Ballam takes center stage in Logan's run

A theater star Thursday, a state champion football player Friday and a theater star again on Saturday.

That's Jordan Ballam for you, Mr. Versatility.

"He just wants to do everything, and that's why he's so successful," said Logan coach Mike Favero, whose team captured the 3A state championship with a convincing 28-12 victory over Judge.

Ballam was a big part of it again, putting the wraps on perhaps the best one-month stretch for a defensive high school football player ever.

It started with a game-winning fumble recovery in a last-second 3A first-round win over Park City, followed by another game-winning fumble recovery in a last-second quarterfinal win over Delta the next week.

Throughout the excitement of each win and preparing for the next game, Ballam found time for rehearsal of Logan High's musical production of "Damn Yankees" which opened Thursday night. Ballam plays the role of a baseball player, in which he dubbed, "a minor lead." But in reality, what do you expect from the nephew of Michael Ballam, a well-known opera singer.

It's hard to top two game-winning touchdowns in the first round of the playoffs, but Ballam did his best in both games at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

In a semifinal win over Wasatch last week, Ballam finished with 12 tackles, returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown, forced a fumble, recovered a fumble and had two pass break-ups.

"He's a great player, and a great contribution to our team," said Duncan Olsen, the Logan player who came up with the critical blocked punt against Park City in the first round.

As for Logan defensive lineman Ian Haderlie's thoughts about Ballam, "He's always in good position to get the plays."

That was once again the case in Friday's championship against Judge. In addition to finishing second behind Harderlie with six tackles, Ballam also came up with two fumble recoveries and an interception.

Most players would be thrilled with that stat line for an entire season, whereas Ballam accomplished it all in one game. When you combine it with his heroics from the previous three weeks, Ballam finished the state tournament with over 30 tackles, five fumble recoveries, two interceptions and three defensive touchdowns.

Not bad for a guy who won't have much time to celebrate. He's got to prepare for another musical performance tonight.

---

E-mail: jedward@desnews.com