Beaver’s bid for 3rd straight football title thwarted by San Juan; final recaps of 1A/2A/3A fall sports

Beaver vs. South Summit, 2A football semifinals, Cedar City, Utah, Nov. 6, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Beaver High School’s bid for a third consecutive state football title came up short Saturday afternoon, as the Beavers fell to the San Juan Broncos 34-21 in the 2A championship game at Weber State University in Ogden.

Beaver vs. South Summit, 2A football semifinals, Cedar City, Utah, Nov. 6, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The teams had come into the title game with identical 11-1 records. Beaver’s only defeat during the regular season was an 8-0 loss to San Juan on Oct. 8, which snapped the Beavers’ 34-game winning streak.

Both teams had come off semifinal wins in Cedar City the previous Saturday, with Beaver coming from behind to defeat South Summit 21-14 and San Juan trouncing Summit Academy 60-35 on Nov. 6.

In Saturday’s championship game, San Juan scored two touchdowns in each of the first two quarters to take a 26-0 halftime lead. Beaver finally got on the scoreboard midway though the third quarter with a 7-yard run by Jayton Jessup, but San Juan answered with yet another TD a few minutes later. Jessup scored on two more rushing TDs for Beaver late in the fourth to account for the final margin.

Now that the high school fall sports seasons have drawn to a close, following are short recaps of how 3A, 2A, and 1A schools from Southern Utah fared in their respective state playoffs:

1A football

Both second-seeded Kanab and fourth-seeded Milford lost in their respective semifinal games at Southern Utah University on Nov. 5. Kanab fell to Layton Christian by a score of 14-13, while Milford lost to eventual champion Duchesne by a score of 32-18. Duchesne then went on to beat Layton Christian in Saturday’s final, 18-14.

3A football

Canyon View vs. Richfield, 3A football playoffs, Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 22, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The Canyon View Falcons won their first home playoff game in over 20 years on Oct. 22 when they defeated the Richfield Wildcats 34-28 in double overtime. The Falcons then went on to lose 34-19 at Juan Diego in the 3A quarterfinals the following week. 

1A volleyball

Top-seeded Intermountain Christian Academy defeated No. 2 seed Panguitch 3-1 in the 1A volleyball finals at Utah Valley University in Orem on Oct. 30. Runner-up Panguitch finished its season with an overall record of 24-7, including 8-0 in Region 20 play.

2A volleyball

No. 2 seeded Kanab advanced to the state 2A volleyball finals on Oct. 30 in Orem. However, the Cowboys were swept 3-0 in the championship match by No. 4 seed North Summit. It marked the Braves’ second straight title and their fifth since 2016.

1A baseball

Top-seeded Piute won its fourth straight state 1A baseball title on Oct. 11, coming from behind to defeat the Panguitch Bobcats, 4-3. Read the full story here.

2A girls soccer

Paige Cummings of Millard scores the game’s only goal in 1-0 win over Parowan in the 2A girls soccer playoffs, Parowan, Utah, Oct. 16, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

In a quarterfinals at Parowan on Oct. 16, the No. 6 seeded Millard Eagles upset No. 3 seed Parowan by a score of 1-0, with Paige Cummings scoring the lone goal late in the second half. Millard then went on to lose to eventual champion Waterford in the semifinals the following week, by a score of 8-0.

3A girls soccer

The Canyon View Falcons defeated Judge Memorial 1-0 in the 3A quarterfinals on Oct. 16, with freshman Maya Nichols scoring the game’s only goal early in the contest. The Falcons then traveled to Ogden to face the Tigers in the semifinals on Oct. 21, with Ogden prevailing by a score of 3-0. Canyon View finished its season with an overall record of 16-4, including taking first in Region 12 with an undefeated record.

2A boys golf

Beaver High won its fifth consecutive boys golf state championship in Roosevelt on Sept. 30. 

Cross-country

The state cross-country meet for all six classifications was held in Salt Lake City’s Regional Athletic Complex on Oct. 27. 

Panguitch High teammates Adelaide Englestead and Tabi Henrie finish 1-2 in the 1A girls race, UHSAA cross-country championships, Salt Lake City, Utah, Oct. 27, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Frank Kay Richards, St. George News

As previously reported, the Pine View High girls and the Cedar High boys won the 4A state titles, capping off a dominant showing by Southern Utah’s Region 10. However, several other Southern Utah schools in the smaller classifications also fared well at the state meet:

The Panguitch girls won their second straight 1A state title, with junior Adelaide Englestead leading the way, followed closely by teammate Tabi Henrie. The duo crossed the finish line just one tenth of a second apart (19:35.7 and 19:35.8). The Bryce Valley girls took home the runner-up trophy.

Meanwhile, in the 1A boys race, senior Brock Syrett led the Bryce Valley Mustangs to the state title, posting a winning time of 17:04.2 in the 5K race. The Mustangs ended up with 44 team points, just three ahead of runner-up Milford’s 47.

In the 2A races, the Millard boys won their second straight title, with junior Michael Ralphs leading the way with a winning time of 16:05.1. Millard dominated the race, with its top five runners placing among the top eight finishers overall. Meanwhile, the Millard girls team ended up finishing second to North Summit, but Millard freshman Kyra Moat was the overall individual 2A winner. Additionally, the Parowan girls finished third as a team and Beaver placed fifth.

And in the 3A girls race, sophomore Lydia Forsyth of Canyon View finished fourth overall, helping the Falcons to a fourth-place team finish out of 12 teams in the classification.

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

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