Resilient season leads Flyers to second Championship in three years
Cameron Mellor (@CamMellor)
Originally published: January 7, 2015
As the old saying goes – ‘revenge is a dish best served cold.’
The Dixie High School Flyers certainly served up their best revenge dishes and more in 2014, en route to their second 3AA State Championship in the last three years.
The Flyers rallied off eight straight victories to end the year, two of them in the playoffs, against a team whom they had lost to earlier in the season.
To get there, let’s start at the top.
The Flyers entered the 2014 season on the heels of an impressive campaign a season prior that saw Dixie enter the 3AA semifinals. Behind senior quarterback Ammon Takau, the Flyers began this past fall primed to head back, not only in to the playoffs, but possibly even regaining the 3AA Title they had won in 2012.
The beginning of the 2014 season however, would begin in surprising fashion. A 37-30 loss to Springville on a late 4th quarter TD sparked a 0-1 start for the Flyers.
Dixie needed double overtime and a great defensive stop to defeat Lehi in week two, 49-48. After scoring in the bottom half of the second overtime, the Pioneers went for a two-point conversion to win the game, but rather were stopped by Dixie, giving the Flyers a one-point victory.
After a loss to the bigger, higher classified, 5A Riverton Silverwolves, 62-28, the Flyers did get back to their winning ways against Canyon View. A 55-30 defeat of the Falcons pushed Dixie’s record back to an even 2-2.
However, the back-and-forth of wins and losses would stop right there.
Dixie would allow 42 points to BYU commit, quarterback Kody Wilstead and the Pine View Panthers. Despite scoring 36 of their own, the Flyers feel by eight points when the defense couldn’t get Wilstead and the Panthers off the field for the final 4:10 of the game.
In their next game, against Hurricane, and even though Dixie led 7-0 at one point, the Tigers would rattle off 34 unanswered points to end the first half and put the game out of reach. Dixie dropped their matchup with Hurricane, 34-14.
Sitting at 2-4 and nearly on the outside looking in at a playoff spot, the Flyers – behind Takau and their defense – stormed through the remaining regular season games, outscoring their five opponents by a margin of 214-62.
After a 1-point victory over Desert Hills, 17-16, Dixie notched four consecutive 32 or more point victories. A 56-14 defeat of Payson, a 42-10 victory over Cedar City, a first half onslaught against Snow Canyon, 44-14 and finally a 55-8 offensive display against Uintah.
Enter the playoffs for Dixie, after five consecutive wins, who sat at 7-4. They would draw a first round matchup against Stansbury High School who entered play at 9-1 and on a similar tear. The Stallions would start fast and score often, notching the first 14 points of the game.
Despite Dixie tying the game at 14 points apiece, Stansbury would continue to fire on offense and defense, scoring 28 straight points in the 2nd and 3rd quarters.
With just over a 16 minutes left in the game, the Stallions led 42-14 and were almost checking their phones to see who they would play next. Dixie had other plans however.
Takau would hit Jaden Harrison for 32 yards on the last play of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 21 points. After a quick three and out to start the fourth quarter, Takau would hit Bret Barben for another TD and closed the gap to 42-28.
Two more three and outs for the Stansbury offense would make way for two Trenton Miller touchdowns and a tie ball game at 42 with just over seven minutes left to play.
The Stansbury offense would sputter again on their next possession, gaining their only first down by means of a Dixie penalty and forced to punt back to the red-hot Flyer offense. It would be three plays later that Miller would score his third rushing touchdown of the quarter and the final points of a 28-point fourth quarter comeback effort to give Dixie a 49-42 lead.
Their defense would hold the Stallion offense yet again and the miraculous comeback was complete.
Up next for the Flyers would be rematch number one, against Pine View. The same Panthers team that defeated Dixie just six weeks prior would fall short as the Flyers avenged their previous defeat. This game would be similar to the first, with four ties during the game, however the Dixie defense would shut down Wilstead and the Panthers in the fourth quarter.
Dixie would hold PVHS to just 78 yards in the final quarter and intercept Wilstead before hitting a field goal that secured the 38-28 victory.
The Championship game loomed, as did another familiar foe. Hurricane having an up and down year themselves, entered the playoffs losers of three of their final four regular season games. After a close 17-14 win over Desert Hills in the semifinals, the Tigers would prove no match for the Flyers, falling 27-19 in the grudge match against Dixie.
The Flyers jumped out to a 14-6 halftime lead and didn’t look back. Despite a 13-point fourth quarter, Dixie held the Tigers at bay just enough to secure their second consecutive retaliation against a team who defeated them in the regular season as well as their second state championship in three years.
Following their State Championship victory, the Flyers were greeted with an impromptu celebration at their home stadium. Head coach Blaine Monkres addressed the fans and his team by crediting the determination and resilience his team showed in 2014.
Takau was selected as the 3AA MVP for the 2014 while Barben, offensive lineman Jaxon Davis, defensive lineman Jeff Martinez, defensive back Jaden Harrison and kicker McLane Keenan were selected to the 3A All-State First Team.
Miller and RJ Wilgar were selected as 3A Second Team All-State while offensive lineman Blake Patterson was named Honorable Mention.
As their coach put it, the Flyers were a resilient bunch in 2014 and their hard work and dedication paid off with an impressive 28-point comeback, two avenging victories in the playoffs and the ultimate goal – the 3AA State Championship.
Offensive stat leaders
Rushing: Trenton Miller (1457 yards)
Passing: Ammon Takau (2418 yards)
Receiving: Bret Barben (835 yards)
All-Purpose: Trenton Miller (2214 yards)
Touchdowns: Trenton Miller (22)
Rush attempts: Trenton Miller (166 carries)
Receptions: Bret Barben (55 catches)
Defensive stat leaders
Total tackles: Jeff Martinez (86.5)
Tackles for loss: Jeff Martinez (15.5)
Sacks: Jeff Martinez (6.5)
Interceptions: RJ Wilgar (4)
Pass break-ups: Jaden Harrison (15)
Team statistics
Total scoring: 540 points
Total offense: 5767 yards
Total rushing yards: 3045 yards
Total passing yards: 2722 yards
Third down conversions: 32.2% (47/146)
Turnover Differential: +14 (15 INT, 14 FR)
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