Miller, Harrah lead defending 3AA champs back to state final

(Kristin Murphy/Deseret News)


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ST. GEORGE — The paint had barely dried on Dixie High's championship trophy when the school received stunning news: long-time head coach Blaine Monkres had accepted a position as offensive coordinator at nearby Dixie State University last December.

Monkres won two state titles at Dixie and another at Morgan in a 30-plus year coaching career at four high schools in Utah. His good friend and former assistant coach Andy Stokes took over the high school program shortly thereafter.

And with that turnover, the Flyers (9-2) will be back at Rice-Eccles Stadium at 11 a.m. MST Friday morning to defend their title against upstart challenger Logan (10-2).

"They're excited to be there, but at the same time, they've been there before and they have that feeling about them of being in this game before," said Stokes, who said the Flyers "lost a legend" when Monkres went to the local college. "It's not a nervous excitement … they've worked so hard all year long, and it's paying off."

Still, Dixie High hardly missed a beat. Even a stunning Oct. 1 home loss to Snow Canyon only motivated the Flyers, who won the next four games by an average margin of victory of 22 points to advance to the state final following a 45-6 win over Tooele in the semifinals.

Tre Miller has played a key role in that surge. The 6-foot-1, 215-pound senior has 1,562 yards and 17 touchdowns on 213 carries in 2015 as he's debated a handful of Division I offers.

"Tre's an incredible athlete," Stokes said. "He's 6-2 and as fast as anyone else we can put ont he field. In my mind, he's the best tailback in the state of Utah.

"He brings a lot of confidence, opens up our pass game for us and does the little things that nobody really talks about. He's an incredible blocker. I think he's the most complete back around. Having somebody like that in your backfield is a blessing."

Still, the Flyers needed a quarterback to run their one-back, spread offense. And Zak Harrah has been up to the challenge. The 6-2 senior has completed 58 percent of his passes for 2,627 yards and 26 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. After throwing five interceptions in the loss to Snow Canyon, the veteran recommitted himself and he's averaged just 1.25 picks in the four games since.

Taking out the loss to the Warriors, Harrah has just six interceptions in 10 games, going pick-free in four of them. Each time, he's thrown for 200 or more yards six times in 2015, and 300 or more yards twice.

"He has the ability to have a huge game in any week," Stokes said of Harrah. "He really throws an awesome football, and he makes good decisions. He studies a lot of film and puts in the work."

Dixie's Jaden Harrison scores a touchdown during the 3AA semifinal football game against Tooele at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. Dixie won 45-6. Harrison fumbled the ball after crossing the line. (Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)
Dixie's Jaden Harrison scores a touchdown during the 3AA semifinal football game against Tooele at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 13, 2015. Dixie won 45-6. Harrison fumbled the ball after crossing the line. (Photo: Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)

Still, the Flyers know repeating as state champs is far from a given point. Logan is led by quarterback Hunter Horsley, who has completed 50 percent of his passes for 2,440 yards and 29 touchdowns with nine interceptions.

Horsley also has a trio of big wide receivers in Spencer Corbett (62 catches, 1,136 yards), Hartman Rector (59 catches, 836 yards) and Devin Palmaffy-Marrion (34 catches, 313 yards) who have combined for 33 touchdowns.

"They're good across the board," Stokes said of the Grizzlies. "It's a tough game ... but when you get into a game like this, you want to play the best. It's a blessing, even though it's tough and it is hard."

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