5A high school football playoffs: Jordan offense proves unstoppable vs. Davis

KAYSVILLE — Midway through the second quarter of their team's first-round playoff game against Davis, Jordan High's student section started chanting, "Davis got no defense."

While the chant was grammatically incorrect and somewhat harsh, if the students had just added "for the Beetdiggers" to the end of it, they would have nailed it.

Jordan shredded the proud Darts defense in a 52-7 victory on Friday afternoon to advance to the 5A quarterfinals against Cottonwood. Davis hadn't allowed more than 20 points in a game all season. The Beetdiggers scored 21 against the Darts in the first quarter.

"If you would have told me that (Jordan would score 52 points), I'm not going to sit here and lie to you, I probably would have been surprised," said Beetdiggers quarterback McCoy Hill. "It's about peaking at the right time. We've got to keep getting better and I think we can accomplish anything."

The remaining teams in 5A certainly need to be on Jordan alert after the Beetdiggers' performance on Friday.

Hill completed 18 of 24 passes for 321 yards and four touchdowns. Blake Miller had seven catches for 139 yards and three scores and Taylor Loomis had four receptions for 108 yards. The Beetdiggers' defense forced four turnovers, as Zach Sorensen led the way with two interceptions.

"There's probably nothing more enjoyable as a coach than seeing the kids play like they did," said Jordan coach Eric Kjar. "I believe in them big time. Now they're playing to their ability."

There were two factors in the first quarter that put Jordan in charge early. First, the Beetdiggers made a statement on their opening possession by driving 80 yards on nine plays with Hill scoring on a 4-yard run. Hill threw for 49 yards and rushed for 31 on the drive.

The possession pretty much took away Davis' home-field advantage.

"It's big," Hill said. "It's huge to just set the tone."

The Darts had a chance to make it a game after Hill fumbled on Jordan's next possession. Davis took over in Beetdigger territory, but Jordan defensive lineman Taylor Frenchwood put a devastating hit on Darts quarterback Gavin Fowler to force an errant throw. Junior defensive end Mark Krueger picked it off and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-0.

"Those two (Frenchwood and Krueger) are outstanding players," Hill said. "Frenchwood has been big for us all year and Krueger just stepped up and made a big play at a good time. I think that was a big momentum changer in the game."

Miller sparked Jordan's passing game, and he hasn't even been playing receiver all season. He switched over from defense about midway through the 2010 campaign, and has been a big-play threat since then. He hauled in a 51-yard touchdown pass from Hill in the first quarter, and added two insurance touchdown receptions in the third quarter.

"I'm loving every minute of it," Miller said of playing offense.

The Beetdiggers have shown flashes of brilliance during the season before putting it all together on Friday. They drubbed Davis in three quarters, as the reserves for both teams played the fourth quarter.

"That was a fun one to be on our side," Kjar said. "The kids have been working so hard for how many weeks now? They deserve all the credit."

The game was marred by a scary incident in the third quarter. Davis' Jordan Carver was hit hard by Loomis following an interception and briefly lost consciousness. He suffered a neck injury and had to be taken off the field on a stretcher, but is expected to be OK.

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