For the first time in three weeks, the top-ranked team in 5A was not defeated, and the Brighton Bengals were involved in each game.
Meeting in the last game ever to be played on the field Jordan teams have called home since 1915, top-ranked Brighton took advantage of early Beetdigger miscues for a 35-7 victory.The win clinched the Region 4 championship for Brighton (7-1, 5-0), while the loss put to an end the long and storied 81-year history of the Jordan football field as the Beetdiggers move to a new school and new field next year.
"It didn't turn out right," said Beetdigger head coach Jim Birch, who had hoped his beleaguered team could rise to the occasion and make the field's last battle a successful one. "But against a team like Brighton you have to play near-perfect ball to beat them."
That was far from what Jordan did as kicking-game miscues proved costly.
For the second-straight week, Brighton scored its first touchdown on a blocked punt return as Tony Anderson broke through the line and teammate Parker Garrett scooped it up and rumbled 20 yards for the touchdown.
Up 14-0, Brighton held the Beetdiggers on their third possession and took over deep in Jordan territory when the punt snap was fumbled. Three plays later quarterback Scott Pearce scored on a three-yard run.
Jordan's lone scoring drive came after intercepting a Bengal pass early in the third quarer. Quarterback Steve Albrecht found the end zone on a three-yard run that cut the lead to 21-7.
But touchdown passes by Pearce in the third and fourth quarters put the game out of reach and closed the books on a million memories.
In other action around the state:
Region 1
Fremont 40, Northridge 6: Kurt Flinders and Jason Jordan each scored two TDs as the Silver Wolves rusted the Knights. Van Tassle added a 40-yard interception return for a Fremont score.
Weber 6, Roy 0: Two 25-yard field goals by the Warriors proved enough as they shutout the Royals.
Region 2
Skyline 26, Cottonwood 15: The Eagles rallied in the fourth quarter to upend the stubborn Colts. Gus Papanickolas' second TD run sealed the win for Skyline.
Highland 28, Davis 14: Paul Strasser's 80-yard TD scamper in the third quarter proved to be the game-winner in the Rams' victory over the Darts. Kyle Langston added two TDs and a two-point conversion for Highland.
Region 3
Granger 26, Bingham 19: Lua Tuitupou's touchdown with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter gave the Lancers a come-from-behind victory over the Miners.
Hunter 37, Copper Hills 14: Craig Coulter scored on runs of 2 and 16 yards as the Wolverines caged the Grizzlies. Adam Cunningham added a TD pass and run for Hunter.
West Jordan 27, Kearns 7: Aaron Lively's 94-yard touchdown run in the fourth secured the Jaguars' victory over the Cougars.
Region 4
Hillcrest 35, Mountain View 31: Chris Callister caught a 58-yard "Hail Mary" pass from Doug Smith in the final seconds to give the Huskies the win over the Bruins.
Region 5
Bear River 51, Ogden 13: Nick Chournos rushed for 143 yards and four touchdowns in leading the Bears over the Tigers. Colby Reese added two TDs for Bear River, while Rashad Kennedy scored on runs of 80 and 58 yards for Ogden.
Box Elder 68, Ben Lomond 13: Marc Dunn completed all six of his pass attempts for 201 yards and three touchdowns as the Bees stung the Scots. Mike Sumko and Phil Heywood combined for four touchdowns for Box Elder.
Mountain Crest 21, Logan 20: Tony Zollinger scored twice on runs of 2 yards to help the Mustangs outlast the Grizzlies. Jeremy Maughan led the defense with two interceptions and a fumble recovery for Mountain Crest.
Region 8
Pleasant Grove 27, Provo 12: Rocky Smart's three first-half touchdowns were enough to give the Vikings a win over the Bulldogs.
Spanish Fork 37, Payson 14: Chris Anderson and Garrett Johnson connected on two TD passes in helping the Dons dump the Lions. Johnson threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns for Spanish Fork.
Timpview 17, Springville 7: Brett Engemann threw for 147 yards and two touchdowns - one each to Tyler Ockey and Brock Day - as the Thunderbirds soared past the Red Devils.
Class 3A North
Emery 34, North Sanpete 32: Travis Baker rushed for three touchdowns, and Jarrod Price added two more TD runs as the Spartans outdueled the Hawks to win the 3A North title. Allen Jacobsen passed for 159 yards and rushed for 103 yards in the loss for North Sanpete.
Lehi 14, Carbon 13 : Nate Christopherson's TD reception in overtime and Adam Kolowich's extra point gave the Pioneers a win over the Dinos. Carbon scored in overtime but missed the extra point.
Uintah 34, Wasatch 15: Eli Long's 91-yard interception return for a score helped propel the Utes past the Wasps. Lance Klun completed 3-of-5 pass attempts for TDs of 65 and 40 yards.
Union 34, Park City 21: Mike Labrum rushed for 175 yards and two touchdowns as Cougars buried the Miners. Ryan Obplanalp added 150 yards and two more scores for Union.
Class 3A South
Delta 32, Cedar City 18: The third-ranked Rabbits played the role of road warriors as they dumped the Redmen.
Snow Canyon 14, Dixie 6: Brooksby Stafford's 35-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter sealed the Warriors' victory over the Flyers. Stafford rushed for 116 yards on the night for Snow Canyon.
Hurricane 28, Richfield 7: The Tigers evened their overall record with a road victory over the winless Wildcats.
Region 12
Manti 26, Morgan 20: Bryan Keisel tossed two 20-yard touchdown passes - one each to Kevin Callister and Cory Hatch - for the Templars as they toppled the Trojans.
Gunnison 47, North Summit 22: Chris Hunt rushed for 220 yards and three scores in leading the Bulldogs over the Braves. Travis Avery added two TD passes for Gunnison.
Juab 14, South Summit 0: Ben Sutorius scored on a 77-yard TD run in the third quarter to secure the Wasps' victory over the Wildcats. Sutorius finished with 120 yards rushing on seven carries.
Millard 18, Grantsville 17: Courtney Tuttle's 6-yard TD run in the fourth quarter gave the Eagles a thrilling win over the Cowboys. Tuttle added a 52-yard TD reception for Millard.
Region 13
North Sevier 21, South Sevier 0: The Wolves used three touchdown runs to give them a shutout against the winless Rams.
Grand 35, Beaver 15: Sam Matthews rushed for three touchdowns as the Red Devils burned the Beavers. Travis Packard added two more TDs for Grand.
San Juan 47, Monticello 21: The Broncos jumped out to a 20-0 lead against the Buckaroos. Josh Tate and Chaz Black each scored two TDs for San Juan.
Kanab 31, Parowan 7: The fifth-ranked Cowboys kept their hopes for a region title alive by picking up a road win over the Rams.
Class 1A
Rich 49, Milford 14: Brad Weston rushed for 134 yards and one touchdown as the top-ranked Rebels rolled over the Tigers. Seven different players scored TDs for Rich.
Whitehorse 33, Monument Valley 0: Norbert Norton completed three passes for 83 yards and three touchdowns in leading the Red Raiders to a shutout win over the Cougars. Ryland Jones added a TD run and pass for Whitehorse.
Nonleague
Kemmerer, Wyo. 21, Altamont 19: Ryan Hawkes' second touchdown run of the game helped Kemmerer knock off the Longhorns. Altamont's four second-half turnovers proved costly in the loss.
Sky View 16, Judge 0: The Bobcats picked up a shutout victory on their home turf as they defeated the Bulldogs.