High school football 3A preview: Judge at Hurricane

Judge Memorial (6-5) at Hurricane (10-1)
3A state tournament quarterfinal
Friday, 5 p.m.
Parry's Power Guide: Hurricane by 11 points
All-time series: Judge leads 1-0
Coach vs. Coach: Judge's James Cordova leads Hurricane's Chris Homer, 1-0
Last meeting: 3A first round, Oct. 28, 2006 — Judge 24, Hurricane 6

While Hurricane is 10-1 and has been mentioned by many as one of Class 3A's leading contenders for most of the season, Hurricane coach Chris Homer feels like his Tigers still have something to prove.

That's not to say he feels disrespected; it's just that he noted there aren't many folks outside of southern Utah — with the massive exception of Park City High— that have gotten a close look at Hurricane's football team this fall.

Getting to the turf at Rice-Eccles Stadium to play under the bright lights of the postseason would certainly illuminate Hurricane to the rest of the state, but the Tigers must win a big one this weekend to get there. Coming off a 3-8 season a year ago, Hurricane can continue its stunning turnaround this fall if it can knock off Judge in the 3A quarterfinals at 5 p.m. Friday.

"That's a good way to look at it," said Homer when asked to describe the opportunity his team faces this weekend. "We know Judge is a good team, and that's always a challenge."

In Judge, the Tigers face an opponent that's starting to find its identity. Judge was the 3A runner-up a season ago and had very high expectations back in the preseason, only to struggle during the opening half of 2008.

Since being shutout by rival Park City, however, Judge has won four games in a row and certainly seems to be finding its feet. The Bulldogs possess a number of outstanding athletes like Keenyn Walker and Bruce Garlinghouse.

Hurricane, however, has plenty of its own firepower. It might not have the sheer volume of athletes that Judge has, but what the Tigers do have is a number of outstanding football players.

Running back Gordie Dotson currently leads the state with 1,547 yards on the ground, Hurricane's other Wing-T runners are solid, QB Jase Langston is nearing the 1,000-yard passing mark and Hurricane's lines, anchored by three-year starter Ryan Butler (RT on offense/LT on defense) are outstanding.

Judge Memorial statistical breakdown
Scoring offense: 25.0 ppg
Scoring defense: 20.7 ppg
Passing leader: Chris Pell (32-110, 29.1%, 714 yards, 7 TDs)
Rushing leader: Mitch Wood (78 carries, 448 yards, 3 TDs)
Receiving leader: Keenyn Walker (14 catches, 394 yards, 3 TDs)
Tackles leader: Mitch Wood (135 tackles)
Sacks leader: Will Katoa (6 sacks)
Interceptions leader: Paul Clark/Ian Condas (5 interceptions)

Hurricane statistical breakdown