It’s as if it was meant to be from Week 1.
For the first time in the roughly 50-year history of the 3A classification, two undefeated teams will vie for the 3A football state championship as No. 1 Juab (12-0) takes on No. 2 Morgan (12-0) on Friday at 4 p.m. in Greater Zion Stadium at Utah Tech University.
It’s the third time in four seasons that the Wasps and Trojans have faced off for the 3A championship. Morgan got the best of the Wasps in 2019, but Juab claimed the title the following year in a 17-14 defensive slugfest that saw only one touchdown scored in the second half.
For Morgan, Friday’s game will be the opportunity to halt a frustrating trend. The Trojans have made the title game every year since their 2019 championship run, but the Wasps, followed by the Grantsville Cowboys in 2021, stopped them short of their goal.
Both teams carry serious offensive firepower coming into the matchup.
The second-best offense in 3A belongs to Morgan, which averages 40.1 points per game, relying on a balanced attack. Senior quarterback Nick Despain has 27 passing touchdowns to his credit, while running backs Gunnar Lish and Jett Salmon have combined for 24 touchdowns on the ground.
Having the two best offenses in the classification may serve to break the trend of defensive slugfests that have dominated the 3A championship game the last three seasons. Since Morgan’s win in 2019, the 3A champion has scored 10 (Morgan), 17 (Juab) and 14 points (Grantsville) to win the title.
Morgan has a significant edge in defense as the Trojans have been nearly impossible to move the ball on this season. Morgan boasts the top scoring defense in all of Utah, allowing only 7.3 points per game, while shutting out three of its opponents this season, including Grantsville in the semifinals last week.
Most of Morgan’s seniors will remember Juab’s title win over them two years ago, but head coach Jared Barlow said the focus isn’t on revenge.
“I don’t think the revenge factor plays a whole lot into this game,” Barlow said. “As a team, we focus on becoming better each week. The team would love to win a state championship, but our focus continues to be on what we can do to be better. Juab is a great team, which is why they are consistently in the state championship game. We need to be ready for another battle with a very good football team.”
Morgan’s defense will face its toughest test taking on the Wasps. Juab features the 3A’s top offense and the No. 2 scoring offense in the entire state, averaging 48.7 points per game, and is led by senior quarterback Alex Jackson, who has scorched the field to the tune of 54 passing touchdowns, the fifth-best single-season mark in state history. Jackson also has 106 career passing touchdowns, which is sixth all-time.
Juab’s going to need all Jackson and his receivers can do. Where Morgan has been dominant on both sides of the ball, the Wasps defense has bent at times during the season, such the 40 points allowed to Richfield midseason or the 41-37 nail-biter against Manti at the end of the regular season. The Wasps defense allows 22 points per game, fourth-best among 3A teams. Juab has typically fielded tough defenses over the years under head coach Mike Bowring, who knows the Wasps will need to clean up their mistakes before Friday.
“We need to be more disciplined and eliminate penalties,” Bowring said. “We need to clean things up.”
The Trojans have won seven state championships in the school’s history, and a potential eighth this weekend will be the first for coach Barlow, who has not yet missed a championship game in his three years at the helm.
Juab’s title in 2020 was the first in school history and the second for Bowring, who won a state title in 2001 with Monticello.