Classic football moments — state tournament edition

This is absolutely one of my favorite times of the year. The prep football tournaments are just a few days away from starting and I can’t wait to see what dramatic finishes, incredible comebacks and thrilling upsets are in store this fall.
Being playoff time, it has me and fellow prep blogger Andrew Aragon both thinking about some of our favorite playoff moments over the past few seasons. There are so many classic games and moments that it’s hard to chronicle them all here.
So, as I shift mental gears from girls soccer to football this week, I thought I would share five of the most memorable moments from playoff games I’ve covered. Andrew will be along to tell you his five later.

1. A historic streak ends — Skyline at Layton, 5A quarterfinal game, 2007:

The Eagles spent 21 years and 261 games building a state record scoring streak only to see the Lancers shatter it in emphatic fashion with a 49-0 drubbing.
Even so, it came down to one big play in the final minute to keep Skyline off the scoreboard. The Eagles marched down the field and looked to be on the verge of scoring until Tanner Johnson got his hands on a final pass in the end zone and wrapped the ball up tight.
For me, it was the most significant playoff moment I’ve witnessed so far simply because of the historical nature of what Layton had done. Skyline has embodied the definition of a football powerhouse for much of Roger DuPaix’s tenure as head coach. In a definite way, the Lancers putting an end to that streak validated their rise from the Region 1 cellar into one of 5A’s top teams.

2. Shak attack — Bingham vs Alta, 5A championship game, 2006:

This game is memorable to me for two reasons: First, the Miners snapped a 60 year-old state championship drought with a 21-19 victory. Second, it featured one of the single most dominating performances by a high school running back in state history.
Then a junior, Alta’s Sausan Shakerin rushed for 276 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries. In a lot of ways, that game was a reflection of Shakerin’s breakout season. He electrified fans with his sheer explosiveness. I still remember one scoring drive against Bingham where he burst down the sideline for an 80 yard touchdown. There were literally no defensive players within several yards of him as he reached the end zone.
Though the Hawks ultimately came up short, Shakerin was clearly the best player on the field that day. His effort ultimately ended up being 11 yards shy of the state record set by Box Elder’s Phil Heywood in the 1995 4A championship game. But it is a performance that will not be soon forgotten by high school football fans.

3. Grizzlies ‘D’ prevails — Logan vs Judge Memorial, 3A championship game, 2007:

I’ll freely admit that I was one of those people who doubted the Grizzlies could win this game at that point in time. Logan needed miracle plays in earlier rounds just to get this far. Not only that, but Judge had drilled the Grizzlies when the two teams played in the ’07 regular season.
But Logan needed no postseason magic this time. The Grizzlies used hard-nosed defense to force five first-half turnovers on their way to a decisive 28-12 victory and their second 3A title in three years. Logan DB Jordan Ballam, in particular, caused a lot of pain — accounting for a fumble and interception in the first half.
Ending their playoff run in this manner seemed like an ironic conclusion for a Grizzlies team that came up with some of the most improbable comebacks during their earlier playoff games to keep their title hopes alive.

4. The Drive: 2A style — San Juan vs North Summit, 2A semifinal game, 2006:

This one still sticks out in my mind two years later because of the amazing drive the Broncos put together in the game’s final two minutes to pull out a 27-23 victory on their way to winning the 2A title.
Dane Lyman orchestrated that drive, completing five passes on eight attempts for 78 yards. His final pass — a 28 yarder on a corner route to Bradley Royer — gave San Juan the lead with 37.9 seconds left.
It was a dramatic turnaround for both Lyman and the Broncos from how things were going earlier. Lyman had passed for only 97 yards before the final drive. And San Juan turned over the ball on consecutive drives earlier in the fourth quarter — which led to 10 points for the Braves.
In many ways, the disappointment for the Braves in how this game ended planted the seeds for the perfect season that North Summit put together in 2007 on its way to claiming its first ever 2A title.

5. Big comeback and a big hit — Orem at Bountiful, 4A first round game, 2005:

I still remember this game vividly for many reasons. It was one of my first playoff games I covered when I worked for another media outlet that must not be named.
The game pitted the Tigers against a highly favored Braves team and offered one of the best fourth quarter comebacks I’ve witnessed in person. Orem trailed 24-14 with under 11 minutes left. Tiger QB Jason Golightly passed for a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally the Tigers. The second, which put Orem ahead with 2:36 left, was set up by a huge Gavin Jones interception at the Bountiful 31 yard line.
Golightly finished with 109 yards passing and 106 rushing yards — which included a 64 yard touchdown sprint early in the third quarter — to lead the Tigers.
I also remember this game for an entirely different reason. It was the only game during my career as a sports writer that I got mowed down on the sideline by a football player. Orem RB Tom Steele was ridden out of bounds on a play and I didn’t move out of his way in time. Steele smacked into my left leg just below the knee. The impact flipped me up in the air and I landed face first on his back.
Jody Genessy, who was there covering the game for the Deseret News at the time, walked over with a concerned look and asked if I was okay. I said I was and jumped up off of Steele, with nothing more than a grass stain on my jeans and, later, a small bruise below my knee as evidence of that hit.
I’m a lot quicker on my feet when players go out of bounds these days.