Beaver to face Duchesne for 2A football title in St. George

Beaver vs. Enterprise, 2A state football semifinals, Cedar City, Utah, Nov. 7, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

ST. GEORGE — The 2A football state championship game Saturday afternoon at Dixie State University will be a battle between two undefeated teams, as Beaver takes on Duchesne. 

Both teams won their respective semifinal contests in blustery, wintry conditions at Southern Utah University in Cedar City on Saturday. Top-seeded Beaver defeated No. 4 seed Enterprise 40-13 in the afternoon game, while No. 2 Duchesne beat No. 6 Milford in the evening contest. 

The 12-0 Beavers will be looking to repeat as state champions and cap off their second straight undefeated season. In addition to taking state in 2019, Beaver also won the 2A title in 2015 and 2016. 

According to noted statistician George Felt, who has long kept meticulous records on Utah high school football, Beaver will be playing in its 23rd state championship football game, the most of any team in state history, followed by Millard’s 21 and Skyline’s 20. Beaver has won the championship in 12 of those 22 previous state title games.

Duchesne vs. Milford, 2A state football semifinals, Cedar City, Utah, Nov. 7, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Meanwhile, the 11-0 Duchesne Eagles are a longtime 1A powerhouse that moved up to 2A a couple years ago when 1A football was discontinued by the Utah High School Activities Association. The Eagles will be playing in their fourth championship game in the past five years and their ninth in 12 years, dating back to 2009. Over those 12 seasons, Duchesne won the state title five times, most recently when they took the 1A title in 2016, the same year as one of Beaver’s 2A titles.

Beaver and Duchesne last met each other in the 2A semifinals last year, when the Beavers won, 14-7.

Felt noted that Saturday’s final will mark the 20th time in Utah history that a state championship game has pitted two undefeated teams against each other, and it’s the first time since 2016, when East knocked off Springville for the 4A crown.

Saturday’s championship game at DSU is exempt from the state’s current two-week ban affecting high school sports and activities but will be subject to the same attendance limitations and other COVID-19 related restrictions as announced for Friday’s semifinal game between Snow Canyon and Pine View.

Saturday’s kickoff time is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.

Here’s a quick look at last Saturday’s semifinal games.

Beaver 40, Enterprise 13

Senior quarterback Treyson Hunter threw a pair of TD passes, and EJ Allred rushed for two more scores as the Beavers scored the first six touchdowns of the game, taking a 40-0 lead over the Enterprise Wolves midway through the third quarter.

The game, which had seen intermittent rain and snow, experienced a 30-minute lightning delay, and then Enterprise got on the board in the fourth quarter with two TDs, both on runs by Bryant Jimenez.

Duchesne 26, Milford 6

The Duchesne Eagles scored the first TD of the game on a short run by Cameron Brady, but Milford answered with a 35-yard TD reception by Bret Beebe from quarterback Blake Barnes. However, the PAT attempt hit the goalpost upright, leaving the Tigers behind, 7-6.

The Eagles went on to score a TD in each of the remaining quarters while shutting out the Tigers the rest of the way. Brock Adams scored on respective runs of 44 and 27 yards, after which Brady tacked on the Eagles’ final TD with a 6-yard run late in the fourth.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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