SALT LAKE CITY — Win the state championship.
That was the topic of discussion for the Sky View Bobcats the moment Chris Howell arrived on campus as the new head football coach early in the spring of this year.
It was what Howell and the team talked about in their first team meeting, back in March.
Through months of workouts, practices and sprints, winning the state championship was all the Bobcats thought about, talked about and dreamed about.
Friday afternoon at Rice-Eccles Stadium, the dream came true.
Sky View defeated Park City 35-0 in the 4A state championship game, a complete and otherwise dominant performance.
The Bobcats racked up 406 total yards of offense, 220 yards rushing and 186 yards passing, while holding the previously undefeated Miners to a measly total of 179 yards.
Sky View averaged 6.2 yards per play; the Miners only 3.9.
“I am speechless. ... This is the first title in Sky View history and to win it for all the teams that came before us is wonderful.” — Sky View quarterback Kason Carlsen
The Bobcats recorded 23 first downs, compared to 10 for Park City, and won the turnover battle thanks to a pair of interceptions.
“It is hard to come up with words that can do (this game) justice,” Howell said. “I am not sure words can express it. These guys did an unbelievable job of preparing, embracing the game plan and improving.”
More than just a dominant title game victory, the win doubled as the first state championship in program history.
“I am speechless,” quarterback Kason Carlsen said. “To be able to come out and play with my brothers a whole season, to play for all the teams before us. … This is the first title in Sky View history and to win it for all the teams that came before us is wonderful.”
“It is the best feeling, first-time ever,” do-it-all playmaker Mason Falslev added. “This program has been around for forever and to finally get one up on the wall is awesome.”
Falslev was a standout in the game, as he has been throughout his time in Smithfield.
The senior wide receiver finished with a team-high five catches for 57 yards, rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns, and intercepted Park City quarterback Jack Skidmore while playing defensive back.
“He is a big-time player,” said Howell. “We talk all the time about players making plays, and Mason did that, but it is not just today. That is Mason.”
Howell made sure to herald the play of many Bobcats, though, noting that “we have a whole bunch of kids other than Mason who made key plays at key times.”
One of those was Carlsen.
The senior quarterback threw for 186 yards and rushed for 107 and three touchdowns in his final game in a Sky View uniform.
Carlsen scored back-to-back-to-back touchdowns to start the game, on runs of 1, 2 and 3 yards.
“I love running the ball,” Carlsen said. “Even when I was younger, I loved running the ball. I’ve always been bigger than other guys. It is great when everyone is blocking so well.”
Sky View’s O-line was at it’s finest Friday.
“Oh, I love our O-line so much,” Carlsen said. “They are some of my best friends. They have protected me all year long. We haven’t given up many sacks and have been able to run the ball because they are just so dominant.”
- Watch the replay: Sky View 35, Park City 0
Many of those linemen were dominant on the other side of the ball as well, along the defensive line.
Behind the efforts of Justice Ena, Hunter Larsen, Evan Hall and Trevan Sagers, among others, Sky View limited the Miners’ to just 4.8 yards per carry, a poor performance for run-heavy Park City.
“They have been that way all year,” Howell said of his D-line. “That is our sixth shutout this year” — six shutouts ties the school record, set in 1969 — “and that is the way they have played all year. All they did was continue to play the way they have. Every time we’ve played a high quality opponent, they’ve upped their game just a little bit and they did that today.”
Other standouts on defense included safety Scout Morris, who recorded his 10th interception of the season, and safety Traeson Martindale, who finished with a team-high 12 tackles and a sack.
Special teams even got in on the act, as junior Thor Griffin blocked a punt and kicker Kasen Erickson was perfect on point-after attempts.
“You want to play your best football in the last game, and I think we did that,” said Falslev. “It makes all the practices, the sprints, the hard work, the blood, the sweat and tears all worth it.”
So did the trophy the Bobcats’ hoisted in the air after the final whistle, hardware that signified that they’d done it, they’d won the first state title in school history.
After countless years, the dream of a Sky View state championship had finally come true.