No. 7 American Fork (10-4) vs. No. 1 Corner Canyon (13-0)
6A state championship
Friday, 2:30 p.m. (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
Parry’s Power Guide: Corner Canyon by 18
All-time series: Series tied 1-1
Coach vs. coach: Corner Canyon’s Eric Kjar leads American Fork’s Aaron Behm, 1-0
Last meeting: Corner Canyon 59, American Fork 28 (week 10)
SALT LAKE CITY — To pinpoint a 31-point blowout on one play is a bit absurd, but American Fork can’t wait to find out Friday what might’ve been had that one play never occurred.
That one play was a 99-yard interception return by Corner Canyon in the regular season finale last month. Instead of the underdog Cavemen punching it in and taking the early 7-0 lead, the Chargers seized momentum with the defensive score and rolled from there.
The teams meet again in Friday’s 6A state championship at Rice-Eccles Stadium at 2:30 p.m. and American Fork is excited for the opportunity to redeem itself against juggernaut Corner Canyon.
“We made some costly mistakes, and I don’t know if we made them punt the whole game. But we had two costly turnovers. We need to finish drives and get them off the field a couple of times. We just need to execute better,” said American Fork coach Aaron Behm. “We moved the ball fairly well, but defensively, we need to get some stops. We’ll need to put pressure on the quarterback because if he’s comfortable, he’s going to do some good things for them.”
Both teams are playing on the final day of the season for the second straight season, this time against each other.
Corner Canyon beat Skyridge 31-14 in last year’s 5A state championship while American Fork lost to Lone Peak 34-29 in the 6A game.
For Corner Canyon the winning formula against American Fork in week 10 wasn’t that much different from its formula all season — score in bunches and then shut teams down.
The Chargers rank first in 6A scoring offense averaging 45.5 ppg and second in defense allowing 14.9 ppg, and they’re one win away from a second-straight undefeated season.
Corner Canyon quarterback Cole Hagen said his team isn’t taking anything for granted despite prevailing 59-28 in the first meeting.
“They are pretty aggressive and their offense is also really solid, too. Even though we won last time, we still need to come out focused and sharp, because they are a really good team and it will be anybody’s game,” said Hagen.
Hagen has accounted for 4,160 yards of total offense and 50 touchdowns this season. His American Fork counterpart has been great as well this season as Maddux Madsen has passed for 3,533 yards and 41 TDs.
Along with BYU-commit receiver Devin Downing and powerful running back Jaxon Gregory the Cavemen have the weapons to keep up offensively with Corner Canyon as they’ve averaged 39.8 ppg this year.
“They are a dangerous team offensively, too. They have some weapons, so they definitely have our attention,” said Corner Canyon coach Eric Kjar.
The story of the game will likely be American Fork’s defense against Corner Canyon’s offense as the Cavemen rank 20th in 6A allowing 30.7 ppg
Getting stops defensively will be the key according to Behm, because Corner Canyon’s defense is too good for anyone to expect to score every time they touch the ball. Last week Lone Peak only scored seven points in Corner Canyon’s convincing 34-7 win.
“We’ve been talking about continuing to grind, continuing to get better and not being satisfied with just making it to the championship game,” said Behm.
American Fork statistical breakdown
Scoring offense: 39.8 ppg (2nd in 6A)
Scoring defense: 30.7 ppg (20th in 6A)
Passing leader: Maddux Madsen (250-424, 59.0%, 3,533 yards, 41 TDs, 13 INTs)
Rushing leaders: Jaxon Gregory (239 carries, 1,369 yards, 18 TDs)
Receiving leaders: Devin Downing (94 rec., 1,658 yards, 22 TDs), Tanner Holden (78 rec., 1,149 yards, 15 TDs)
Tackles leaders: Kade Wakefield (93 tackles), Peyton Wilson (76 tackles)
Sack leaders: Bodie Schoonover (4 sacks), Griffin Hadlock (3 sacks)
Interception leaders: Taylor Crump (7 INTs), Tanner Holden (5 INTs)
Corner Canyon statistical breakdown
Scoring offense: 45.5 ppg (1st in 6A)
Scoring defense: 14.9 ppg (2nd in 6A)
Passing leader: Cole Hagen (189-322, 58.7%, 3,306 yards, 39 TDs, 9 INTs)
Rushing leaders: Austin Bell (130 carries, 1,148 yards, 22 TDs), Cole Hagen (125 carries, 993 yards, 11 TDs)
Receiving leaders: Noah Kjar (66 rec., 1,104 yards, 9 TDs), Cody Hagen (48 rec., 854 yards, 10 TDs), Talmage Handley (36 rec., 689 yards, 10 TDs)
Tackles leaders: Josh Wilson (115 tackles), Cade McDougal (95 tackles)
Sack leaders: Van Fillinger (12.5 sacks), Steve Street (11 sacks)
Interception leaders: Andrew McDonald (7 INTs), Josh Wilson (4 INTs)
Felt’s Facts for American Fork High School
All-time record: 499-328-21 (94 years)
Region championships: 17 (1937, 1938, 1939, 1942, 1953, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977 co, 1980, 1984, 1995 co, 2007 co, 2014)
Playoff appearances: 41
All-time playoff record: 33-38
State championships: 2 (1961, 1962)
State championship record: 2-4
Felt’s Facts for Corner Canyon High School
All-time record: 64-20 (7 years)
Region championships: 5 (2013 co, 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019)
Playoff appearances: 6
All-time playoff record: 13-4
State championships: 1 (2018)
State championship record: 1-0
from Deseret News https://ift.tt/2qyuEaY
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