It's no secret that Delta High lives by the running game. The Rabbits know it, and they dare people to stop it.
Saturday afternoon at the Coliseum of Southern Utah, No. 1-ranked and previously unbeaten Snow Canyon couldn't.Running behind linemen Rick Judd, Russ Judd, Kip Jensen, Wade Allred, and Carl Wright the Rabbits amassed 338 yards rushing, with 148 behind sophomore Adam Little, en route to a 22-14 victory over the Warriors for the Class 3A state championship.
"We've averaged 300 yards rushing," Delta coach Dean Fowles said. "We don't care if they (the opponents) know. We just need to do it . . . The kids blocked up front. The offensive line did it for us."
Snow Canyon coach Bill Jacobsen agreed.
"I'd match their line with anyone in 4A or 5A," he said. "How many teams have 240- 260-pound lineman that are athletes? . . . Rick Judd is the best lineman I've seen, bar none. He can flat play."
The Warriors (11-1) scored two plays into the contest as Brooksby Stafford bulled 3 yards for the score, which was set up on a 73-yard fake reverse pass from Brad Barben to Kyle Hafen. One minute into the game it was 6-0 SC.
The Rabbits, behind their solid offensive line, tied the score at 6-6 when Adam Little scored from a yard out just before the end of the quarter.
After the Warriors lost the ball on downs, Delta (10-2) capped a 6-play 59 yard drive on Little's second TD of the game, but this time it was from 16 yards making it 14-6 at the half.
Delta's final score of the game came on its first drive of the second half as the Rabbit offense systematically marched 65 yards on nine plays capped by a 1-yard Jared Rawlinson run to increase to a 22-6 advantage.
Snow Canyon made things close as Stafford scored his second TD of the game just before the end of the third quarter with a 1-yard run trimming to lead to 22-14, but that was all the Delta defense would allow.
SC threatened on its final two drives of the game only to be stopped by an interception and a "hail Mary" that ended the game.
"Delta's a great team," Jacobsen said. " We got beat by a better team today."