SALT LAKE CITY – The Hurricane Tigers have three straight years of heartbreak in the state championship game. The seniors on this team don’t know anything other than the state championship game; they have made it every year they have been in high school.
The big difference from Tiger teams in the past is the senior leadership. Quarterback Taylor Parker, running back Brian Scott, and receiver Weston Yardley had all their teammates in the weight room all summer training for this moment. The Tigers’ hard work has paid off big time getting them to another state championship.
Tonight the Tigers will get their fourth-straight chance to win their first state championship. The Tigers defeated the Desert Hills Thunder 35-8 a month ago. Snow will be a huge factor in the game with a big snowstorm heading to the Salt Lake area, and should hit the stadium around lunchtime. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the campus of the University of Utah.
The Season
The Tigers season started off with a big 33-14 win over 4A Skyline. From there, the Tigers beat 5A West Jordan 48-36 and Tooele before starting Region play.
The Tigers started Region play with Cedar. Cedar was the only team to have a lead at half time against the Tigers in the regular season. The Tigers came back and got the win 29-20.
The next week, the Tigers played Dixie High School in a game that was KSL’s game of the week. The two teams were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the state. The Tigers blew out the Dixie Flyers 51-21. The Tigers then breezed through the rest of a very tough Region 9; beating Pine View 35-21, Desert Hills 35-8 and Canyon View 44-7.
Then the playoffs started, the Tigers had two very easy wins over Wasatch 42-7 and Grantsville 41-0 before meeting up with Spanish Fork in the semi-finals. Spanish Fork beat Juan Diego in the quarterfinals to advance to play the Tigers.
Spanish Fork came out firing, taking a 7-0 first quarter lead and a 21-17 half time lead, but the Tigers did what they do best – giving the ball to Scott who had three second half touchdowns, beating Spanish Fork 38-35.
Who to watch
Running back Brian Scott leads the state (all classifications) in rushing touchdowns with 28. The second closest is 23.
Receiver Weston Yardley has 10 rushing touchdowns, two receiving touchdowns and two returns for touchdowns. Weston leads the state in yards per carry with 11.34 yards. Weston also plays defensive back and has nine interceptions, just one behind the overall state lead and taking the top spot in 3A.
Running back Adam Thompson has 12 touchdowns on the year.
Quarterback Taylor Parker has thrown five passes this season and is also an All-State safety.
On defense, Bryan Lee leads the team in sacks with four and Jared Edwards leads the team in tackles with 108.
Blake’s Take: Brian Scott and Weston Yardley have big days leading the Tigers to their first state championship!
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