ST. GEORGE — The Hurricane Tigers are set to play on the road against the Canyon View Falcons in week four of Region 9 play.
Coming off a 40-25 loss last week against Desert Hills, the Tigers are looking to bounce back. The were only down 27-25 with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t keep the momentum as Desert Hills scored two unanswered touchdowns to get the victory.
“It seems like we haven’t yet completed a full game, but we believe that we are really, really close to having more offensive production,” Hurricane head coach Skyler Miller said. “For us it just comes down to execution. We’ve been hard at film trying to evaluate our personnel and just trying to work on the details better.”
Canyon View head coach Chris Sawyers is of the same mindset. He says his team hasn’t put together a complete game effort.
“We just have to play the whole game,” Sawyers said. “We have not yet put 48 minutes together, we have allowed the game or the situation within the game to dictate our mood or our enthusiasm. To be honest with you, we have to play 48 minutes.”
Last week, the Falcons took on crosstown rival Cedar and lost 43-7. Canyon View was in the game at the half, only down 14-7, but the game would slip away as Cedar scored 29 unanswered points in the second half.
“We did run the ball pretty well last week, but we stepped on our own toes,” Sawyers said. “We got ourselves in long situations because we got bad penalties. If we can run the football effectively, we’re going to stick to it, because it seems to be something we’re doing pretty well.”
As for this week’s game, Miller isn’t taking the Falcons lightly.
“We consider this an important game for us,” he said. “We are taking all of the proper steps, just like any team. We feel that they are looking to put themselves back together, having no wins, and they are probably highly motivated to get a win. We’re not taking any chances not preparing the way we should and doing our best to give our respect to that team.”
Sawyers is getting the Falcons ready for the Tigers’ rush-heavy offense.
“We’re trying to take away the run a little bit and make sure our kids line up correctly,” Sawyers said. “Just play physical.”
They’ve been working with quarterback Brisin Jake on not being fixated on any receivers, but hitting the open guy.
“He’s been working on making sure his eyes are where they’re supposed to be and making the positive reads,” Sawyers said. “He got kind of fixated on one or two dudes last week, and those guys didn’t have their best games, so it made him look way worse than he truly was.”
For Hurricane, senior quarterback Brock Starley has been a mainstay on the offensive side of the ball, but Miller has been most impressed with his leadership.
“He is such a mature kid,” Miller said. “His leadership has been one of the most impressive parts, really buying into our culture, really trying to align himself with our belief system, and he’s doing a great job being an elected captain. We’re most proud of him and his poise, how he carries himself, how he tries to improve him and helping the team every single day.”
When asked about their game plan against Canyon View, Miller was quick to answer.
“We’re just going to worry about what we do, and we’re going to try and put our kids in the best position possible,” he said. “For us, we pride ourselves on our effort. It means more to me to see our kids giving all-out effort. That’s what we are really working hard to try and do is constantly work on our effort and our response to when we fail.
“Ultimately, we’ve got a great group of kids that are very resilient, and they do not quit — a ton of heart. We are just trying to make sure that they understand that effort is everything in Hurricane Tiger football.”
The Tigers and Falcons will face off Friday, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. at Canyon View High School.
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