ST. GEORGE — History was made Saturday night in the 2A state championship game between Beaver and Milford. Not only was it the first time that both high schools in Beaver County played for the 2A state championship, but it was Beaver’s 22nd championship-game appearance — a state record.
And with everything on the line, it was the Beaver Beavers that made the most of the moment.
“We came up short last year and to be able to go out like this is special. It was a fun game and it’s an amazing feeling to be a state champion.” — Beaver quarterback Ryker Albrecht
Behind the performance of quarterback Ryker Albrecht, who ran for 122 yards and three touchdowns as well as running backs Kaleb Barney and EJ Allred — who combined for 23 carriers for 190 yards and two touchdowns — the Beavers finished the season undefeated with a dominating 45-6 victory over the Tigers.
The win helped Beaver capture its 12th state championship, the fifth most in the Beehive State. The victory also pushed the Beavers overall record to 13-0, making it the first time since 1973 that the program went 13-0.
“We haven’t had an undefeated team in Beaver since 1979 and tonight makes the first time since 1973 that the program had a 13-0 season,” said Beaver head coach Jon Marshall. “We’ve had a lot of great teams in Beaver over the years and a lot of them have gone on and won state championships, however, to be able to finish the season undefeated is really special.”
After winning the state title in 2016, the Beavers fell short in the championship game in 2017 and then followed it up with a loss in the semifinals in 2018.
“We came up short last year and to be able to go out like this is special,” Albrecht said. “It was a fun game and it’s an amazing feeling to be a state champion.”
The victory extended the series winning streak to seven games for Beaver, which hasn’t lost to Milford since 1999.
Coming into Saturday’s game, Milford was going to make its third straight title-game appearance after winning back-to-back titles in the 1A classification before moving up to 2A this season.
The game started out perfectly for the Tigers who scored on their first possession of the game. Following a pass interference call on Beaver that stopped what would have been a touchdown throw from Bryson Barnes and Bret Beebe, the duo connected two plays later as Barnes hit Beebe in stride for a 50-yard score.
Beaver responded right back as Albrecht and EJ Allred had several big runs to get the ball in the red zone. A few plays later, Albrecht punched the ball from the 3-yard line to tie the game up at 6-6 after failed extra points by both sides.
“The team rose to the occasion and we did a great job of responding after Milford scored on us,” said Marshall. “That was just the second time all season that we were behind and so it was important that our guys responded and came right back and scored.”
- Watch replay: Beaver 45, Milford 6
After forcing a punt by Milford, the Beavers wasted no time scoring again as the Beavers used a trick play to take a 12-6 lead. Albrecht handed the ball off to Crayton Hollingshead, who then threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to Allred who sold the fake run perfectly.
“It was a huge play and it really turned the momentum in the game,” said Albrecht. “Everyone executed it perfectly.”
“We’ve been working on that play all year and it was the first time that we ran it,” added Marshall. “The offensive line gave us plenty of time and Crayton Hollingshead did a great job at making the throw and EJ Allred did the rest.”
After taking a 24-6 halftime lead, the Beavers added some insurance points as they scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to put the game well out of reach.
Barney got things going as the senior took a pitch from Albrecht and raced 95 yards into the end zone.
“That was another big play for us,” said Marshall. “Milford had us pinned deep in our own territory and Kaleb made a great play and that really set the tone for us in the second half.”
Milford quarterback Bryson Barnes completed 18-of-37 passes for a game-high 185 yards. The senior had several big runs on the night; however, thanks to a number of sacks by the Beaver defense, Barnes finished with just 16 yards rushing. Barnes’ favorite target was Zach Sherwood who had a game-high eight catches for 82 yards in the loss.