High school football: Best games of '09

Bingham 38, Alta 34

(Friday, Aug. 28)

In late August about 11,000 people crammed into Bingham's home field to watch another classic battle between the Miners and the Alta Hawks. People were everywhere. The stands were full about an hour and a half before kickoff, making it so a prime seat was standing in the front row on the track at either end of the field. Alta's speed was the difference in the first half as the Hawks took a 28-14 lead on several long pass plays. But after adjusting to a zone defense in the second half, the Miners dominated the line of scrimmage and came back for a 38-34 win in another chapter of this classic rivalry. What really stood out for me was the atmosphere of a preseason game. One would have thought it was a state championship contest. There was electricity and anticipation in the air, and it was evident right off the bat that these were two of the best teams in the state.

— Michael Black

Pleasant Grove 12, Brighton 6

(Friday, Oct. 9)

PG coach Dale Sampson compared to it a heavyweight fight, and that's exactly what it seemed like. After the two teams scored touchdowns on tipped passes in the first quarter, they proceeded to beat the crap out of each other. Neither team could get near the endzone until Jeff Harris scored on a 7-yard run in the fourth quarter – a few plays after quarterback Dallas Lloyd was knocked out of the game.

"I'm glad it's over," Pleasant Grove's Bryan Sampson said. "It was a tough game. I knew from the first play it was going to be long game."

— Andrew Aragon

Juan Diego 12, Hurricane 10

(Friday, Nov. 20)

Bruce Nix had blocked out the boisterous crowd at Rice-Eccles Stadium as the game clock struck zero in the 3A championship game. All of his attention was focused on the ball spiraling toward him. Driving 80 yards in 45.7 seconds seemed like a virtual impossibility for run-oriented Juan Diego. But Cody Stevenson had completed three straight passes to get the Soaring Eagle one last chance to claim the 3A title.

Nix, who was cramping up just moments before the pass, did not expect the ball to come his way. Still, he made the most of his opportunity – going up for it between two Hurricane players. When he wrapped his hands around the ball and brought it down, Nix forever etched his name in high school football lore both at Juan Diego and around the state.