CEDAR CITY — Not much has changed between Duchesne and Milford over the past eight weeks.
Duchesne was two touchdowns better than Milford when they met back in week 4, and in their 2A semifinal clash on a chilly, windy night at Southern Utah University on Saturday, Duchesne was again the superior team as it pulled away for the 26-6 victory.
Brock Adams led the charge offensively for Duchesne, carrying the ball 25 times for 201 yards and two scores.
“Brock Adams carried us today with his legs,” said Duchesne coach Jerry Cowan.
“I feel like we’ve got better each week. We’re healthy. We wanted to avoid Beaver like everyone else did until the final. Everything we’ve asked of the kids to this point they’ve done. They’re hard workers, they’re blue-collar kids.” — Duchesne coach Jerry Cowan
Collectively, Duchesne rushed for 312 yards as it racked up 332 yards of total offense compared to just 193 for Milford.
Duchesne advances to the next Saturday’s 2A championship with the victory and will face top seed Beaver at Dixie State.
“I feel like we’ve got better each week. We’re healthy. We wanted to avoid Beaver like everyone else did until the final. Everything we’ve asked of the kids to this point they’ve done. They’re hard workers, they’re blue-collar kids,” said Cowan.
Duchesne never trailed on Saturday, but Milford always remained within striking distance until late in the fourth quarter when Duchesne put the game away with a late touchdown run by quarterback Cameron Brady, who rushed for two scores on the day.
Duchesne’s defense stopped Milford twice on short fourth-down tries in the fourth quarter, and that efficiency was one of the keys to the game as it never let Milford quarterback Bo Hardy get comfortable.
“We just kept him in the pocket and we tried to make him beat us with his arm and that’s tough to do when it’s cold and windy,” said Cowan.
Duchesne marched 80 yards on its opening drive of the game to grab the early 7-0 lead as Brady punched it in from one yard out on the QB keeper.
The biggest play of the drive came on a fourth-and-4, with Kaleb Sanchez taking a sweep around the right end and racing 51 yards before being tripped up at the 2-yard line.
It wasn’t the only big fourth-down conversion of the half for the Eagles, who racked up 188 rushing yards in the first half.
Milford’s offense answered right back after Duchesne failed to recover a surprise onside kick.
With Hardy on the sideline after leaving briefly with an injury, his replacement Blake Barnes connected with Bret Beebe on a 35-yard touchdown pass to make it a 7-6 game with 4:03 left in the first quarter after the missed extra point.
- Watch replay: Duchesne 26, Milford 6
Duchesne’s second drive was a 14-play clock churner, as was Milford’s 11-play second drive, but both stalled on a failed fourth-down conversion inside the opponent’s 30-yard line.
Shortly before halftime, Duchesne extended the lead to 14-6 courtesy of another big chunk play on fourth down.
Facing a fourth down from Milford’s 44, Adams took a sweep around the left end and raced up the sideline before cutting it back about the 15 on his way into the end zone with 1:36 left in the half.
Duchesne stretched the lead to 20-6 on its first drive of the second half, marching 74 yards in 13 plays, with Adams scoring on a 27-yard run.
That touchdown seemed to break Milford’s spirits, as it only recorded one first down the rest of the game.