SANDY— If ever there were a team that fits the saying, "It's not the size of the man in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the man," it's the Snow College Badgers.
Despite losing the NJCAA national championship game 37-30 to the Butler Community College (Kan.) Grizzlies in a double-overtime thriller, Snow did nothing to tarnish its reputation as one of the best teams in the country. The Badgers came in ranked No. 1 in the country, and they fought, scratched, clawed and never quit in a game where they may have been outsized and overmatched when it came to pure athletic ability.
That didn't mean they couldn't compete. The attitude of the whole program was manifest in Snow's offensive stars of the game, the undersized playmakers that simply showed what it means to have the desire to compete.
"Sure, we might not be the biggest guys out there, but you can't measure the size of our hearts," said running back Tyson Church, who is generously listed at 5-foot-8 and 175 pounds. "It all comes down to playing as hard as you can, to giving it everything you got on every play. That is just our team. We may be undersized, but we are a family, a group that is never going to give up."
Church has excelled all season in the underdog role, and Saturday was another stellar day for the former North Sanpete star. He carried the ball 20 times for 96 yards and a touchdown.
If wide receiver Sam Thomas were to walk by on campus, there is almost no way someone would point him out as a star football player. The 6-foot, 170-pound sophomore is not exactly a physical specimen. But try telling the Butler defensive backs he isn't a top-notch pass catcher. Thomas torched the Grizzlies for 151 yards on eight catches and two touchdowns — and he should have been credited with three scores, as replays clearly showed he caught a ball in the corner of the end zone but was ruled out of bounds.
"Sam Thomas is a great young man. He steps up and makes plays. He's done it the last two games," said Snow coach Steve Coburn. "He stepped up here today. Sam is what we are."
Another playmaker for the Badgers was Regan Buck. Although only 5-foot-8 and 162 pounds, the sophomore from Idaho caught four passes for 66 yards.
"I love our receivers," said quarterback Jon Eastman, who was 19-of-31 for 256 yards. "They aren't huge, big targets, but they get open for you. They have been great teammates and are good football players. They compete, and that is all you can ask for."
The smaller-in-stature stars of the game shone brightly even in the loss, but according to Thomas, that is simply the Badgers way.
"When you come to Snow, you know what is expected of you, and that is to go out and play with heart," he said. "We may not be the prototype receivers or football players, but if you work hard, stick together and leave it all out there, we showed what you can accomplish."
E-mail: mblack@desnews.com