Editor's note: While this is the final week of the season, Felt’s Facts will have a wrap-up edition next week highlighting the teams and individuals that have made their way into the Top-20 all-time rankings in various game, season and career categories.
The 2018 season climaxes in Class 6A with American Fork battling Lone Peak. AF last advanced to the finals in 2014, while LP makes its third title-game appearance in four years after missing last season. American Fork won championships in 1961 and 1962. Lone Peak snared its sole gridiron trophy in 2011.
In 5A, Skyridge returns to the finals for the second straight year. The three-year-old school hopes to join three others as the youngest to claim a championship. Highland (1969), Juan Diego (2002) and Snow Canyon (1996) each took home its first state title in just its third season; no one has done it faster. The Falcons face Corner Canyon, just six-years-old and in the title game for the first time.
The Class 4A final pits defending champ Orem against Dixie, which last played for a state crown in 2015. But it is the Flyers’ fourth championship game appearance in seven seasons. Dixie has captured eight state titles and Orem, six. Before last year, Orem had suffered through four consecutive losing seasons. Dixie, meanwhile, enjoys it eighth straight winning campaign. Incidentally, the Class 4A title contest is the 300th championship game in Utah prep history.
Three of the six coaches in this week’s finals have won at least one state championship: Corner Canyon’s Eric Kjar – when he was at Jordan (2012), Dixie’s Blaine Monkres – one at Morgan (1993) and two at Dixie (2012 and 2014), and Orem’s Jeremy Hill (2017). American Fork’s Aaron Behm and Skyridge’s Jon Lehman advance to the finals for the second time, while Lone Peak’s Bart Brockbank makes his first trip.
Season rematches
Of this season’s six championship games in all classifications, three reprise regular-season bouts: American Fork-Lone Peak, Milford-Duchesne and North Sanpete-Summit Academy. Of the 302 championship games through this year, 134 have been rematches of regular-season contests. That seems to be a surprisingly high 44-percent. But with more classifications resulting in fewer teams in each class, season rematches in championship games will likely become more common, especially in the smaller three classifications which currently have from eight to 12 teams.
Through last week, the loser of the regular-season meeting has gained revenge 49 times in 133 attempts – that’s nearly 40-percent of the time. Lone Peak attempts to become the 50th team to avenge a regular-season loss in a championship game.
Undefeated seasons
Corner Canyon seeks to join Milford as the only unbeaten teams this year. Since Utah prep football began in 1893, just 109 teams, including Milford, have enjoyed perfect seasons. That’s a mere 1.6-percent of all the teams and seasons that have been played. (Through 2018, there have been 6,738 team-seasons, which is the sum of all years each team has played. The 2018 season adds 106 team-seasons since that’s how many schools competed this year.)
Last week’s championship-game records
Milford’s Bryson Barnes set a championship-game record for touchdowns passes with six in the Tigers’ 45-14 shellacking of Duchesne. (Previous record: Cottonwood’s Alex Cate threw five in 2004.) Barnes also tied the record for touchdowns-responsible-for with seven, now shared with Logan’s Riley Nelson (2005).
South Summit’s Jared Dansie tied the record for touchdown receptions with four, now shared with Logan’s Richie Geertsen (1989).
Other notable championship-game achievements occurred last week (and the all-time ranking in parenthesis):
- South Summit’s Kael Atkinson’s TDs-responsible-for: six (third).
- Atkinson’s passing touchdowns: (four (ties with seven others for third)
- Barnes’ passing yards: 352 (fifth).
- Grand County’s Bryant Troutt’s net rushing yards: 275 (sixth)
- Troutt’s carries: 31 (tied with five others for sixth)
- Grand County’s team yards: 487 (16th)
The following qualify for inclusion among the longest plays in championships:
- South Summit’s Landon Nuneviller’s 78-yard interception return ranks as the third longest (the record is 88-yards by Roy’s Larry Riggs in 1981, second is 80-yards by Duchesne’s Ammon Graehl in 2016).
- Barnes’ 80-yard pass to Paxton Henrie ties for the 10th longest (with one other).
- Summit Academy’s Talmage Brown’s 81-yard kickoff return ranks as the 15th longest.
Championship coaches
South Summit’s Mike Grajek picked up his third state crown. He captured his first at Milford in 1993 and his second at South Summit last year. Summit Academy’s Les Hamilton also won his third championship and first at Summit Academy. He took Alta to title-game victories in 2007 and 2008. Hamilton is the ninth coach to win a championship at two schools. (No one has won at three.) Milford’s Thayne Marshall grabbed his second state trophy as he directed the Tigers to back-to-back titles.
Prolific playoff scoring
In winning the Class 1A title, Milford averaged 52.0 points a game, the sixth highest average in a playoff series. And even though Pine View lost last week, the Panthers averaged 51.0 points in their three postseason contests, the seventh-highest average. Meanwhile, Orem has one game left, but so far, the Tigers are averaging 62.7 points per game. If Orem scores at least 42 points in the Class 4A finals, it will set a record for the highest average now held by the 2016 East Leopards: 57.3 ppg.
302 title games but 334 state champs?
Friday’s nightcap, the Corner Canyon-Skyridge game, is the 302nd championship contest since 1919, but the winner is the 334th state champion. That’s because before 1919, state champions – 21 of them – were awarded trophies based on which team had the best season record. Then, in the 1920s, ties in the finals and semifinals, too, resulted in multiple champions some years.
(For those with a lot of extra time on their hands, specific details about the discrepancy in the number of title games and champions are at the end of this week’s edition.)
Gridiron differences
This section appeared in last year’s Felt’s Facts but warrants inclusion again since the college fields where semifinal and final rounds are played have different hash-mark dimensions in comparison with prep fields.
Some may feel that prep kickers are disadvantaged by the narrower goal posts on a college field – 18 feet, 6 inches versus 23 feet, 4 inches on a high school gridiron. However, the distance between the hash marks – the outer limits of where the ball is put in play – is also narrower, so players have a more direct kick toward the goal posts.
In prep football, the hash marks evenly divide the field into thirds, so the marks are 53 feet, 4 inches apart. On college fields, the hash marks are 40 feet apart (and 60 feet from the sidelines) giving more room along one sideline to spread out the defense. NFL gridirons have the hash marks line up with the goal posts, thus making the distance between them just 18 feet, 6 inches apart and a whopping 70 feet, 4 inches from the sideline.
Another way to look at it: one-third of a high school field lies between the hash marks, one-fourth of a college gridiron and just about one-ninth of a pro field.
In 1972 the NFL moved the hash marks closer together, “looking for a way to produce more action and more touchdowns. Putting the ball in play farther from each sideline supposedly gives the offense more room to exercise its options,” according to Sports Illustrated.
Time-of-possession record?
State records for time-of-possession aren’t kept, but Pleasant Grove could probably claim one for the most in a single quarter.
In the Vikings’ 29-0 loss to Lone Peak last week, PG controlled the ball for 11:27 to Lone Peak’s 0:33 during the second quarter. But LP still managed to outscore PG 6-0 during that period.
Pleasant Grove had the ball as the second quarter began and punted with 9:46 left. But Lone Peak blocked the punt at the PG 1-yard line and scored on first down. Elapsed time: 0:05. Pleasant Grove’s next drive lasted 2:17 before LP intercepted. The Knights then threw three incomplete passes and punted taking just 0:23 off the clock.
PG used a time-consuming 6:36 to move 82 yards in 20 plays, but missed a field goal just before halftime. Lone Peak ran the final 0:05 off the clock. During the quarter Pleasant Grove totaled 108 yards to Lone Peak’s minus-four. For the game, PG controlled the ball for 28:59 to the Knights’ 19:01.
A numbers note
Not only is the Class 4A title contest the 300th championship game in Utah prep history, but it’s also the 33,000th game on record since high school football started in Utah in 1893.
6A Championship – American Fork (11-2) vs. Lone Peak (9-3)
Series record: Lone Peak leads 14-8.
Series history: American Fork, in its 93rd season, and Lone Peak, in its 22nd, first met in 1997, Lone Peak’s inaugural season. They last clashed on Sept. 21 (Week 6) when the Cavemen, at home, clobbered Lone Peak 51-21.
Coach vs. coach: AF’s Aaron Behm and LP’s Bart Brockbank are tied 1-1.
Current winning streaks: American Fork – 4, Lone Peak – 6 (last loss was to AF).
American Fork Quick Facts
The Cavemen began their football program in 1908 but only played two games that season, defeating Springville 5-0 and tying a team called Oregon Short Line 0-0. After that “rigorous” year, AF took a lengthy break and resumed football in 1927. The 2018 campaign is AF’s 93rd season.
Finals record: 2-3 (.400). Championships: 1961 and 1962. Playoff record: 29-37 (.439), 40th playoff appearance.
Championship game history:
1937, lost to Tooele 26-0 (Class B)
1939, lost to Bingham 13-0 (B)
1961, defeated Cedar 39-20 (B)
1962, defeated Grand County 34-0 (B)
2014, lost to Bingham 20-3 (5A)
Coach: Aaron Behm is 58-46 (.558) in his ninth year with the Cavemen, since 2010.
Playoff record: 9-5 (.643), sixth appearance. Championship game record: 0-1.
Lone Peak Quick Facts
Opened in 1997, 22nd season.
Finals record: 1-4 (.200). Only championship: 2011. Playoff record: 34-18 (.654), 20th postseason appearance (didn’t make the playoffs in 1997 and 2007).
Championship game history:
2002, lost to Bountiful 23-20 (Class 4A)
2004, lost to Timpview 42-0 (4A)
2011, defeated Fremont 41-21 (5A)
2014, lost to Herriman 17-14 (5A)
2016, lost to Bingham 17-10 (5A)
Coach: Bart Brockbank is 18-6 in his second season.
Playoff record: 5-1 (.833), second appearance. First championship game.
Extra Point 1: Two Utah County schools last appeared for a championship in the largest-school classification in 1968, when Orem defeated Provo, 28-7. The last time no Salt Lake County teams made the championship game in the largest classification was in 2011 when Lone Peak whipped Fremont, 41-21.
Extra Point 2: Lone Peak has scored in 149 consecutive games going back to 2007. That streak is the eighth longest all-time and the fifth longest current scoring streak. (Skyline holds the all-time record, 262 games from 1987-2007. Bingham is the current leader and second all-time, 187 games since 2005.)
Extra Point 3: American Fork and Lone Peak rank first and fourth, respectively, in victory margin in 6A. The Cavemen win by an average of 20.4 ppg, while the Knights prevailed by an average of 13.3 ppg.
Extra Point 4: American Fork has reached double-digit victories for just the fourth time in the program’s 93 seasons and first since 2014.
Extra Point 5: Lone Peak tries to reach double-digit wins for the eighth time in its 22-year history and first since 2016.
Extra Point 6: Lone Peak hopes to become the 50th school to avenge a regular season loss in the championship game.
Extra Point 7: Of the teams playing Friday, American Fork has shown the most improvement in its won-loss record from 2017 to 2018. The Cavemen have moved from 6-5 last year to 11-2 this season, an improvement of 4.0 games. (The NCAA calculates this by taking the difference in victories and the difference in losses, adding the two numbers and dividing by 2.)
5A Championship – Corner Canyon (11-0) vs. Skyridge (11-1)
Series record: Skyridge leads 2-0.
Series history: Skyridge defeated the Chargers 31-28 when they first met in 2016 as Region 7 foes. Realignment placed them in different leagues for 2017-18. Last year, the Falcons nipped CC 34-33 in a Class 5A semifinal battle.
Coach vs. coach: Skyridge’s Jon Lehman leads Corner Canyon’s Eric Kjar 1-0.
Current winning streaks: Corner Canyon – 11 (school record is 12, set in 2014), Skyridge –11 (a school record). Those 11-game streaks tie with Dixie for the second-longest active winning streaks among all schools.
Corner Canyon Quick Facts
Opened in 2013, sixth season.
First championship-game. Playoff record: 9-4 (.692), fifth postseason appearance (missed in 2016).
Coach: Eric Kjar is 22-1 (.957) in his second season at Corner Canyon. He’s 91-30 (.752) in his tenth year overall including a 69-29 (.704) record in eight seasons at Jordan (2009-16).
Playoff record (10th appearance in 10 years): 17-8 (.680), including 12-7 at Jordan (2009-16) and 5-1 at Corner Canyon. Championship-game record: 1-0, at Jordan (2012).
Skyridge Quick Facts
Opened in 2016, third season.
Finals record: 0-1. Playoff record: 6-1 (.857), second postseason appearance.
Championship game history:
2017, lost to Lehi 55-17 (Class 5A)
Coach: Jon Lehman is 28-8 (.778) in his third season.
Playoff record: 6-1, second appearance. Championship-game record: 0-1.
Extra Point 1: Over the season, Corner Canyon and Skyridge rank first and third, respectively, in victory margin in 5A. The Chargers win by an average of 35.4 ppg while the Falcons prevail by an average of 24.1 ppg. Corner Canyon’s winning margin leads the state in all classifications.
Extra Point 2: Corner Canyon celebrates its second consecutive double-digit-win season and the third in school history.
Extra Point 3: Skyridge went 6-5 its inaugural season in 2016, then improved to 12-2 last year and 11-1 so far this season.
Extra Point 4: Skyridge hopes to play spoiler and become the 60th team to ruin another school’s perfect season in the championship game. (East was the last team to achieve that feat, in 2016, when the Leopards defeated Springville.)
Extra Point 5: All-time, Skyridge is the winningest playoff team by percentage (.857) and Corner Canyon is sixth (.692).
Extra Point 6: The Class 4A champion will be the 73rd school to win a state title in football.
Extra Point 7: Corner Canyon’s Eric Kjar directed Jordan to the 2012 Class 5A championship by “defeating” Syracuse, 58-2.
4A Championship – Dixie (11-1) vs. Orem (11-2)
Series record: Orem leads 3-2.
Series history: These teams met five times in seven seasons from 1980 through 1986. In non-league regular-season games, Orem won in 1980, 1985 and 1986 and Dixie prevailed in 1981. Dixie also captured a first-round playoff game in 1982. Last meeting: Aug. 29, 1986, Orem 38-13.
Coach vs. coach: First meeting between Dixie’s Blaine Monkres and Orem’s Jeremy Hill.
Current winning streaks: Dixie – 11 (tied for the second-longest active streak with Corner Canyon and Skyridge), Orem – 9 (tied with South Summit for the fifth-longest current streak).
Dixie Quick Facts
Played from 1935 through 1938, then resumed in 1949 after playing 6-man football from 1939-48; 74th season of 11-man football.
Finals record: 8-3 (.727). Last championship: 2014. Playoff record: 64-36 (.640), 45th postseason appearance.
Championship game history:
1957, defeated Millard 26-13 (Class B)
1967, defeated Wasatch 26-7 (B)
1972, defeated Morgan 58-30 (2A)
1973, defeated Grantsville 32-0 (2A)
1974, defeated Wasatch 22-13 (2A)
1976, lost to Davis 21-14 (3A)
1996, lost to Snow Canyon 21-14 (3A)
1998, defeated Cedar 35-28 (3A)
2012, defeated Spanish Fork 49-21 (3A)
2014, defeated Hurricane 27-19 (3AA)
2015, lost to Logan 26-15 (3AA)
Coach: Blaine Monkres is 65-28 (.699) in his eighth season at Dixie, where he coached from 2008-14 and returned to this year. He’s 204-110 (.650) overall in his 28th season. Monkres also coached at Morgan (1990-93; 32-9 record), Fremont (1994-2007; 101-59 record), Murray (2016; 3-6 record) and Riverton (2017; 3-8 record).
Playoff record (23rd appearance in 28 years overall): 34-19 (.642). That includes 5-2 at Morgan (1990-93), 14-12 at Fremont (1994-2007), 0-1 at Riverton (2017) and 15-4 at Dixie (2008-14 and 2018).
He won three state championships, at Morgan in 1993 and at Dixie in 2012 and ’14.
Orem Facts
Opened in 1929 as Lincoln High and became Orem High in 1956; 90th season.
Finals record: 6-7 (.417). Last championship: 2017. Playoff record: 55-47 (.539), 54th postseason appearance.
Championship game history:
1946, lost to Bingham 13-12 (Class B)
1947, defeated Cyprus 6-0 (B)
1962, defeated Tooele 16-13 (A)
1965, lost to Davis 6-0 (A)
1966, lost to Ogden 21-13 (A)
1968, defeated Provo 28-7 (A)
1970, lost to Skyline 21-0 (AA)
1987, defeated Skyline 28-21 (4A)
1988, lost to Alta 40-0 (4A)
1993, lost to Skyline 7-3 (5A)
1994, defeated Davis 14-6 (5A)
1996, lost to Skyline 13-6 (5A)
2017, defeated Mountain Crest 26-0 (4A)
Coach: Jeremy Hill is 28-11 (.718) in his third season.
Playoff record: 7-1. Championship game record: 1-0
Extra Point 1: This season, Orem and Dixie rank first and second, respectively, in victory margin in Class 4A.But the Tigers win by an average of 34.6 ppg and the Flyers by 19.3 ppg.
Extra Point 2: Both teams have secured double-digit win seasons and it’s the 11th time for both schools.
Extra Point 3: Dixie tries to win its 12th game, and match its school record, for the fourth time in school history; the other three came over consecutive seasons from 1972-74.
Extra Point 4: Orem won 12 games last year, matching the school record, and hopes to see 12 victories for the fourth time in its history.
Extra Point 5: Both Dixie and Orem are among eight schools that have played more than 100 postseason games. Orem competes in its 103rd tournament contest. That’s just over 12-percent of the Tigers’ 842 total contests, including this week’s. Dixie plays in its 101st postseason game. Of Dixie’s 719 total games, including this week’s, 14-percent have been in the state tournament.
Extra Point 6: Dixie ranks sixth in all-time playoff victories with 64. Orem is 15th with 55.
Extra Point 7: Dixie’s eight state titles ties the Flyers in 11-place on the Most Championship Games Won list. Orem, with six, ranks tied for 19th.
Extra Point 8: Dixie’s Blaine Monkres is one of four head mentors in Utah prep football history to direct programs at five schools. No one has coached at more. Monkres has also coached, chronologically, at Morgan, Fremont, Dixie (two stints), Murray and Riverton.
Extra Point 9:
Orem’s Puka Nacua has set four state records this year:
- Single-game receiving yards: 321, Oct. 15 vs. Santa Margarita, Calif.
- Season receiving yards: 2,154. On the National Federation of High School’s website, that ranks seventh all-time among all U.S. high schools.
- Career receiving yards: 5,044. Nationally, that ranks 10th all-time.
- Career touchdown receptions: 56. Nationally, that ranks 14th all-time.
Nacua is one off the state record for season touchdown receptions, just behind Milford’s Paxton Henrie who set the record of 25 just last weekend. Nacua needs three more receptions to set the top mark for career receptions; he has 251. Jordan’s Spencer Curtis (2013-16) holds the record.
Extra Point 10: Orem High was originally known as Lincoln High from 1929 through 1955. A new building opened in 1956, the name was changed to Orem, but the mascot, colors and student body remained the same. During the 1956 season, newspapers referred to the new school sometimes as Orem and sometimes as Lincoln.
More on the 302 Title Games but 334 State Champs
As mentioned, before state playoffs began – the 20 seasons from 1898 through 1917 – the team with the best season record was named the state champ. But in 1901, West (then known as Salt Lake High) and Ogden had the same record, so both were champions. (The careful reader may have noted that prep football began in Utah in 1893, but there wasn’t a state champion declared until 1898. That’s because Salt Lake High was the only prep team from 1893-97 and played against small college academies, club teams and university teams.)
Three championship games ended in ties (1924, 1926 and 1943 [Class B]), so two teams got trophies each of those years. The 1925 semifinals ended in ties and all four teams involved were awarded trophies. Twice, in 1928 and 1943 (Class A), the semifinal winners refused to meet in the championship for various reasons and so the semifinal winners were declared state champions.
So that’s 299 championship-game winners, plus six teams that tied in the state finals, plus the four teams that tied in the 1926 semifinals, plus the four that won semifinals but didn’t meet in the finals, plus the 21 that were state champs based on their season record – making 334.
Want a couple more complications? Playoffs and championship games were supposed to start in 1918, not 1919, but the Spanish Flu ended the 1918 season after the first week (and just five games) had been played. And the 1942 playoffs were affected by World War II. In October of that year, the tournament was canceled to support fuel conservation. Thus, there were no state champs in 1918 and 1942.
Felt’s Facts welcomes questions – email utahprepfb@gmail.com.