High school football: 1A, 8-player semifinal previews

A football helmet is pictured at Skyridge High School in Lehi on Friday, Nov. 3, 2023. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News 1A SemifinalsNo. 4 North Summit (7-4) vs. No. 1 Duchesne (10-1)1A semifinalsFriday, Nov. 6, 10 a.m., at Zions Bank StadiumParry’s Power Guide: Duchesne by 23All-time series: Duchesne leads 16-15 (since 1975)Last meeting: Duchesne won 56-21 at Duchesne (Oct. 15, 2026, 1A North)What North Summit needs to do to winAt halftime three weeks ago, North Summit and Duchesne were tied 21-21. Tayton Pace had thrown a 21-yard touchdown pass to Zach Ernst early, and the Braves had scored more points in one half than any team has scored on Duchesne in a full game this season. Then the second half started. Kyson Despain and Brex Robinson ran through the North Summit defense, Duchesne scored 35 unanswered points and won 56-21. The Braves need that first half again, and they need it to last four quarters.North Summit’s record looks better once you see who beat it. All four of its losses came against teams still playing this weekend: 1A semifinalists Duchesne, Kanab (29-24) and Beaver (30-6), and 2A semifinalist South Summit (45-14). Its best win came at Rich, 28-20. Rich is the three-time defending 8-player champion and the top seed in that bracket. The Braves have won two straight since the Duchesne loss, including last week’s 28-10 quarterfinal win over Millard. Millard tied that game early and kicked a field goal in the second quarter, but it didn’t score in the second half. Pace threw two touchdown passes, including an 88-yarder to Cru Richins late in the third quarter. Kason Richins ran 36 yards for a touchdown in the fourth and led the team in tackles.The Braves split time at quarterback. Cru Richins has thrown for 1,074 yards and nine touchdowns, and Pace has completed 67.4% of his passes for 833 yards and seven touchdowns. Both also play defense. Each has five interceptions, and Cru Richins has a defensive touchdown and a return touchdown. Kason Richins has run for 832 yards and nine touchdowns at 7.4 yards per carry, and he leads the team with 95 tackles. Cael Blonquist has 92 tackles. Jose Sanchez has made five field goals.To pull the upset, North Summit has to protect the ball. Its two quarterbacks have thrown 15 interceptions combined, and Duchesne has 19 interceptions and seven defensive touchdowns. The Braves also have to keep the score close in the second half, when Duchesne’s depth wore them down in October. Both teams lost in the semifinals last year, North Summit 43-19 to Kanab. In his first season as head coach at his alma mater, Dalton Ross is one win from taking the Braves to their first title game since 2008.What Duchesne needs to do to winDuchesne has not lost since the second Saturday of the season. The Eagles opened with an 18-13 loss at South Summit, which plays in the 2A semifinals. They have won 10 straight since, and few teams have stayed close. Last week they beat Parowan 58-0 after scoring 28 points in the first quarter. Brigg Gardner ran for four touchdowns and Romeo Anderson ran for three.The Eagles lead 1A in scoring offense (44.9 ppg) and scoring defense (7.6 ppg). They have four shutouts, including a 28-0 win over No. 2 seed Kanab. They also won 24-15 at No. 3 seed Beaver, the team that ended their season in last year’s semifinals. North Summit’s 21 points are the most any opponent has scored against them this season.Duchesne wins with a deep running game. Despain has run for 1,391 yards and 20 touchdowns. Robinson has 659 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns, has thrown for 825 yards and eight touchdowns, and leads the team with four interceptions. He also has a defensive touchdown and a return touchdown. Gardner averages 10 yards per carry and has nine touchdowns, and Anderson has seven. As a team, the Eagles have 53 rushing touchdowns. Alec Thomas has kicked 62 extra points.The defense has 30 sacks. Eli Lefler leads with eight, Jackson Stansfield has six and Kache Reilley has five. Reilley also has three interceptions and two defensive touchdowns, and Kanden Cowan has three interceptions.The common opponents strongly favor Duchesne. The Eagles beat Kanab by 28, while North Summit lost to the Cowboys by five. Duchesne beat Beaver by nine, and North Summit lost by 24. Duchesne also beat Millard 35-3, a team North Summit beat by three and 18 points.The concern for Duchesne is the first half. North Summit matched it for two quarters in October, and a fast start could make the Braves believe again. Duchesne has seven state titles but hasn’t won one since 2020. In his third season, Tom Clark is two wins from bringing another title back to the Uinta Basin. The winner plays the Kanab–Beaver winner for the 1A title, and Duchesne beat both of those teams this season.North Summit statistical breakdownScoring offense: 25.9 ppg (4th in 1A)Scoring defense: 20.4 ppg (5th in 1A)Passing leaders: Cru Richins (82-143, 57.3%, 1,074 yards, 9 TDs, 7 INTs), Tayton Pace (62-92, 67.4%, 833 yards, 7 TDs, 8 INTs)Rushing leaders: Kason Richins (112 carries, 832 yards, 9 TDs), Knox Woolstenhulme (54 carries, 289 yards, 5 TDs), Cru Richins (52 carries, 261 yards, 3 TDs)Receiving leaders: Zach Ernst (30 rec., 433 yards, 2 TDs), Knox Woolstenhulme (25 rec., 342 yards, 3 TDs), Cru Richins (25 rec., 327 yards, 4 TDs)Tackles leaders: Kason Richins (95 tackles), Cael Blonquist (92 tackles), Talon Stuart (68 tackles)Sack leaders: Lane Bushman (4 sacks), Traxton Olsen (3 sacks)Interception leaders: Cru Richins (5 INTs), Tayton Pace (5 INTs)Duchesne statistical breakdownScoring offense: 44.9 ppg (1st in 1A)Scoring defense: 7.6 ppg (1st in 1A)Passing leader: Brex Robinson (75-110, 68.2%, 825 yards, 8 TDs, 4 INTs)Rushing leaders: Kyson Despain (190 carries, 1,391 yards, 20 TDs), Brex Robinson (88 carries, 659 yards, 16 TDs), Brigg Gardner (39 carries, 390 yards, 9 TDs), Romeo Anderson (40 carries, 282 yards, 7 TDs)Receiving leaders: Kanden Cowan (13 rec., 216 yards, 2 TDs), Blaine Hoopes (15 rec., 212 yards), Ruger Hughes (10 rec., 170 yards)Tackles leaders: Jackson Stansfield (49 tackles), Brex Robinson (43 tackles), Kache Reilley (43 tackles)Sack leaders: Eli Lefler (8 sacks), Jackson Stansfield (6 sacks), Kache Reilley (5 sacks)Interception leaders: Brex Robinson (4 INTs), Kache Reilley (3 INTs), Kanden Cowan (3 INTs)No. 3 Beaver (7-4) vs. No. 2 Kanab (8-3)1A semifinalsFriday, Nov. 6, 4 p.m., at Zions Bank StadiumParry’s Power Guide: Beaver by 6All-time series: Beaver leads 60-42 (since 1950)Last meeting: Kanab won 14-7 at Beaver (Sept. 17, 2026, 1A South)What Beaver needs to do to winBeaver went into last year’s 1A championship game as the two-time defending champion and lost 24-13 to Kanab. In September the Beavers lost to the Cowboys again, 14-7 at home. Davis Carter’s 2-yard run tied the game in the third quarter, and Grady Anderson answered with an 18-yard touchdown run two minutes later. Neither team scored in the fourth quarter. Beaver fell to 2-4 that night. It hasn’t lost since.The Beavers have won five straight and allowed 31 points in those games. Last week they beat Enterprise 21-7 in the quarterfinals. Carter ran for touchdowns of 4, 1 and 5 yards. Enterprise cut the lead to 9-7 on an 81-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter and didn’t score again. It was Beaver’s second win over the Wolves in three weeks.Carter leads the offense. He has run for 844 yards and 13 touchdowns and thrown for 1,084 yards and nine more, for 22 total touchdowns. Emmet Lurth has 59 catches for 924 yards and six touchdowns. He’s also the kicker, with five field goals, and he has 57 tackles. Trey Bradshaw adds 576 rushing yards. On defense, Brandon Benson has 96 tackles, five sacks and three interceptions. Leonardo De Leon has three interceptions and Marshall Williams has four sacks.Beaver’s results against common opponents compare well with Kanab’s. The Beavers lost to Duchesne by nine, and Kanab lost there 28-0. Beaver beat North Summit 30-6, while Kanab won 29-24. Beaver also scored 22 against San Juan, which beat Kanab 54-7.To win, Beaver probably needs another low-scoring game, and it needs to protect the ball. Carter has thrown seven interceptions, and Kanab’s defense has 17. A Lurth field goal could decide a game this close. Jon Marshall has won four state titles in football at Beaver, including back-to-back 13-0 seasons in 2019 and 2020. The Beavers lead this rivalry 60-42. A win would send them back to the title game for a third time in four years.What Kanab needs to do to winKanab’s quarterfinal stayed close for most of the night. Degan Swapp scored on a 6-yard run with 46 seconds left in the first half for a 7-0 lead. Early in the fourth quarter, Brennan Orton threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Monte Johnson. Latimer Glover’s 36-yard touchdown run in the final minute finished off a 20-8 win over Gunnison Valley. It also ended a two-game losing streak. Kanab had lost 28-0 at Duchesne and 17-7 at Summit Academy, which is in the 2A semifinals.The defending champions are 2-0 against Beaver in the past year. Before that October slide, Kanab won the 1A South outright at 3-0. It beat Beaver 14-7, Millard 42-6, North Summit 29-24 and Enterprise 35-14. Its only other loss was 54-7 to San Juan, the 2A No. 1 seed.Kanab’s defense allows 15.5 points per game, third in 1A, and has 17 interceptions. Anderson does a bit of everything. He leads the team with 90 tackles and four interceptions and has scored a defensive touchdown. On offense he has thrown for 1,473 yards and nine touchdowns and run for 585 yards at 9 yards per carry. Glover has 80 tackles and three interceptions, and he has 1,050 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. Orton averages 19.6 yards per catch and also has four interceptions. Swapp leads the team with 596 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Ray Capson has made four field goals.Kanab’s offense has slowed down lately. It scored seven points combined in the two October losses and 20 last week. Beaver’s defense has given up seven points or fewer in four of its last five games, so the Cowboys need their defense to set the tone and they need to avoid giving away field position. Anderson has thrown seven interceptions. JR Quarnberg, a Kanab graduate in his seventh season, won the program’s first title since 2007 last fall. The Cowboys are two wins from defending it. The winner plays the Duchesne–North Summit winner for the 1A title. Duchesne beat both Kanab and Beaver this season.Beaver statistical breakdownScoring offense: 26.3 ppg (3rd in 1A)Scoring defense: 18.9 ppg (4th in 1A)Passing leader: Davis Carter (79-153, 51.6%, 1,084 yards, 9 TDs, 7 INTs)Rushing leaders: Davis Carter (157 carries, 844 yards, 13 TDs), Trey Bradshaw (105 carries, 576 yards, 5 TDs), Leonardo De Leon (74 carries, 365 yards, 4 TDs)Receiving leaders: Emmet Lurth (59 rec., 924 yards, 6 TDs)Tackles leaders: Brandon Benson (96 tackles), Zack Benson (83 tackles), Trey Bradshaw (76 tackles)Sack leaders: Brandon Benson (5 sacks), Marshall Williams (4 sacks)Interception leaders: Brandon Benson (3 INTs), Leonardo De Leon (3 INTs), Davis Carter (2 INTs)Kanab statistical breakdownScoring offense: 27.5 ppg (2nd in 1A)Scoring defense: 15.5 ppg (3rd in 1A)Passing leader: Grady Anderson (90-155, 58.1%, 1,473 yards, 9 TDs, 7 INTs)Rushing leaders: Degan Swapp (97 carries, 596 yards, 11 TDs), Grady Anderson (65 carries, 585 yards, 7 TDs), Latimer Glover (62 carries, 455 yards, 8 TDs)Receiving leaders: Latimer Glover (37 rec., 595 yards, 3 TDs), Brennan Orton (26 rec., 509 yards, 3 TDs)Tackles leaders: Grady Anderson (90 tackles), Latimer Glover (80 tackles), Kaleb Warner (75 tackles)Sack leaders: Latimer Glover, Degan Swapp and Tavin Glazier (2 sacks each)Interception leaders: Grady Anderson (4 INTs), Brennan Orton (4 INTs), Latimer Glover (3 INTs)No. 4 Water Canyon (8-3) vs. No. 1 Rich (8-3)1A 8-player semifinalsSaturday, Nov. 7, 10 a.m., at Zions Bank StadiumParry’s Power Guide: Rich by 40Last meeting: Rich won 55-14 at Rich (Oct. 31, 2025, 1A 8-player quarterfinals)What Water Canyon needs to do to winOn Sept. 4, Whitehorse beat Water Canyon 62-32 on the Wildcats’ home field. Water Canyon hasn’t lost since. Last Saturday the teams met again on the same field in the quarterfinals, and Water Canyon won 44-8. That’s a 54-point turnaround in eight weeks, and it was the Wildcats’ seventh straight win.A year ago Water Canyon went 3-8, and its season ended with a 55-14 quarterfinal loss at Rich. Now the Wildcats are 8-3 and get another shot at the three-time defending champion, this time with a trip to the title game at stake.Alma Barlow is the main reason. He has run for 2,532 yards and 27 touchdowns at 12.7 yards per carry, and he also leads the defense with 89 tackles and seven sacks. Deagan Williams has thrown for 1,375 yards and 14 touchdowns with only three interceptions, run for 580 yards and eight more touchdowns, and has three interceptions on defense. Gabe Cooke has nine touchdown catches, and Justin Cooke averages 26.4 yards per catch. Water Canyon averages 45.1 points per game, second in 8-player behind Monticello.The pass rush may be the best in the bracket. Riley Barlow has 14 sacks and Enzign Barlow has 10, part of a 43-sack defense. Brody Stubbs and Lester Jessop have each scored a defensive touchdown.To pull the upset, Water Canyon has to get to Wilkes Weston. He has thrown 10 interceptions, and the Wildcats’ pass rush is built to force mistakes. Their defense also has to play better than its season numbers. It allows 31.7 points per game, sixth in 8-player, and gave up 61 at St. Joseph in a 94-61 win. If Barlow keeps the chains moving and keeps Rich’s offense on the sideline, the Wildcats can stay in it. Heber Horsley, in his fifth season, has the program two wins from its first state title.What Rich needs to do to winWeston threw six touchdown passes in last week’s 56-20 quarterfinal win over St. Joseph. Bode O’Mealy caught two of them, including a 45-yarder. It was the kind of game Rich has played all fall on its way to a fourth straight 8-player title chase.The Rebels allow 21.2 points per game, best in 8-player. All three of their losses came against bigger or out-of-state schools: 28-20 to 1A semifinalist North Summit, 14-13 at Mountain View (Wyo.) and 55-27 at 2A South Sevier. They also beat 1A quarterfinalist Gunnison Valley 21-14. Against 8-player teams they’re 4-0, and they won all four by at least 29 points. That includes a 65-19 win at Milford, the No. 2 seed.The common opponents favor Rich. It beat Camp Williams 49-20, while Water Canyon won 12-7. It beat St. Joseph by 36, and Water Canyon won by 33. Both teams beat Altamont easily.Weston has 45 total touchdowns: 29 passing and 16 rushing. He also has four sacks on defense. Paxton Nicolodemos has 10 touchdown catches and kicks extra points. O’Mealy averages 30.8 yards per catch and has nine touchdowns. Jasper Johnson has 10 total touchdowns, including one on defense, and Brayden Stokes averages 52.7 yards per catch. Nash Parry and Nicolodemos lead the defense with 54 tackles each.The concern is Barlow. Rich hasn’t faced a back like him, and the Rebels have to tackle well and stay disciplined. They also have to protect Weston from a pass rush with 43 sacks. Tyson Larsen, a Rich graduate in his fifth season, has won three straight titles. The winner plays the Monticello–Milford winner for the 8-player title.Water Canyon statistical breakdownScoring offense: 45.1 ppg (2nd in 8-player)Scoring defense: 31.7 ppg (6th in 8-player)Passing leader: Deagan Williams (88-147, 59.9%, 1,375 yards, 14 TDs, 3 INTs)Rushing leaders: Alma Barlow (200 carries, 2,532 yards, 27 TDs), Deagan Williams (51 carries, 580 yards, 8 TDs)Receiving leaders: Justin Cooke (19 rec., 501 yards, 3 TDs), Gabe Cooke (25 rec., 485 yards, 9 TDs), Sawyer Horsley (22 rec., 221 yards, 1 TD)Tackles leaders: Alma Barlow (89 tackles), Justin Cooke (80 tackles), Riley Barlow (64 tackles)Sack leaders: Riley Barlow (14 sacks), Enzign Barlow (10 sacks), Alma Barlow (7 sacks)Interception leaders: Deagan Williams (3 INTs), Justin Cooke (2 INTs)Rich statistical breakdownScoring offense: 39.4 ppg (4th in 8-player)Scoring defense: 21.2 ppg (1st in 8-player)Passing leader: Wilkes Weston (73-124, 58.9%, 1,280 yards, 29 TDs, 10 INTs)Rushing leaders: Wilkes Weston (137 carries, 902 yards, 16 TDs), Brady Cornia (46 carries, 477 yards, 3 TDs), Jasper Johnson (25 carries, 300 yards, 6 TDs)Receiving leaders: Paxton Nicolodemos (25 rec., 362 yards, 10 TDs), Bode O’Mealy (12 rec., 369 yards, 9 TDs)Tackles leaders: Nash Parry (54 tackles), Paxton Nicolodemos (54 tackles), Wyatt O’Mealy (49 tackles)Sack leaders: Wilkes Weston (4 sacks), Bailey Weston (3 sacks)Interception leaders: Nash Parry, Paxton Nicolodemos and Bode O’Mealy (2 INTs each)No. 3 Monticello (8-2) vs. No. 2 Milford (6-4)1A 8-player semifinalsSaturday, Nov. 7, 4 p.m., at Zions Bank StadiumParry’s Power Guide: Milford by 11Last meeting: Milford won 40-38 at Monticello (Oct. 2, 2026)What Monticello needs to do to winMonticello led Milford 38-22 at halftime five weeks ago and didn’t score again. Cache Young threw four touchdown passes in the first half. Milford’s defense then shut out the Buckaroos after halftime, and Braxton Hansen scored on a 1-yard run with 36 seconds left to win it 40-38. It was the second time in a year Milford ended a big night for Monticello. In last year’s semifinals, the Tigers beat the Buckaroos 83-24. On Saturday Monticello gets a third try, on a neutral field this time, with a trip to the title game at stake.The Buckaroos have the best offense in 8-player football. They average 47.9 points per game and haven’t scored fewer than 26 all season. Young has thrown 40 touchdown passes. Cash Mack has 13 touchdown catches, and Brandtson Mack has 12 total touchdowns, 10 of them receiving. Arturo Gutierrez has six touchdown catches, and Miles Coleman leads the running game with six touchdowns.Monticello has won three straight since the Milford loss. Last week it beat UMA Camp Williams 44-6 in the quarterfinals after taking a 24-0 lead in the first quarter. Its only other loss was 52-34 at Norwood (Colo.). The teams’ common opponents don’t separate them much. Both beat Whitehorse and Camp Williams easily.To win, Monticello has to keep playing well in the second half. In October it scored 38 points in two quarters and none in the next two. Milford’s Hansen has thrown 12 interceptions, so the Buckaroos’ defense has chances to set up short fields for Young. Reed Anderson, a Monticello graduate in his ninth season, took the Buckaroos to the 2024 title game, where they lost to Rich. A win Saturday would put them back there, possibly against the same opponent.What Milford needs to do to winMilford plays in the 8-player semifinals almost every year, and Saturday will be its third straight trip. The Tigers lost last year’s title game 21-12 to Rich. Last week they beat Panguitch 58-0 in the quarterfinals. They scored five touchdowns in the first quarter, and Tayon Blackburn added a 10-yard run before the period ended. Hansen ran for three touchdowns and threw three more, including a 91-yarder to Joseph Wilson.Hansen is Milford’s offense. He has thrown for 1,622 yards and 18 touchdowns and run for 603 yards and 17 touchdowns, for 35 total touchdowns. Blackburn has 899 rushing yards. Haze Marshall (six touchdown catches) and Kamdon Spaulding (18.3 yards per catch, five touchdowns) are his top receivers. Spaulding also has three interceptions and a defensive touchdown, and Tyce Barnes has two interceptions and a defensive score. Bradyn Carter leads the team with seven sacks, and Slade Kesler has 64 tackles.Milford’s record looks worse than its season has been. Three of its four losses came against bigger schools: 1A quarterfinalists Enterprise and Gunnison Valley, and Lincoln County (Nev.). The fourth was 65-19 to Rich. Against 8-player teams, Milford is 4-1, and it has won five straight.The concern is that Milford had to come from 16 points behind to beat Monticello the first time. Few 8-player defenses have slowed Young, and the Tigers can’t count on another second-half shutout. Hansen also has to protect the ball better. Thane Marshall, in his 13th season, won back-to-back titles in 2017 and 2018. The winner plays the Rich–Water Canyon winner for the 8-player title. Rich beat Milford 65-19 in August.Monticello statistical breakdownScoring offense: 47.9 ppg (1st in 8-player)Scoring defense: 26.4 ppg (3rd in 8-player)Passing leader: Cache Young (40 TDs)Rushing leaders: Miles Coleman (6 TDs), Cache Young (2 TDs), Brandtson Mack (2 TDs)Receiving leaders: Cash Mack (13 TDs), Brandtson Mack (10 TDs), Arturo Gutierrez (6 TDs)Tackles leaders:Sack leaders:Interception leaders:Milford statistical breakdownScoring offense: 33.6 ppg (5th in 8-player)Scoring defense: 26.7 ppg (4th in 8-player)Passing leader: Braxton Hansen (119-210, 56.7%, 1,622 yards, 18 TDs, 12 INTs)Rushing leaders: Tayon Blackburn (149 carries, 899 yards, 7 TDs), Braxton Hansen (82 carries, 603 yards, 17 TDs)Receiving leaders: Haze Marshall (27 rec., 465 yards, 6 TDs), Kamdon Spaulding (25 rec., 458 yards, 5 TDs), Tyce Barnes (26 rec., 318 yards, 3 TDs)Tackles leaders: Slade Kesler (64 tackles), Bradyn Carter (55 tackles), Haze Marshall (47 tackles)Sack leaders: Bradyn Carter (7 sacks), Slade Kesler (3 sacks), Skyler Russell (3 sacks)Interception leaders: Kamdon Spaulding (3 INTs), Slade Kesler, Haze Marshall and Tyce Barnes (2 INTs each)This report was compiled with the assistance of ChatGPT.