GAME PREVIEW CAPSULE
Desert Hills (4-3, 3-1) at Hurricane (7-0, 4-0)
Previous Meeting – Hurricane 21, Desert Hills 0 (3A state title game, Nov. 18, 2011 at U of U)
THUNDER
Classification: 3A, Region 9
Coach: Carl Franke (first year, 4-3 overall)
Offense: Spread
Last week: Beat Snow Canyon 42-0
Players to watch: LB Sil Bundy and DL Gabe Sewell led a charge that was most impressive against Snow Canyon. Having TE/DE Josh Anderson on the field after an injury scare was also huge for the Thunder. But as always, this teams lives and dies by the hand of QB Ty Rutledge, who also spends time at FS for the Thunder.
PPG: 29.7
PAPG: 13.9
Team Stats: http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/high-school-sports/mens-football/desert-hills-stats
Trend: Wow, what a statement made by the Thunder against Snow Canyon. We thought DH would win, but a 42-point shutout? Now that’s how a team should respond after back-to-back close losses. DH was focused, intense, prepared and (seemingly) angry last week. Can they keep it up against the defending-champs this week?
TIGERS
Classification: 3A, Region 9
Coach: Chris Homer (11th year, 83-42 overall)
Offense: Wing-T
Last week: Bye (beat Pine View 30-23 in OT two weeks ago)
Players to watch: FB Jared Edwards needs 149 yards to reach 1,000 on the season. Dbs Koy Gubler and Adlai Elison have been excellent this season. Gubler is an interception machine. QB Zac Prince has been pretty efficient. He’s only attempting about nine passes a game, but completes 71 percent of those. RB Adam Thompson has been fairly quiet as of late, but don’t forget he has almost 700 yards of offense this year and is a real threat in the kick return game.
PPG: 32.0
PAPG: 18.6
Team stats: http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/high-school-sports/mens-football/hurricane-stats
Trend: A week off was well-deserved after the thriller against Pine View. Theoretically, the bye week gave the Tigers time to heal from those bumps and bruises that accumulate along the way in a football season. Hurricane also had an extra week to prepare for what could be its toughest game of the season.
GAME OUTLOOK
What a great match-up this week. Hurricane is well-rested after a bye week, while Desert Hills played its best game of the year last week. Just comparing common opponents tells us this should be a great one. Plus, if the Tigers win, they clinch the region. If the Thunder win, they would likely earn a tie for the region title and invoke a three-sided coin debate. We like the Thunder to play tough, but how can you pick against the champs at home. You can’t.
STGnews PREDICTION
Andy Griffin (32-5) — Hurricane
Jeff Ames (32-5) — Hurricane
Region 9 standings: http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/high-school-sports/mens-football-standings
Region 9 leaders: http://www.stgeorgeutah.com/high-school-sports/mens-football-leaders