High school football: Rich routs Duchesne in clash of 1A powers

DUCHESNE — With a realignment that moved perennial powerhouses Kanab and Enterprise to 2A, Duchesne and Rich have emerged as the leaders of the 1A division.

The two teams met Friday night in what many had speculated would be a preview of the state championship game.

Rich took control of the game early, scoring 21 of its points in the first half en route to a 35-8 win over the Eagles.

"We knew that's what we had to do, because these guys are a really good team," said Rich's senior quarterback, Bradley Holmes. "We just knew if we came out it would give us a better chance."

Rich's defense got the game started for the Rebels, keeping Duchesne from gaining any ground on their first drive and forcing a punt in the first two minutes of the game.

The offense took over from there, using six plays to gain the short 30 yards to the end zone and taking a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

"You know all year long we've been able to jump on teams right from the start, and it happened again tonight," Rich coach Ashley Brown said. "Duchesne is a really good team, and we knew we had to get a good start, and we did."

The Eagles were unable to contain Rich's offense the rest of the game as the Rebels went on to score four more touchdowns.

Holmes was a major contributor in Rich's offense, rushing for 279 yards and three touchdowns. He also passed for 65 yards.

"The thing about our team that has helped us is we have so many weapons," Holmes said. "It can be a different kid every night. Tonight things with the line were just clicking my way."

Cooper Cornia was the other big playmaker for the Rebels' offense, returning most of the punts and kickoffs for the Rebels and scoring two touchdowns.

Duchesne's sole score of the game came midway through the second quarter. Quarterback Shad Thomas connected with Devon Jones for a gain of 36 yards to put the Eagles in the red zone. Four plays later, Thomas ran one yard for the score. Travis Potter ran for the two-point conversion.

Even though the Rebels beat Duchesne by more than they expected, they aren't putting a lot of emphasis on the win.

"You know this is just a regular season game," Brown said. "I think there are still three or four teams that could be there at the end."

Rich does think this game could work to their advantage if they meet again in the postseason.

"We know that they are a really good team," Holmes said. "We'll see them again. So we just need to be prepared like we were today."