4A state championship football game: Dixie overwhelmed by undefeated Ridgeline

SALT LAKE CITY — The Dixie High School football team saw its dream season come to an end Friday after the Flyers were dominated 45-20 by Ridgeline in the 4A state championship game.

Dixie and Ridgeline in the 4A state championship football game, Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 12, 2021 | Photo by Jacqui Knighton, St. George News

“They’re a good team – they’re undefeated for a reason,” Dixie coach Blaine Monkres told St. George News after the Flyers accepted the runner up trophy. “They got good players. They got after us today. You got to give them credit.”

Ridgeline’s high-octane offense was as good as advertised as the Riverhawks set the tone early and never trailed in the contest.

Quarterback Kaden Cox sliced the Dixie secondary to the tune of 26-of-36 passing for 355 yards and 5 touchdowns. 

Running back Noah White piled up 209 rushing yards and scored twice as the Flyers had no answer for Ridgeline’s efficient attack.

Meanwhile, Dixie was unable to get its offense going against a Ridgeline defense that enjoyed size and athletic advantages at several positions.

“They’re really quick, and they got a lot of athletes on their team,” said Dixie senior quarterback Bronson Barben, who was held mostly in check and finished 16-of-32 passing for 207 yards and a touchdown.

“It was hard for us to adjust, I guess,” Barben added. “Shout out to them, they had a great season.” 

The game was the first on the slate of championship contests at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the campus of the University of Utah.

Dixie and Ridgeline in the 4A state championship football game, Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 12, 2021 | Photo by Jacqui Knighton, St. George News

Ridgeline got the ball at opening kickoff and needed only five plays to go 80 yards and score.

Cox capped the drive with a 68-yard touchdown pass to Braylon Majors and Ridgeline was ahead 7-0 less than three minutes into the game.

The teams traded punts and then Dixie put together 12 plays to go 86 yards, scoring when Barben ran into the house for a 9-yard score. The extra-point kick failed and Dixie trailed 7-6.

White struck back almost immediately, scampering for a 73-yard score that ended the quarter with Ridgeline up 13-6.

Two more scores for Ridgeline put them ahead for good at halftime 25-6: the first was a 13-yard touchdown pass from Cox to Jackson Olsen, and the second was a 5-yard run from White.

Ridgeline out-rushed Dixie 124 yards to 28 and out-passed the Flyers 237 yards to 123 in the first half alone.

“They’re a tough team,” Dixie senior Bode Ray said. “Honestly I don’t know. I think we should have stopped them more, they kind of got in our heads a little bit.”

Dixie rallied and scored to open the second half. Seth Takau ran in a 20-yard score that cut the Riverhawks edge to 25-12.

Takau led Dixie’s runners with 80 yards on the ground in the contest.

Dixie and Ridgeline in the 4A state championship football game, Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 12, 2021 | Photo by Jacqui Knighton, St. George News

Dixie couldn’t follow that up with a defensive stop, however, and Ridgeline kept piling it on with a 14-yard TD pass from Cox to Stratford Simmons. The same two players hooked up for the 2-point conversion and Ridgeline led 33-12.

Simmons caught another TD pass from Cox, this one for 22 yards and Ridgeline’s last touchdown in the game was an 8-yard pass from Cox to Will Booth.

Dixie completed the scoring in the game when Barben threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to senior Derek Kesterson with 5:29 left in the final quarter.

“You know, the seniors were just a special group this year,” Monkres said. “They can go out on their own agenda. They played together as a team and they were able to put it together and get here today.”

Dixie finished the season at 9-4 while Ridgeline completed the only undefeated football season in Utah this year at 13-0.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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