After a weekend packed with exciting play on the football field, a bunch of rather lengthy phone calls, some even lengthier headaches, an extra coin toss and a little juggling of the original schedule, it appears everything to do with the high school football championships is set.
All that's left now is the weeklong hype. Oh yeah, and the actual title games. But at least we now officially know the whens and wheres to go with the whos.As previously reported, the 4A and 5A championships will be decided Friday afternoon at the University of Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium. Times have been reversed, however, as the 4A showdown between Bountiful and Weber will go at 12:30 p.m., followed by the Skyline-Taylorsville 5A battle at 4 p.m.
The two smaller classifications will stage their championships on Saturday, with the 2A boys from Manti and South Summit going at it at Mountain View High in Orem at 11 a.m. Snow Canyon and Emery play at 1 p.m. at Southern Utah University's Eccles Coliseum.
Deciding where to play the 3A championship game caused the most havoc at the Utah High School Activities Association offices this weekend.
Because 3A is so spread out -- from Tremonton in the north to St. George in the south -- UHSAA officials left the site unannounced until they knew exactly who would be participating in the finals. And as soon as Saturday's semifinals were finished, the lobbying began.
Emery, whose community was very vocal toward the UHSAA about having the semis at Weber State, preferred holding the championship game at a neutral site so long as it wasn't in southern Utah. The Spartans, having already lost once to Snow Canyon in Utah's Dixieland this season, figured if they have to travel a long distance in the bus and stay overnight, then their opponent should have to as well.
Snow Canyon liked the option of having the title game at SUU. Cedar City is only 45 minutes away from the Warriors' campus, but it is easily the most centrally located college site between the Castle Dale and St. George communities.
So, on Monday, the UHSAA held a coin toss to decide between SUU and Mountain View High (a doubleheader with 2A would've taken place). Emery coach Jimmy Jones called the toss but chose the wrong side of the coin. Thus, the game for all the marbles in 3A will be at Eccles Coliseum. Dozens of high school football coaches around the state only wish they would have had a chance to lose that same coin toss.
"Snow Canyon has the advantage, but I got to call the coin flip and we lost, so I can't complain. I'm not upset about it," said Jones, whose team will be in the finals for the first time since 1987. "As far as we're concerned, we're just excited to go play. I would've liked them to have to travel for three hours on the bus and stay over night.
"But in rural Utah, somebody's gotta travel, so we're used to it."
Here's a brief look at the finals:
SKYLINE (12-0) vs. TAYLORSVILLE (9-3): The dynasty of the diamond playing for gridiron greatness? Sounds about as crazy as 70 degree weather in mid-November. Obviously nobody in their right mind is giving the Warriors a chance in this one, but it could be fun if T-Ville figures out a way to keep it close for a while. Unfortunately for the Warriors, their best defender, Paul Buck, is out with a knee injury (torn MCL). At least there's still baseball season to come.
BOUNTIFUL (12-0) vs. WEBER (10-2): Sounds more like a great hoops matchup, but it's probably the most evenly matched football final. The unscathed Braves -- powered by Cameron Jensen, Matt Ramos and Seth Patterson -- are going for their second undefeated championship season and third title of the '90s. But obtaining their first 4A crown won't be an easy task as they're pitted against one of the toughest defenses in the state led by the Heisman-posing Ashton Buswell.
SNOW CANYON (10-1) vs. EMERY (11-1): Neither team has been touched since early season losses. Provo, a 4A semifinalist, handed the Warriors their only loss. The Spartans' sole blemish came via Snow Canyon, 32-13, in hot St. George in September. Make sure the scoreboard's working.
MANTI (12-0) vs. SO. SUMMIT (11-1): The rematch of this year's Region 12 championship game could be a barn-burner, but the powerful Templars are on a serious roll and are definite favorites. They already beat South Summit once, 19-10. But South Summit, back in the finals for a second straight year, could give 'em a run for it and especially if quarterback Joey Edmunds has a big day.