This time they are passionately rooting for the Tigers to get their first championship in 60 years.  Will they put the coaches (and their families) through the guillotine if they lose this week. Nope. It will be a lot of ‘atta boys’ complementing them on a great season.  A win Friday actually puts more pressure on them to do it again and then it is always a failure if you can’t repeat.  You just can’t win, even if you do win.

©Total Communications, LLC 2008

 SALT LAKE CITY - 1948 and 1949. Those are the two years that it registers “State Champion” next to Hurricane High School in football.  And in those two post World War II years, they didn’t even compete with 11 players.  Go a few more years forward and the Tigers have been the bridesmaid, but never took the vows as the bride, the last time in 1989, losing to Delta.  

So to get back to Rice-Eccles Stadium for the first time in three years and to know you are within just four quarters of making history is…historic. And you can sense in this group of players that it is time to create a new page in the books. They want it and they made sure the Morgan Trojans were not going to take it away from them as they took the Trojans behind the woodshed 26-9 Thursday night in the 3A State Semi-Final game.

Senior Gordie Dotson, proving that he is truly one of the all-time best players to ever wear Tiger gear, plowed his way to 124 yards rushing and two scores to lead the Tigers to the win. Dotson, who rarely plays on defense, ended a Morgan drive late in the first quarter with his first interception of the season. Dotson picked off the ball on the Tiger 15 and took it to the 41-yard line.  The offense took over at that point as QB Jase Langston found Jacob Pugh in the end zone on a 17-yard pass to give Hurricane an early 6-0 lead.

Both teams exchanged field goals before halftime. The second half belong to the Tigers. They marched down on their first possession, running through the Trojan defense before Dotson scored the first of his two scores, this time from 15 yards. 

Hurricane’s defense was stellar all evening. LB Riley Pentico had 18 tackles, 7 unassisted and played like a man possessed most of the evening. Tyler Ewell snatched his 10th interception of the year and Anderson Rich picked off two Trojan passes to end critical drives in the second half.

For more statewide coverage of the Tiger-Trojan game, click below:

Deseret News

Deseret News

Deseret News

Deseret News

Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake Tribune

Salt Lake Tribune

Photo Mike Terry/Deseret News

That is the way things went for the Judge Bulldogs Friday night after a five hour bus ride, they did all they could to shoot themselves in the foot, but ended up missing and hit their big toe against a powerful Hurricane Tiger team that prevailed 28-17 to advance to the 3A semi-finals next Thursday.

Judge turned the ball over seven times in the game, often at crucial times and in even in more crucial places on the field. Twice inside the Tiger 10 yard line, the Hurricane defense rose to the occasion and stripped the ball away and ended a Bulldog scoring opportunity.

Gary Bracken added two interceptions and Tyler Ewell also got a pick for Hurricane. The Tigers, now 11-1 and facing Morgan next week, took advantage of some other Bulldog miscues. Dimonte Hubbard stripped the ball away on a punt, recovering the ball at the Judge 5-yard line. Junior Ian Gates picked up a ball forced by a terrific hit by Zach Sorenson and ran the ball again to the Judge 5-yard line.

Perhaps the most successful result of the Tiger victory was how they kept star player Keenyn Walker in chains to the Bulldog house. Walker had two excellent catches for 35 yards each in the game, but Hurricane kept him out of the endzone until late in the game. They also did an excellent job keeping the ball out of his hands in special team plays. Punter Justin Edwards had his busiest game of the season, kicking seven times for a 44.3 per kick average, including two inside the Bulldog 15 yard line. Edwards had to kick three times our of his own endzone, but Judge could not capitalize on the game of field possession.

Hurricane got on the scoreboard first as Jase Langston connected on a 26-yard strike to Ryan Smith. Judge quickly countered ten seconds later as Paul Clark ran the kickoff back 97-yards to knot the score at 7-7.

Hurricane took score the first of the 21 point on the night from Judge’s turnovers, with Gordie Dotson (22 carries 117 yards) scoring his 23 rushing TD on the year following a Bulldog fumble deep in their own territory.

Judge fumbled the ball on the first play of the second half and Sorenson sored from 5-yards out to give the Tigers a 21-10 lead and momentum for the remainder of the game with his burst.

For more information on the Tigers win,

Salt Lake Tribune article

The Spectrum article

Hurricane 28, Judge Memorial 17
A good defensive effort by the Tigers in combination with six Judge turnovers was the difference in the game.

 SCORING PLAYS
 HURRICANE - Smith 27 pass from Langston (Edwards kick)
 JUDGE MEMORIAL - Clark 99 kick return (Harper kick)
 HURRICANE - Dotson 1 run (Edwards kick)
 JUDGE MEMORIAL - Harper 34 FG
 HURRICANE - Sorenson 5 run (Edwards kick)
 HURRICANE - Pugh 5 run (Edwards kick)
 JUDGE MEMORIAL - Walker 18 pass from Pell (Harper kick)

The wins on the court may not have been as significant as the wins off the court for this group of unique young ladies. Losing a star player going into the final weeks of the season, not due to injury, but due to personal decision to leave the team, the Tigers rallied together and still peaked at the right time.

According to the Deseret News’ Amy Donaldson article, “Heartbroken is how coach Daniel McKeehan described both coaches and players in the wake of her decision. The team, he said, came together and tried to move on without her. About a week before the tournament, his players came to him and said they’d been talking with Takau and they wanted to forgive her. They wanted her back on the team.”

The young sophomore rejoined the team as both team and player came together to become unified. Some players gave up quality playing time, but rallied around the unified goal of winning the title. “It was very difficult when she quit, hard on all of us, including her,” Angela Shields said. “But people make mistakes. … It was hard to give up the playing time, but I would do anything to help my team win a state championship.”

With the entire team back on the roster, Hurricane went to work, first knocking off Ben Lomond 26-24, 25-22, 25-17 in a shaky first round match. Hurricane looked solid in their second round matchup against North Sanpete, winning 25-17, 25-17 and 25-22.

In the semi-finals Friday Hurricane matched with powerhouse Morgan and handled the Trojans in three sets 25-19, 25-21 and 25-20 to advance to face Carbon, who has dominated people all season.

It was not meant to be for the Dinos this time as Hurricane outmatched, outplayed and won surprisingly in three sets 25-23, 25-21 and in the championship 25-11.

Kristin Murphy/Deseret News