Game Preview Capsule: Hurricane at Snow Canyon

GAME PREVIEW CAPSULE
Hurricane (5-0, 2-0) at Snow Canyon (4-1, 1-0)
Previous Meeting: Hurricane 42, Snow Canyon 7 (Sept. 23, 2011 at CV)

TIGERS
Classification: 3A, Region 9
Coach: Chris Homer (11th year, 81-42 overall)
Offense: Wing-T
Last week: Beat Dixie 34-32
Players to watch: WR/DB Koy Gubler doesn’t get too many touches on offense, but he is solid as a defensive back. He had a spectacular interception vs. Dixie that changed the game. RB Adam Thompson continues to make big plays. I think I might try to find ways to get him the ball more. He’s amazing.
PPG: 31.2
PAPG: 20.0
Trend: A Hurricane fumble turned the tide in the first half vs. Dixie. Two interceptions after halftime turned it back in Hurricane’s favor. So yes, the defense did win the day in a 34-32 shootout. Credit Hurricane’s coaches for not panicking when the Tigers were down 11 in the third quarter. They stuck to their gameplan, the same gameplan that has won them 18 straight contests.

WARRIORS
Classification: 3A, Region 9
Coach: Jay Graft (eighth year, 36-37 overall)
Offense: Spread, pro-set
Last week: Beat Canyon View 42-0
Players to watch: SC had only 37 offensive plays last week. A good percentage of those were for big plays, such as RB Brandon McFarland’s 75-yard run and WR Jace Graft’s 63-yard catch and run TD from QB Mason Smith. The Warriors had 491 yards on those 37 plays (13.3 yards per play), while the defense, led by LB Trevor Horlacher’s six tackles and two sacks, held CV to just 145 yards.
PPG: 36.2
PAPG: 13.0
Trend: No more marshmallows for the Warriors. SC has outscored its last four opponents 170-46 (average score: 42-11). Of course, those four opponents have a combined 4-14 record. But confidence is a funny thing and Snow Canyon should have plenty of it. The schedule gets really tough for the next five weeks, but winning creates a good attitude. By the way, Coach Graft can even his head coaching record at 37-37 with a win against the Tigers.

GAME OUTLOOK
Three years ago, Snow Canyon played Hurricane to a stalemate, losing only because a two-point conversion pass fell incomplete. In the interim, Hurricane has whipped SC twice (35-6 and 42-7). Still, if SC can slow down the Edwards-Thompson train, they have the horses to run the ball pretty well themselves and hang in the game. We don’t expect a blowout, but we don’t expect an upset either.

STGnews PREDICTION
Andy Griffin (22-4) — Hurricane
Jeff Ames (21-5) — Hurricane

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