Juab (10-0) vs. North Summit (9-2)
2A state tournament semifinal
At Woods Cross High School
Saturday, 2 p.m.
Parry's Power Guide: Juab by 8.5 points
All-time series: Juab leads 12-8
Coach vs. Coach: Juab's Mike Bowring and North Summit's Jerre Holmes tied 2-2.
Last meeting: Regular season, Oct. 15, 2008 — Juab 27, North Summit 20
North Summit has been itching for this weekend ever since Juab beat the Braves on a last-second touchdown pass the final week of the regular season.
Coach Jerre Holmes knew if things unfolded the way they should in the playoffs, a rematch was likely in the 2A semifinals.
"We're excited. I know they're excited," said Holmes. "This is what you play football for. You don't play for the blowouts."
Both teams advanced to the semis with blowouts in the quarterfinals. Juab earned its third shutout of the season with a 34-0 win over Beaver, whereas North Summit steam-rolled South Sevier 52-29.
Their respective victories set the stage for a rematch of arguably the most exciting 2A game in the state this year.
Back on Oct. 15 in Coalville, Juab jumped out to a 13-0 lead only to see North Summit rally and tie the game at 20-20 late in the fourth quarter. Juab had just enough time on the clock though and Kris Tatton hauled in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Brock Orme with 5.5 seconds remaining to seal the 27-20 win and the outright 2A North championship.
It's rematch time three weeks later.
"It's going to boil down to mistakes. It's going to boil down to field position. They really had it most the game last time, especially in the first half," said Holmes.
Juab presents a lot of problems according to Holmes. Not only do the Wasps run a lot of different sets offensively, and have a lot of talented skill position players for the run and the pass, they also have a great line to make it all happen.
Not to be out done, Holmes said, "defensively, they're tough at every position. It's no fluke that they're 10-0. They've earned their undefeated season."
Juab averages 34.6 ppg while it only allows 10.5 ppg.
North Summit might not own the glossy undefeated record, or such a dominant defensive team, but the Braves are the defending 2A state champs and won't be intimidated by a team it narrowly lost to a few weeks ago.
Quarterback Deven Holmes is a talented passer (1,128 yards, 10 TDs) and runner (773 yards, 13 TDs), and gets great support in the backfield from Colby Richins (803 yards, 12 TDs).
This game was originally supposed to be played in Cedar City, but it was moved to Woods Cross High School to accommodate travel for both teams and will begin at 2 p.m.
Juab statistical breakdown
Scoring offense: 34.6 ppg
Scoring defense: 10.5 ppg
Passing leader: Brock Orme (91-140, 65.0%, 1,431 yards, 16 TDs)
Rushing leaders: Chandler Street (89 carries, 625 yards, 14 TDs); Cody Keisel (94 carries, 573 yards, 7 TDs)
Receiving leader: Chandler Street (11 catches, 269 yards, 3 TDs)
Tackles leader: Cody Keisel (89 tackles)
Sacks leader: Cody Keisel (6 sacks)
Interceptions leaders: Chandler Street (3 interceptions)
North Summit statistical breakdown
Scoring offense: 35.5 ppg
Scoring defense: 18.5 ppg
Passing leader: Deven Holmes (58-109, 53.2%, 1,128 yards, 10 TDs)
Rushing leader: Colby Richins (106 carries, 803 yards, 12 TDs); Holmes (87 carries, 773 yards, 13 TDs)
Receiving leader: Caden Richins (17 catches, 350 yards, 3 TDs)
Tackles leader: Steven Sommerville (95 tackles)
Sacks leader: Not provided
Interceptions leader: Caden Richins (1 Interception)
Juab game-by-game results
08/22 ... Juab 20, Morgan 16
08/29 ... Juab 36, Richfield 14
09/05 ... Juab 33, North Sevier 14
09/12 ... Juab 42, North Sanpete 0
09/19 ... Juab 28, South Summit 7
09/26 ... Juab 45, American Leadership 7
10/03 ... Juab 42, Manti 27
10/10 ... Juab 39, Gunnison 0
10/15 ... Juab 27, North Summit 20
10/31 ... Juab 34, Beaver 0
North Summit game-by-game results
08/22 ... North Summit 33, Ogden 14
08/29 ... North Summit 32, South Sevier 7
09/05 ... North Summit 40, Duchesne 14
09/12 ... North Summit 36, Beaver 16
09/19 ... North Summit 36, Gunnison 14
09/26 ... Manti 29, North Summit 21
10/03 ... North Summit 41, South Summit 14
10/10 ... North Summit 40, American Leadership 26
10/15 ... Juab 27, North Summit 20
10/24 ... North Summit 39, Grand 13
10/31 ... North Summit 52, South Sevier 29