GAME PREVIEW CAPSULE
Hurricane (0-1, 0-0) at Stansbury (0-1, 0-0)
Previous Meeting – This is their first meeting
TIGERS
Classification: 3AA, South Region
Coach: Chris Homer (12th year, 85-45 overall)
Offense: Wing-T
Last game: Lost to Skyline 28-6
Players to watch: The brother team of QB Adlai Elison and WR Noah Elison teamed up for about one-third of Hurricane’s offense last week. But the Tigers are not going to change their stripes, so expect a lot of running in this game. FB Jeremiah Ieremiah had just 13 carries last week, but Hurricane was getting crushed up front. Stansbury won’t be near as physical as Skyline, so Ieremiah and speed back Cody Lebaron should have more room to roam.
PPG: 6.0
PAPG: 28.0
Trend: Playing four straight road games to start a year in which the Tigers are trying to replace 28 seniors is brutal. But if the Tigers can survive physically, they should be more than prepared for region play. And after all, isn’t that was preseason is all about? The sledding should get a little easier the next two weeks at Legacy, Nev., and at Payson. Stansbury will be no picnic.
STALLIONS
Classification: 3AA, North Region
Coach: Clint Christiansen (14th year, 70-67 overall)
Offense: Triple option
Last game: Lost to Desert Hills 12-0
Players to watch: QB Chase Christiansen, a verbal commit to Utah State University, is strong, physical and fast. But he’s not a passer. When Desert Hills took away the Stansbury running game, the Stallions had no answer. But Hurricane’s defense is probably not near as physical as Desert Hills’, plus the Stallions have to have been working on that passing game a lot this week after falling flat last week. Jesse Horowitz had flashes of brilliance last week when given a little daylight.
PPG: 0.0
PAPG: 12.0
Trend: Stansbury went 11-1 last season, but got knocked out of the playoffs at home by eventual champion Dixie. Add to that last week’s thrashing by Desert Hills and we’re thinking the Stallions are looking for a little revenge against southern Utah teams. Their offense was pretty anemic last week, so many people are very interested in how it does against another tough team.
GAME OUTLOOK
No doubt, there will be comparisons to that DH game last week, but Stansbury is at home and Hurricane is young. Both teams really need to move the ball and score TDs to gain some offensive confidence — neither made it into the end zone last week. This won’t be a high-scoring game, but there will be touchdowns. If it’s close, Hurricane kicker Ethan Stratton is a legitimate college prospect and could boot the Tigers to victory.
STGnews (record) PREDICTION
Andy Griffin (6-1) — Stansbury
Darren Cole (5-2) — Stansbury
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @oldschoolag
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2013, all rights reserved.