SALT LAKE CITY – Both Dixie and Logan, the two participants in today’s 3AA State Championship game, had excellent seasons, with huge wins and even some humbling losses.
As the Flyers (9-2) and Grizzlies (10-2) get set for their 11 a.m. kickoff, here’s a quick look at how the teams got where they are:
Week 1 – Aug. 21
Logan 38, Box Elder 37 – Hunter Horsley opened his senior year with an astounding 220-yard rushing game as Logan came away with the win after the Box Elder kicker missed an extra point in the second overtime. Horsley also passed for 2111 yards, but had three interceptions against the 4A Bees.
Springville 35, Dixie 21 – A Tre Miller 80-yard TD run to start the game gave the Flyers the early edge and the game was tied at 14-14 at the half. But The Red Devils scored two quick touchdowns in the third quarter and never trailed after that. Miller only had 29 yards the rest of the game.
Week 2 – Aug. 28
Sky View 42, Logan 6 – Horsley was held to 63 passing yards and only seven rushing yards as the 5A Bobcats dominated their Cache Valley rivals. The Grizz’s only TD came during garbage time when backup QB Robbie Ballam hit Spencer Corbett from 24-yards out.
Dixie 56, Mohave, Ariz. 10 – Miller exploded for 208 rushing yards and the Flyers romped to an easy win against the team from Prescott. Zak Harrah passed for three TDs and no interceptions as Dixie got its first win for rookie head coach Andy Stokes.
Week 3 – Sept. 4
Mountain Crest 49, Logan 0 – Things went from bad to worse, with Horsley only rushing for four yards and passing for 62. LHS coach Mike Favero called his team out, saying he knew they were better than they had played the past two weeks. Even though MC is 5A, the loss still stung.
Dixie 45, Alta 13 – Though down in numbers from their dominant years, the 4A Hawks still came into St. George with a swagger. They left with their tailfeathers between their legs after the Flyers rushed to a 38-0 halftime lead. Bret Barben and Jaden Harrison had over 100 receiving yards and Miller racked up 130 on the ground.
Week 4 – Sept. 11
Logan 38, Judge Memorial 12 – It was a huge win for the Grizz after the two blowout losses and made them 1-0 in the 3AA North Region. Horsley rushed for 100 yards and Hartman Rector was big, catching six passes for 151 yards. Logan led 38-0 and the Grizz debuted Colton Hatch at running back.
Dixie 55, Canyon View 42 – Harrah had his best game with nearly 350 yards and six touchdowns, but the Dixie defense really struggled, allowing more than 500 yards. Sophomore receiver Hobbs Nyberg emerged as a big-play threat, scoring two TDs and racking up 123 receiving yards.
Week 5 – Sept. 18
Logan 49, Ben Lomond 21 – With Horsley battling injuries, Ballam came in and played well, passing for four TDs in the rout. Corbett continued his amazing year, picking up 145 receiving yards and three TDs. With the win, Logan moved above .500 at 3-2 and went to 2-0 in region.
Dixie 47, Cedar 19 – Harrah continued to play well, passing for four TDs and no interceptions. Three of the scores went to Nyberg, while Miller continued his torrid pace with 150 rushing yards. The Flyers had won four straight, all by double-digits, and were 1-0 in region.
Week 6 – Sept. 25
Logan 21, Tooele 7 – Though only halfway through the season, this turned out to be the region clincher for the Grizzlies. This was by far the best defensive effort of the year by Logan, with Tooele’s only score coming off the opening kickoff on a 95-yard return by Demetrius Smith. It was 14-7 late until LHS clinched it with a 45-yard TD run by Horsley.
Dixie 20, Desert Hills 3 – Many had picked the Thunder to win the region, but Dixie was quite dominant, allowing DH fewer than 200 yards of offense. Nyberg had 141 receiving yards, including a broken play 78-yarder to clinch the win in the fourth quarter. Dixie was riding high with five straight wins and a 2-0 region record.
Week 7 – Oct. 2
Logan 38, Bear River 13 – Horsley’s best game of the year, he rushed for 145 and passed for 299 and accounted for four touchdowns. It was 21-7 after three quarters before LHS finally pulled away. Corbett was huge with 193 receiving yards and Logan went to 5-2, 4-0 in region.
Snow Canyon 38, Dixie 23 – Seven turnovers — five interceptions and two fumbles — plagued the Flyers and brought their winning streak to a screeching halt. Nyberg was huge (10-176), but Dixie couldn’t stop SC’s Jackson Nowatzke, who rushed for 113 yards. Stokes called the loss a “Blessing” as his team needed to be reminded what can happen when they don’t play well.
Week 8 – Oct. 8
Logan 52, Stansbury 23 – The Grizzlies were on fire in the first half, romping to a 42-3 lead. Corbett had 150 receiving yards and three TDs and Logan forced five Stallion turnovers. Horsley had five TD passes and the Grizz clinched the No. 1 seed.
Dixie 48, Hurricane 7 – It was a shockingly one-sided game between the two teams that met for the 2014 state title. The Flyers forced four turnovers, including a 35-yard scoop and score from sophomore defensive end Tyson Fisher. Dixie held Hurricane to 107 rushing yards and got 135 yards from Miller.
Week 9 – Oct. 14
Logan 42, Desert Hills 12 – Rector and Corbett combined for 193 yards and a couple of scores as a trip to St. George turned out well for LHS. The Thunder were playing without several injured starters, but Logan made sure everyone knew who the No. 1 team in the state was with the big win.
Dixie – bye.
Week 10 – Oct. 23
Logan 49, Park City 21 – Seven TDs by Horsley (five passing and two rushing) helped the Grizz to a perfect region record and their seventh straight win. The QB had 176 rushing yards and Logan led 41-14 at halftime, closing the regular season 8-2 overall and 6-0 in the 3AA South.
Dixie 31, Pine View 28 – This rivalry game had it all, with big plays, a goal line stand and a last second TD pass for the win. Miller had 223 rushing yards, but PV could have clinched the win after getting first-and-goal at the 2 with four minutes left and a 28-24 lead. But the Dixie D stopped the Panthers and Harrah hit Barben on a scramble with a fourth-down score with 10 seconds left to earn the win and the No. 1 seed from the South.
Playoffs – Quarterfinals, Nov. 6
Logan 45, Cedar 0 – The Grizzlies stunned a streaking Cedar team by not allowing a single point. The Redmen had four turnovers and were blown out despite outgaining Logan 389-316 in total offense. Troy Murray had a season-high 12 tackles and two sacks.
Dixie 28, Pine View 23 – This rematch was almost as good as the original, with Dixie getting a stop late in the game to preserve the win. Miller had 138 yards and three TDs and Nyberg had 130 receiving yards, while Harrison caught a late TD in a key moment for Dixie.
Playoffs – Semifinals, Nov. 12-13
Logan 42, Snow Canyon 14 – Corbett was the difference maker, scoring three times, including an 84-yard punt return. He also had 168 receiving yards as the Grizzlies won their ninth straight game. Horsley accounted for 406 yards of offense and four TDs.
Dixie 45, Tooele 6 – Harrison was uncatchable, with 210 receiving yards and even an interception on defense. Harrah passed for 366 yards and rushed for 47 more, accounting for four TDs. Dixie won its fifth straight, holding the vaunted Tooele rushing attack to just 90 yards on 39 attempts.
Playoffs – Championship, Nov. 20
Dixie vs. Logan – The Flyers and Grizzlies figure to rack up some big yardage as the top two teams, with the top two offenses, meet in the title game.
Felt’s Facts for Logan High School
All-time record: 513-357-24 (100 years)
Region championships: 27 (1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1931, 1932, 1947, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1966 co, 1967 co, 1978, 1979 co, 1985 co, 1986 co, 1988, 1989, 1993, 2000, 2001 co, 2005, 2007, 2010 co, 2011, 2013, 2015)
Playoff appearances: 49
Current playoff appearance streak: 6 (2010-2015)
All-time playoff record: 53-41
State championships: 7 (1978, 1988, 1989, 2000, 2005, 2007, 2011)
State championship record: 7-8
Most played rivalry: 96 meetings with Box Elder dating back to 1919. Box Elder leads 61-33-3.
Felt’s Factoid(s): Logan holds four of the top 10 spots in all-time season passing yards…. Riley Nelson set season records for total offense (5,842 yards), TD passes (53, tied for first) and TDs-responsible-for (84), all in 2005. Nelson also has the records for total offense in a championship game (496 yards in 2005) and TDs-responsible-for (7 in 2005)…. In 2012, Luke Falk set the state mark for season passing attempts (562) and completions (330)…. Richie Geertsen still leads the state in season receiving yards (1,769 in 1989) and championship game receiving TDs (4 in 1989)….. Taylor Compton owns the record for season receptions (107 in 2012)…. Lee Allred caught 11 passes to set a championship game record, in 1978…. Kicker Courney Cano hit 81 extra points in 2005 to establish yet another state record for Logan.
Felts Facts for Dixie High School
All-time record: 415-241-6 (71 years)
Region championships: 23 (1949, 1956, 1957, 1959, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 co, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1982, 1983, 1988, 1989, 1991 co, 1994 co, 2009 co, 2013, 2015 co)
Playoff appearances: 42
Current playoff appearance streak: 5 (2011-2015)
All-time playoff record: 59-33
State championships: 8 (1957, 1967, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1998, 2012, 2014)
State championship record: 8-2
Most played rivalry: 86 meetings with Cedar dating back to 1949. Dixie leads 53-33.
Felt’s Factoid(s): Flyer Lukas Hildebrandt set the record for reception yards in a state championship game with 203 in 2012. … Dixie’s Luke Carter is one of just eight Uteh prep players to return a fumble 99 yards (2004). … The 1998 Flyers were one of only two teams to win a Tuesday region-playoff game just to get into the tournament and go on to win a state championship. … The Flyers hold the record for most two-point conversions in a game with eight (seven rush, one passing) set in a 1972 quarterfinal bout.
Extra Point 1: Dixie leads the Class 3AA ranks in scoring offense (38.1) and victory margin (17.7 ppg). Logan is second in both categories, averaging 34.9 ppg and winning by 14.0 ppg.
Extra Point 2: Dixie’s two losses were to 4A semifinalist Springville in the opener and to region foe Snow Canyon in a surprising upset. Logan lost only to a pair of 5A teams, Sky View and Mountain Crest.
Extra Point 3: A Dixie victory rewards the Flyers with their 10th double-digit win campaign in 71 seasons. Meanwhile, Logan has garnered at least 10 victories also for the 10th time, but in 97 seasons.
Extra Point 4: Dixie seeks back-to-back titles for the first time since the Flyers captured three in row from 1972-74.
Extra Point 5: Dixie has the seventh best all-time winning percentage (.641) in the playoffs, and seventh most tournament victories with a 59-33 record.
Extra Point 6: A Logan win gives Mike Favero his fifth state title. Only seven coaches have won more. In Utah prep history, other coaches that have won five championships include Walter Brooks (Dixie), Dean Fowles (Delta), Jerre Holmes (North Summit and Rich), Dave Peck (Bingham) and Ken Schmidt (Skyline).
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