Hurricane’s late gamble pays off
Eyebrows were certainly raised in the preseason when Region 9 coaches pegged Hurricane as the team to beat in 2026, not four-time region champ Crimson Cliffs.
After last Friday night, it seems like a pretty smart pick by those coaches.
Hurricane slipped past Crimson Cliffs 11-10 in the Region 9 opener as Kannon Cowan converted a two-point conversion with 3:15 remaining to seal the win.
“Offensively we struggled for much of the night, but toward the end of the game when we needed to make plays we were able to score with three minutes or so left,” said Hurricane coach Jerry Cowan.
“The kids wanted to go for the 2-point conversion to take the lead and we were successful, which ultimately led to a program changing win for our team.”
Hurricane was competitive last year with Crimson Cliffs in a 21-16 loss, but it got over the hump on Friday night and improved to 5-0 on the season.
The biggest story of the game was Hurricane’s defense. Crimson Cliffs came into the contest averaging 32.5 points per game, but the Tigers bottled that explosive offense up all night.
“Defensively our kids did a great job of holding Crimson on fourth down a couple of times and forcing a field goal on another red zone trip. We felt we had a good game plan and the boys did a great job of executing,” Cowan said.
Crimson Cliffs’ lone TD came on a Tanoai Andresen 12-yard run early in the second half.
Sky View regroups with big win
After back-to-back weeks of heartbreaking late losses, Sky View finally got over the hump with a big win in Week 5.
In a key Region 11 game against Mountain Crest, Sky View jumped out to a 20-0 lead and then held off a late Mountain Crest rally for the 20-14 victory to improve to 2-3 on the season and 1-1 region play.
“Really proud of our kids’ resilience. Their toughness and grit made the difference,” said Sky View coach Eric Alder. “Love our kids. Our positive attitudes and work ethic will continue the second half of the season.”
Three weeks ago, Sky View lost in overtime to Spanish Fork 31-28, and the week prior it lost to Bear River 35-32 on a 30-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining in the game.
Defense was the catalyst in snapping its three-game losing streak.
“Defense kept Mountain Crest offense in check through most of the game. They created three turnovers on interceptions from Gus Gonzales, Dracen Shepherd and a goal line interception late in the second quarter by Will Alder. Offense was able to capitalize on that one with an 80-yard scoring drive,” Alder said.
With much more difficult games ahead in Region 11 in the coming weeks — particularly against Ridgeline and Stansbury — Alder said his offense needs to continue to improve to try to stack up more wins.
“Offense has improved over the last couple weeks but needs to finish drives with points,” he said. “I feel we’re right on the verge of putting together a complete game.”
New Davis QB enjoys breakthrough performance
When Davis starting quarterback Brodie Scheinberg moved back to California after a 42-7 loss in Week 3, it left a lot of unanswered questions for the Darts in the weeks ahead.
Senior Paden Toula stepped into the role in Week 4 and had a so-so performance in a 27-6 win over Alta with one touchdown and three interceptions, but with an extra week to prepare heading into Week 5, Toula had a massive performance in Davis’ 47-14 win over Olympus.
Toula completed 28 of 29 passes for 335 yards and five touchdowns — with no interceptions — and also rushed for 52 yards.
“Big solid game for Paden Toula. It was fun to see his confidence and accuracy all night. He has given our offense a huge spark and I’m excited for the coming weeks to watch him,” said Davis coach Scott Peery.
Toula got the ball to Davis’ playmakers all game, with Jaxton Itaaehau catching nine passes for 104 yards and a touchdown and Bode Sparrow adding five catches for 81 yards and three scores.
Peery said the dominant performance on both sides of the ball was the result of a great week of practice.
“It started on Monday as we laid out our theme for the week of ‘Laser Sharp.’ They bought in all week and displayed it Friday night,” said Peery. “Our guys love playing for each other and the brotherhood is stronger than ever.”
Kanab rallies for big win over North Summit
In the marquee game in 1A so far this season, defending state champion Kanab showed great resolve in the second half to rally for the 29-24 win over North Summit.
The Cowboys trailed 24-17 heading into the fourth quarter, but they outscored the Braves 12-0 in the final eight minutes.
Brennan Orton cut the deficit to 24-23 early in the fourth quarter on a 44-yard TD reception from Grady Anderson after the missed extra point. With 3:56 remaining in the game, Kanab went ahead for good on a Degan Swapp 7-yard TD run.
“North Summit played tough team football. We feel like we are struggling to come together as a team and play complimentary football. We did show some resiliency and found a way to win, which we are proud of,” said Kanab coach JR Quarnberg. “Ray Capson was excellent kicking the ball. He made a field goal, made PATs and executed a perfect onside kick.”
Kanab jumped out fast in the big showdown, building an 10-0 lead in the second quarter. North Summit responded, however, with a 24-7 scoring spurt to take the lead into the fourth quarter before the Cowboys’ response.
Payson snaps losing skid to Maple Mountain
When Payson rallied with two late touchdowns to beat Maple Mountain 27-22, nobody knew the significance of the win more than Payson coach Mike Cole — a longtime assistant at the program.
“Definitely has been a hot minute since we’ve beaten Maple Mountain,” Cole said. “I’ve been coaching here a long time and can’t remember the last time we bested them.”
In fact, When Valentin Sanchez hauled in a 51-yard touchdown pass with 2:01 remaining in the game, it clinched Payson’s first win over Maple Mountain since 2010, snapping a seven-game losing streak.
“Overall, it was an outstanding team effort. Our defense kept us in it early. Our offense found its footing and got on the board and special teams didn’t mess it up,” Cole said.
“We knew Maple would be a handful, which they were. We’ve really tried to teach the team to focus on the ordinary details and execute those things at a high level, and I think that’s what gave us the separation in the end.”