Tradition finally caught up to Taylorsville.
Could there have been a more unlikely matchup for the 5A state championship? Taylorsville vs. Skyline. You might as well say grass blade vs. John Deer riding lawn mower."We were happy just getting here, win or lose," Taylorsville running back Ryan Filipe said. "I'll remember playing in this game forever."
The difference between the two programs is Taylorsville was celebrating the trip; Skyline was preparing for the victory party. And the bash was grand as the Eagles trounced the Warriors 49-18 Friday night at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
The strides made by the Taylorsville football program over the past five seasons have been tremendous. During the 1980s and through 1996, the Warriors had to buy tickets to experience the playoffs. Skyline, meanwhile, was busy constructing cases to hold all its football trophies.
Watching the Eagles play for the state title is like turning off the television and seeing black. Seeing the Warriors in the championship would be like unplugging the television set, throwing it in a filled bathtub and still getting ESPN. So when the Warriors made an unexpected run through the playoffs all the way to the title game, there was not a soul who knows a thing about high school football who wasn't surprised.
"We brought this coaching staff in here four years ago and put together a team not worried about having a superstar," Taylorsville coach Brad Molen said. "We have a team that plays together and has chemistry. That's the biggest reason we're at where we are."
In 1997 and 1998, the Warriors made trips to the playoffs. Last season saw an inexperienced Taylorsville team struggle, and this season the finest football team in Taylorsville school history.
The turnaround was a result of a focus on defense. lronically, that's what failed the Warriors Friday. The Eagles piled up 401 rushing yards, and the 49 points is the most scored against Taylorsville this season.
"Their team speed killed us," Molen said. "We had no way to simulate it in practice. There are a lot of great players in that program."
Faced with this dilemma, the Warriors had to take chances. That's why with 14 seconds remaining in the first half, trailing 22-6, with the ball at their own 34, Molen decided to take a chance deep.
"We were down 16 and I felt we needed at least a field goal to give ourselves a chance," Molen said. "It didn't work out the way we had liked."
Skyline's Steve Tate picked off Brandon Schneider's pass and returned it 55 yards for a touchdown as time expired. A two-point conversion made it 30-6 at halftime, and the Warriors' dream run through the playoffs was all but over.