Boone enjoys return home to Utah

Had the Utah Blaze lost its regular-season finale, one of the biggest factors in the outcome of the game would have had some heavy Utah connections.

Aaron Boone, a former Millard High and Snow College player, was as good a receiver as there was on the field and he kept Kansas City alive with clutch receptions and five touchdowns.

"It was great playing here with all my family and friends here to support me," Boone said. "I wanted to put on a good show for them."

And what a show it was.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound AFL rookie grabbed 13 passes for 147 yards. With an entire Delta Center section cheering him on, Boone made sure he sent some of them home with souvenirs.

"I wanted to throw the first one up to my mom and she got it," Boone said. "I wanted to get some up there for everybody that came. But when you're one of 10 (children), it's hard to get that many."

Boone has enjoyed a solid season in the AFL after having bounced around NFL camps and NFL-Europe following his senior season at Kentucky. He started the season in Philadelphia but was traded to Kansas City in late March for former Utah State receiver Steve Smith.

Almost unused by the Soul, where he played only a little on special teams, Boone has blossomed with the Brigade.

In seven games, Boone caught 66 passes for 748 yards and a team-best 19 touchdowns.

"I've never had so much fun playing football as I have in this league," Boone said. "We struggled and didn't win much because this has been a pretty tough year. But I've had a lot of fun."

Boone helped the 3-13 Brigade win two of its final six games. The expansion team was at a severe handicap following Hurricane Katrina, when the team almost took the season off before relocating from New Orleans.

"We wanted to win this game, too," Boone said. "We wanted to establish ourselves in this league and prove something to ourselves. In the end, things just didn't work out for us."

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E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com