"He gave quite an emotional speech," said North Sevier coach Ryan Higgs. "He told them you never know when you're going to be playing your last play or the last game you're going to play in. What he said to the team before the game got them working more together as a team."

Mason, however, wasn't just the team's emotional leader. He rushed for 1,306 yards on 228 carries and scored 14 touchdowns. He anchored a defense that registered three shutouts and blanked Kanab in the second half of the 1A championship game.

He rushed for 95 yards and scored a touchdown in the Wolves' title win.

"He was always making big plays for us," Higgs said. "He was a leader on the field and off the field. Anytime we needed a big play, we knew we could go to Wyatt."

Curious about who was selected to Deseret News all-state football teams of the past, even back as far as the 1929 school year? Log onto deseretnews.com/sports/hs/ to find out.

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E-mail: aaragon@desnews.com