Broncos shellack Summit Academy to advance to third-straight 2A state championship game

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
It has become almost ho-hum to watch San Juan High School football games this season. The Broncos are in an entirely different league than the rest of the Utah 2A classification.
After a 51-0 win over Summit Academy this past Saturday, November 4 in the state semifinals, the team is headed to the 2A state championship game for the third straight season looking for their third-straight title.
The Broncos haven’t allowed a single point in the first two games of the postseason and are now outscoring their opponents 648-111 on the season for an average of 59-10 per game.
In the semifinals Saturday at RSL Academy’s Zions Bank Stadium in Herriman, Summit Academy opened the game with a fairly promising drive to the San Juan 22 before the Bronco defense swelled up and forced a turnover on downs.
Eight plays, 78 yards, and 1:48 later San Juan was in the end zone on a short Zack Conway run for the opening score of the game. They added another touchdown in the first quarter, then exploded for 30 points, including their first safety of the season, in the second.
As we’ve come to expect this season, they began the second half with a 44-0 lead and a running clock. The starting offense played only the first series in the third quarter, adding one final touchdown before the JV took over.
It was the Broncos’ state-leading 36th win in a row and marks only the second time in Summit Academy’s 11-year football history that the Bears have been shut out.
It didn’t come without a little adversity. Due to a major crime situation that closed Highway 191 as San Juan was headed to Herriman on Friday, the Broncos spent an extra four hours on the bus and were forced to take the scenic route through Grand Junction, CO.
San Juan Head Coach Barkley Christensen said he was a little nervous after the extended time on the road, but that nervousness disappeared quickly on Saturday morning.
“The adversity was good for them,” he said. “They bounced back; they showed up today. When I saw their faces this morning I knew there was nothing to worry about. They were locked and loaded.”
Locked and loaded is an excellent way to describe the Broncos’ play all season. In the semifinal win Saturday they outgained Summit Academy 490 yards to 128 yards of total offense.
The San Juan defense thwarted the Bears’ running game and held senior quarterback Kyan Anderson to 63 yards passing. Anderson was completing 60 percent of his passes coming into the game but was a dismal 8-of-26 for 31 percent on Saturday.
On the other side, San Juan QB Parker Snyder was amazing. He completed 16 of his 17 pass attempts for 266 yards and three touchdowns.
He also led the Bronco running game with 110 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns. Zack Conway carried the ball 15 times for 64 yards and the other two rushing TDs.
Jake Ivins had the best day among the receivers with five catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. Keaton Ivins had 51 yards on three catches with a touchdown.
Zack Conway had a couple receptions for 45 yards, Anthony Done got 38 yards on three catches, and Brigham Nielson had two catches for 18 yards and a TD.
San Juan continues to be a fearsome team on defense as well. Allowing just ten points per game speaks for itself, but part of what has led to that is the team’s takeaways.
The Broncos have forced 35 turnovers on the season for an average of 3.2 per game. They got three more on Saturday with two interceptions and a fumble recovery. When you’re taking the ball away from your opponents with that kind of consistency, it’s hard to lose games.
Jake Ivins and Tyrian Lee got the INTs this time with Jordan Duke scooping the fumble. Trace Bennett and Ivins led the team with nine tackles apiece in the win. JD Palmer made seven stops and Duke had five.
The Broncos sacked Summit Academy quarterback Kyan Anderson twice with Jaiten Knight and George McKnoughtan registering one apiece.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these guys,” Coach Christensen said of his players after the win. “Their confidence, their attitude, and their swagger. They just bring it and they back it up. They’re so fun to coach.”
One of Christensen’s mantras over the past few seasons is that the Broncos be “peaking at the right time.” They have done that in the previous two postseasons, but this year it seems even more on time somehow.
As good as they were in the regular season, they have somehow found another gear in the postseason. The utter domination is evident in the 119-0 combined scores of their first two games of the state tournament.
Still, one victory still remains in the quest of a third-straight 2A Utah State title. Despite the Broncos’ “swagger,” they are not overconfident or arrogant. They have not looked past any opponent this season.
I asked Coach Christensen what he told the players on the field following their semifinal win. “Our job’s not finished,” he said. “Yes, we can celebrate we’re going to [the state championship game] but we got one more before we can really be happy.”
That “one more” will come against the South Summit Wildcats this Saturday, November 11 in the 2023 2A Utah State Football Championship Game.
South Summit got there in exciting fashion. Down 14-0 at halftime to Layton Christian in the semifinals this past Saturday, the Wildcats scored 17 unanswered points in the second half, including a game-winning, 38-yard field goal by junior Oscar Dominguez.
On paper South Summit looks like the Broncos’ toughest opponent this season. They are 10-2 on the season with their only losses to Beaver, San Juan’s opponent in their previous two championship games, and Juab, the 2020 3A state champion.
They were the 5-0 2A North Champions and have outscored their opponents this season 410-188. Senior quarterback Bracken Lassche has been good with 2,444 yards passing, 26 touchdowns, and ten interceptions.
Senior Trey Stembridge leads the South Summit running attack with 790 yards on 143 carries and 14 touchdowns. Lassche has 223 rushing yards and five TDs.
The Wildcats are coached by Mike Ruf who’s in his second season with an impressive 21-3 record. His team is full of returners from last season who feel they have unfinished business in the 2A state tournament.
It should be an exciting game on Satuday with the kickoff set for 4 p.m. at Southern Utah University’s Eccles Coliseum in Cedar City. Join Rhett Sifford and Art Adair one final time for the live local broadcast starting at 3:30 on Redrock 92 Radio and redrock92.com.