There are so many weapons in the backfield it’s crazy. Like, Max (Barnett) will pound them, and Mike (Kearns) has lightning speed. I just get the ball to them, and they’ll make plays for me, and they’ll get touchdowns. – Judge senior quarterback Ayden Auer
CEDAR CITY — The Judge football team knows its ground game is special.
They don’t rely on a single player, and they can adjust to almost anything a defense throws at them. But none of them — not players or coaches — guessed that it would be the only offense weapon they would need to dominate second-ranked Juab in the 3A state title game Friday at Southern Utah University.
“There are so many weapons in the backfield it’s crazy,” said senior quarterback Ayden Auer after the top-ranked Bulldogs won their second straight title with a 63-14 win over the Wasps. “Like, Max (Barnett) will pound them, and Mike (Kearns) has lightning speed. I just get the ball to them, and they’ll make plays for me, and they’ll get touchdowns.”
As it turns out, the Bulldogs earned the lopsided victory without completing a single pass. In fact, they only attempted one.
“I didn’t really think about that,” said a grinning Auer, who rushed for three touchdowns in the win. “Our O-line was just dominating. They made it easy on me so I didn’t have to (pass).”
Judge rushed for 536 yards of offense on 54 carries and nine touchdowns. Senior running back Max Barnett led the way with 204 yards and four touchdowns.
The Bulldogs were so dominant in Saturday night’s performance that they tied or broke about a half dozen state records, according to football historian George Felt.
*Judge’s 63 points are the second-most points scored in a championship game in state history. The only team to score more points in a title contest was East when it shut Payson out in 1919 — the state’s very first football state championship game.
*The Bulldogs scored 35 points in the second quarter, which is a championship game record for points earned in a single quarter.
*Ten other teams have won state titles with no passing yards. Three of those didn’t even attempt a pass, but that was in the 1940s.
*The most recent team to win a title without completing a pass was Duchesne. It went 0-for-3 against Rich in 2013 when it won 14-13.
*Kicker Tim Hemmersmeier’s nine PATs is a new state title game record. Previously two athletes were tied at eight extra points.
*Barnett’s four rushing touchdowns ties with 10 other players for most rushing touchdowns in a title game. The record for most yards in a championship game is 287 yards, and eight others, including Barnett, have 200-plus yard games.
Juab had some series in the game, especially the second half, when it looked like it was going to build up momentum. Senior quarterback Nick Robins threw some nice balls, but about a half dozen of them were dropped. He finally connected with Nolan Nielsen in the third quarter to ensure the game wasn’t a shutout at 56-7. He connected late in the fourth quarter with Payton Bowring for the team’s only other score.
The Wasps had a sentimental moment when coaches sent senior captain Dedric Davidson onto the field on crutches and then took a knee. The play allowed the running back to be on the field for one play in his final prep game. Davidson broke his leg in the team’s game against Manti about a month ago.
Robins finished with 11-of-27 passing and 230 yards. The team had about 80 yards rushing, half of which came in the final couple of minutes.
Judge head coach James Cordova said he knew his team was focused and prepared heading into Saturday’s game, but he didn’t expect the margin of victory — or the record-breaking performances.
“They’re a good team,” Cordova said of Juab. “Things went in our favor real fast. We got up real quick, and that’s a tough situation to be in, especially in a state game. Our kids have been working really hard, and they’ve been really focused.”
None of the players expected to have so much success on the ground either.
“Ayden was reading the option perfectly, and we have so many threats,” he said. “With the option there is no need to pass.”
He said the jaw-dropping performance came from rigorous preparation. “We watched way more film this week than we have all year,” said Barnett, who played most of the season with a high ankle sprain. “We studied their offense and their defense. I practiced the hardest I have all year. I definitely gave my hardest effort all week in practice.”
Michael Kearns, who scored two touchdowns, said he believes it’s the team’s longtime friendship that made the difference.
“Our chemistry is super high,” Kearns said. “We’ve been playing since Little League, all of us. We just know how to play with each other, and we love running this offense. There’s not one single star on this team. It’s all of us making plays.”
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