Jordan upends Brighton

It's Friday night in the fall, and that means I'm at another football game.

And what a great game it was. This time, I was at the Brighton vs. Jordan football contest. It had a lot of buildup. It was "senior night" at Brighton, meaning it was the final home game of the season. It also was a big game because it could decide the fourth - and final - playoff berth in Region 4.

Brighton had a 3-2 region record, while Jordan was 2-3. Thus, Brighton had the advantage. But Jordan won the game, 28-20. It was a great game, but it was missing something. I couldn't figure out what it was until afterward.

The atmosphere once the game ended was a mess. Since it was "senior night," Brighton was acknowledging all of its senior players. Of course, they were disappointed, but the show must go on.

I spoke to Brighton coach Ryan Bullett, and he finally informed me what it was. Brighton wasn't inspired. When I was on the sidelines for the Brighton-Alta game, their whole sideline was involved. It was exciting. But not this time.

Brighton's star player, Ricky Heimuli, didn't play. He was hurt. I noticed that immediately, and asked him what was wrong. Heimuli was brooding. He told me about his injury, and he appeared meek. This guy is 6-4, 295 pounds, but he was a head case.

I told him - and I probably should not have done this as an independent bystander covering the game - that he needed to be his team's biggest cheerleader. He didn't take my advice (why should he?).

Coach Bullett said his team wasn't inspired, and I believe it. Brighton is a good team, with a great defense. But it has to be inspired to show it. If not, they may not even make the playoffs.

Jordan deserved to win the game. I spent the second half on the Jordan sideline, and it was impressive to watch. Everyone on that sideline was involved, and so were the Jordan fans.

I got a chance to interview Jordan QB Alex Hart after the game. He was a class act. He's going to Utah State next year, and he may end up starting for them someday. I hope he does because he threw some great passes and has great knowledge of Jordan's playbook.

In the interview, he showed me that he knew when he made great plays, and he knew when he screwed up. He accepted both. That's the sign of a great player. I became a fan of Alex Hart right there.

Jordan runs the spread offense, but its receivers aren't that fast. The thing about the spread is that it's the QBs job to get the ball into the hands of the receivers, using short, pinpoint passes, and then the receivers make the yards.

Jordan doesn't seem to have that game-breaking receiver, but Hart does a nice job of getting the ball to them anyway. He passed for 328 yards, which is an off-night for him.

Brighton's offense wasn't impressive. It took a while for Brighton to get going. The Bengals benefited from a 90-yard kickoff return on a reserve by Sosiah TaKai, but the offense had just two first downs at halftime.

TaKai ended up with 96 yards, and became a force in the second half. QB Derek Newell couldn't hit the long ball (and he tried several times), but had good luck throwing short and letting his receivers do the work.

Stephen Robinson, who fumbled a punt late in the game that made a big difference, also showed that he has the potential to do a lot of good things. Robinson was the hero in Brighton's win over American Fork last week, and he will be a hero again, I'm sure. He caught a 77-yard TD pass from Newell.

Jordan and Brighton meet again Tuesday night. Here's a thought: Get the ball to Robinson more. While Jordan played consistently on this night, Brighton has the game-breakers, and Robinson is one of them.

OK. Enough of that. Here are a few other things I noticed from Friday's game:

* - It was "senior night" and Brighton traditonally shoots off fireworks afterward. It was a great show, and it kept the fans there after the game. That was great. Keep it up.

* - Brighton and Jordan have to play their playoff game on a neutral site. Brighton chose Hillcrest; Jordan chose Alta. Why? Brighton wanted to play on grass; Jordan on turf. Does it really matter? Yes. Because Brighton can't practice on turf. They viewed that as an advantage for Jordan. I asked Brighton principal Charisse Hilton (in a jokingly matter) if she had an extra $500,000 to put turf in the stadium. She answered very nicely, "No. We like playing on grass." She's right. So do I.

* - The other day, I discovered this website called utahsportsaction.com. It has a lot of potential. It's a website dedicated to the coverage of Utah sports, especially high-school athletics. Their Facebook site is great. I liked it because that's where they place game photos. They had a photographer at the Brighton-Jordan game, too. I spoke to their leaders Friday, and they were at this game. I want to learn more about them, and see if we can help each other. There's big potential there.

* - I got to know Jordan coach Eric Kjar and I met athletic director Mark Hunter after the game. They were classy guys. I was impressed with Jordan's professionalism. Their fans, though, are another story. They were bad-mouthing the referees the entire time. I don't know what to say about that. It was ... disappointing.

* - One last thing. I met a woman on the Jordan sidelines. I didn't get her name. But her last name was Babka, and her son is No. 52. Wow. She was wearing Jordan athletic gear, and she looked impressive wearing it. She was taking photos of the game. I spoke to her briefly. I wonder if No. 52 knows her mother is hot? I don't know how old she is, but she still has "it." Her husband is some big muckety-muck named Beau Babka. I remember his name because he used to be associated with the police. Beau, if you ever read this, I hope you realize how fortunate you are.

Ok. That's enough of that.

I kept statistics from the game, of course. Here they are.


Jordan 7 14 0 7 - 28
Brighton 7 7 0 6 - 20
J - Bill Vavau recovered fumble in end zone (Cory Rodgers kick)
B - Sosiah Takai 90 kickoff return (Anthony Mares kick)
J - Steve Morgan 8 pass from Alex Hart (Rodgers kick)
J - Morgan 17 pass from Hart (Rodgers kick)
B - Stephen Robinson 77 pass from Derek Newell (Mares kick)
J - Hart 1 run (Rodgers kick)
B - TaKai 7 run (kick blocked)

Team statistics

First downs: Jordan 24, Brighton 10
Rushes-Yards: Jordan 30-56, Brighton 29-80
Passing yards: Jordan 328, Brighton 148
Passes: Jordan 30-50-1, Brighton 9-20-0
Fumbles-lost: Jordan 3-0, Brighton 2-1
Penalties: Jordan 5-37, Brighton 2-16
Punts: Jordan 6-37.2, Brighton 7-32.1

Individual statistics

Rushing: Jordan - Hart 15-10, Spillman 9-23, Malaga 4-12, Hill 2-1. Brighton - TaKai 18-96, Newell 8-(-6), Lotulelei 1-3, Woodland 1-2, Felix 1-(-5)

Passing: Jordan - Hart 30-50-1-328. Brighton - Newell 9-20-0-128.

Receiving: Jordan - Hammond 8-107, Morgan 7-67, Hill 5-37, Hunt 3-47, Spillman 3-20, Malaga 2-15, Demis 1-6. Brighton - Robinson 3-104, Smith 2-18, Lotulelei 2-16, hansen 1-5.

Missed field goals: None