OGDEN — The Box Elder High School football team needed to be a little more selfish in Friday afternoon's class 4A state championship game with the Mountain Crest Mustangs at Weber State's Stewart Stadium.
The Bees (11-3), who gave up a fumble and a onside kick right out of the gate, blew the game 32-24 because those mistakes translated into 12 quick points for Mountain Crest (11-3) only 45 seconds into the contest.
Box Elder coach Wes Roesler said the early freebies were the difference in the ball game, even though he was confident his team could come back.
"Those mistakes really hurt us, especially against a great team like (Mountain Crest)," he said. "It could have been worse, but we were still in it."
Bees team captain Colt Mund, who played the whole game both ways, agreed with Roesler about the early lapse.
"That was the game," the senior said with remorse. "If you take that away, we win. We just didn't take care of business when we needed to."
To add to the Bees woes, they were penalized seven times for 55 yards, one of which negated a 60-yard touchdown run by quarterback Matt Davis.
The Box Elder mistakes played nicely into the favor of the Mustangs, whose offensive and defensive excecution worked like a charm. While the offense moved the ball for 383 yards in the game, the 'Stang "D" held the Bees option attack in check, only allowing 240 yards total offense on the afternoon, all of which came on the ground.
"The defense was outstanding and met every challenge against such a offensive team," said first-year Mustangs coach Art Erickson. "When we got that 12-0 lead, it left (Box Elder) wondering because at that point we could run or pass."
The Bees, who trailed 32-14 early in the fourth quarter, looked like they might come back after driving 51 yards into Mustang territory, but failed to convert on fourth and five. Despite no points on the drive, Box Elder persisted and later scored on a 57-yard scamper by Davis. Just over a minute later, the Bees turned a Mountain Crest fumble into a Brett Kearl 29-yard field goal, which cut the lead to 32-24 for the Mustangs. Despite bending, Mountain Crest didn't break and earned another state title.
"They started to move on us but we dug in," said Mustangs linebacker Carson Jessop.
Mountain Crest teammate Mike Cowley also talked about the defense in the last period.
"They started to get some momentum," he said with blood dripping from his chin. "But we countered by moving some people around and were able to stop the dive."
The Mustangs finish the season with a record of 11-3.
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