Broncos outlast South Summit in 107-point state semifinal instant classic, will play for sixth straight state title this weekend
The football game between the #1 San Juan Broncos and #4 South Summit Wildcats in the 2A Utah State Semifinals this past Friday, November 6 at Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman was one for the ages.
The teams combined to score 107 points in a knock-down-drag-out, back-and-forth epic that earned an entry in the All-Time Utah High School Football Record Book.
And for the first time in six seasons San Juan players, coaches, parents, and fans actually felt some stress during a postseason game.
With only 89 seconds remaining in the game the Broncos trailed by one with their season, a 16-game playoff winning streak, and a possible sixth straight state title all in jeopardy.
But in typical San Juan never-say-die fashion that’s when the Broncos capped a 14-play, 68-yard drive with a Brigg Palmer rushing touchdown to seize a late lead. A two-point conversion made the score 57-50.
In a game that had seen both teams struggle to find defensive stops, that lead was far from safe despite the lack of time remaining. As they had all game, once the Wildcats got the ball back they were moving downfield effectively.
But when Kooper Laws intercepted an Ian Mair pass near midfield with 30 seconds to go, that sealed the victory for the Broncos and set off an explosion of celebration on the field, in the stands, and back home in Blanding.
It was an appropriate ending for a San Juan defense that had allowed 405 South Summit offensive yards and six touchdowns. And it was the most points ever scored by a losing team in a regulation playoff game in Utah high school football history.
“I don’t know if I’ve been in a game like that in my ten-year coaching career,” San Juan Head Coach Barkley Christensen told the Deseret News after the dust had settled. “It was wild, but we’re very fortunate to be on the winning side of this one.”
Both offenses were just about unstoppable in the early portion of the game as the first six offensive possessions all ended in touchdowns and the teams traded a bevy of big plays.
Finally, with the game tied 21-21 and just over eight minutes left in the first half, that first defensive stop came – at San Juan’s expense.
The Wildcats had Brigg Palmer for a loss in the backfield at the Bronco 36, but Palmer shed the would-be tackler and put together a great run to midfield. As he battled for extra yardage however, he lost control of the football and a South Summit player fell on it.
The takeaway gave the Wildcats some momentum and they began to drive the ball. But four plays later the game showed just how crazy it might get when South Summit ballcarrier Brody Larsen fumbled and San Juan’s Danny Price recovered.
The momentum swing was palpable, and the Broncos shot down the field like they had come out of a cannon. Quarterback Beau Yeomans hit Palmer with a 32-yard pass that put the ball at the Wildcat 29.
After a Brigg Palmer run and a Yeomans pass to Andrew Nielson, San Juan found themselves with a first-and-goal at the South Summit four. From there Gaige Palmer and Keilan Hutchins opened a huge hole for Palmer to scamper through untouched for his second touchdown of the day.
San Juan was in the driver’s seat once again, but as it had been throughout the first half, that was temporary. The Wildcats took the next 5:27 to take their second lead of the game with a methodical 65-yard drive capped by a 20-yard pass from Mair to Jesse Clegg.
Not to be outdone in the crazy meter the Broncos answered immediately when Randall Black scooped up the ensuing squib kickoff and proceeded to take it 86 yards down the left sideline to the house for his first kick return touchdown of the season.
San Juan added a two-point conversion and led 35-28 with just 36 seconds left in the half. Knowing they would receive the ball to start the second half, South Summit was content to kneel and head into the locker room at halftime.
That decision panned out for the Wildcats as they put together another methodical drive to start the third quarter. Mair hit Clegg again, this time for a 25-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 35-35.
When the Bronco offense finally got on the field in the second half 6:35 of the third quarter was gone and it was South Summit who had the momentum. They stopped San Juan on fourth down, regaining possession at the Bronco 39.
They made the most of the opportunity, slowly driving to the San Juan four yard line where Brody Larson ran into the end zone untouched on a halfback sweep to the right.
The Wildcats had put San Juan into exceptionally unfamiliar territory, taking a 42-35 lead late in the third quarter in the state semifinals. But the fireworks weren’t nearly over.
Beau Yeomans spotted a wide open Randall Black on the last play of the third quarter and hit him with a 42-yard pass to set the Broncos up with a first-and-goal at the South Summit nine.
It took all four downs, but Yeomans finally punched in San Juan’s sixth touchdown of the day on a one-yard run. With a two-point conversion the Broncos led 43-42 just shy of one minute into the fourth quarter.
But the Wildcats responded immediately and stunned San Juan when Jesse Clegg returned the ensuing kickoff from Randall Black 98 yards to the house, giving South Summit a 50-43 lead.
The San Juan offense drove steadily down the field on their next possession but the drive stalled on the South Summit 34 and they turned the ball over on downs.
But the Bronco defense came up huge two plays later as Cameron Adair penetrated the Wildcat line and swatted the ball out of Brody Larsen’s arms. Thomas Hardin fell on it and the San Juan offense was back in business at the South Summit 37 with eight minutes to go.
San Juan punched the ball into the end zone seven plays later on the third of Brigg Palmer’s four rushing touchdowns, but Yeomans was stuffed on his two-point conversion attempt as South Summit retained a 50-49 lead.
Once again the Bronco defense dug deep and kept the Wildcats on their own side of midfield, forcing a punt with 5:33 left in the game.
Coach Christensen was especially proud of that moment in the game and spoke about it after the final horn. “They came up big when our defense absolutely needed a stop,” he explained. “They haven’t been tested like that for a couple weeks now, and for them to gut that thing out shows a lot.”
Defense many times leads to offense, and that defensive stop – San Juan’s second in a row – propelled the Bronco offense to that game-winning drive over the course of the ensuing four minutes. Along the way San Juan had to convert on fourth down to keep the drive alive.
Despite the pressure-packed moments and rare circumstances, Beau Yeomans told the Des News after the game that the offense was prepared for that situation.
“Every day at practice we [work on] two-minute drills, driving the field, and scoring, so I’m going to have to give that one to our coaches for having us prepared for this game,” he stated.
Coach Christensen spoke proudly after the game about his players’ ability to dig deep and gut out the hard-fought victory. “These guys have been on state championship teams, but they’ve never earned it themselves and I think today they got a taste of what actually having to earn a state championship is,” he said.
San Juan racked up 525 yards of total offense in the win. Yeomans was an outstanding 16-for-17 in the passing game for 307 yards and one touchdown. Randall Black caught five of those passes for an impressive 154 yards and the touchdown.
Quincy Singer had a solid 89 yards on seven catches for the Broncos, Brigg Palmer made two catches out of the backfield for 35 yards, and Andrew Nielson had a 20-yard reception.
Brigg Palmer ran for 145 yards on 35 carries and four touchdowns. Yeomans had a good day rushing as well, with ten carries for 64 yards and two touchdowns.
Jayce Raisor led the defense with 15 tackles in the win. Andrew Nielson collected 13 stops, Thomas Hardin and Cameron Adair had nine apiece, and Danny Price got seven.
In a game that was far from defensive the San Juan “D” earned four key takeaways. Price, Hardin, and Trey Bradford all got a fumble recovery each and Kooper Laws of course snagged the game-ending interception.
And it bears mentioning that Randall Black had 101 kick return yards on the day, bolstered by the 86-yard kick return touchdown.
There were numerous times it didn’t look like it was going to happen but the Broncos survived. And they’ll be attempting to win their sixth 2A Utah State Championship in a row this Saturday, November 14 when they go up against #2 Delta at Southern Utah University.
San Juan beat the Rabbits 44-27 in Blanding on September 18, but that game was a harder fight than the score indicates. Delta has also won six straight games since that loss, including a 21-14 win over Summit Academy in their semifinal matchup this past weekend.
One thing’s for sure: The Rabbits will roll into Cedar City with guns blazing – or ears flopping – looking for a big upset over the five-time defending champs.
Another thing’s for sure: The San Juan Broncos won’t take another victory for granted during this postseason.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday and we’ll have all the action live on Redrock 92 Radio starting at 12:30. We’ll also present an audio feed on StreamUtah.Live that will feature live stats for both teams on screen throughout the game.