San Juan got tested early in Saturday morning’s 2A semifinal against Summit Academy, but just like in their previous matchup, the four-time defending state champs had an emphatic response.
With the game tied after the first quarter, San Juan’s offense erupted for 30 points in the second quarter as it ran away with a dominant 51-27 victory on the turf at Southern Utah.
When the teams met back in Week 4 of the regular season, San Juan only led 16-9 at halftime but started to take over in the second half with its physicality in the trenches and proceeded to pull away for a 21-point win.
The rematch wasn’t nearly as close. Tied 8-8 after the first quarter, San Juan scored 43 straight points over a 16-minute stretch before the Bears added three late touchdowns with the mercy-rule running clock.
“We were kind of feeling each other out to begin with, which we haven’t done a lot this year, but it was nice to just get that ball rolling, and then it did feel like what we’ve done. The kids got comfortable,” said San Juan coach Barkley Christensen.
San Juan advances to next Saturday’s 2A state championship against the South Summit-South Sevier winner at 4 p.m. at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman.
The Broncos beat both teams by 40-plus points during the regular season. If they replicate that dominance and win a fifth straight state title, they would become just the fourth program in state history to win at least five consecutive championships.
Skyline won five straight from 1995-1999, East won six straight from 1917-1923 (no title game played in 1918) and West won eight straight from 1898-1905.
Early in Saturday’s semifinal game, San Juan struggled to get anything going in the run game as Summit Academy loaded up with a 7-man box to slow the Broncos’ explosive running game.
“They were trying to stop Jagger (Nieves), and a lot of times when teams do that, Jagger still just goes Jagger, but they had a really good game plan. They did a really good job, and they bottled them up early,” said Christensen.
In San Juan’s four offensive possessions in the first quarter, it turned the ball over on downs twice, punted once and punched it into the end zone once as Nieves scored on a 2-yard run at the 3:40 mark for the 8-0 lead.
Summit Academy had a quick response to that score as Preston MacKowiak connected with Griffin Shinall on a 55-yard TD pass late in the first quarter to tie the score 8-8.
After getting one of those three stops defensively on San Juan’s ensuing possession, Summit Academy had a chance to build some momentum.
The offense stalled, however, and San Juan wasn’t fooled by Summit Academy’s fake punt either, stopping it three yards short.
“Their special teams is pretty creative. They’re always trying on-side kicks, fake pants, always good trying to do something, so yeah, we try to have our guys prepped up there,” said Christensen.
It proved to be a big momentum changer.
San Juan’s offense took a shot downfield on the very next play, with Beau Yeomans connecting with Cole Duke on a 37-yard reception down to the 1-yard line. Nieves punched it in two plays later for the 16-8 lead.
“We had momentum, and it’s a great time to take a shot,” said Christensen, whose team led 38-8 at the half.
Over the rest of the first half, San Juan kept passing the ball and taking what Summit Academy’s defense was giving, and Yeomans delivered.
Yeomans finished the first half completing 18 of 28 yards for 310 yards and one TD to Duke. Two of his other long completions went to receivers who were tackled just short of the end zone.
That helped set up Nieves with several short touchdown runs as the senior finished with four total rushing TDs, giving him 37 on the season. He’s one short of tying the state record of 38 rushing touchdowns by East’s Jaylen Warren (2016) and Grantsville’s Alan Mouritsen (1997).
Nieves only finished with 23 rushing yards but four TDs.
Yeomans finished with 337 passing yards, with Tripp Palmer accounting for 173 of those yards on nine receptions.