CHAMPIONSHIP SATURDAY: Bears looking to make history at DGS

The Box Elder Bears have been dreaming big all season long and now, finally, they will have the chance to do something no Box Elder football team has ever done before.

Before the season, it had been decades since the Bears had made the playoffs in football, and in the school’s history, no football team had ever played in a state championship game. Thanks to an incredible run, though, that will change Saturday as the Bears will travel to Stanford to take on Denton-Geyser-Stanford in the Class C Six-Man state championship game.

“It’s special for these kids and this program to have this opportunity,” Box Elder head coach Neil Rosette Jr. said. “When these kids do well, it does great things for this community. It’s something that uplifts people’s spirits. So the community is really behind these kids. We have had great support and we are looking forward to another chance against DGS.”

Rosette Jr. and his team are looking forward to another shot at the Bearcats because back on Oct. 24, DGS knocked off Box Elder 35-34 in the de facto championship game for the North Division of Six-Man football. The win that day gave DGS home-field advantage in the playoffs and the chance to host Saturday’s rare state-title rematch between divisional opponents.

“This is the game we have been looking forward to,” Rosette Jr. said. “I think the first game showed our guys that they could play with anybody in the state. After that, we wanted to get another chance to play them and now we will get to.”

This may be the first go-around for Box Elder, but playing for state titles is nothing new for the Bearcats, who made it to the championship game a season ago before falling to Geraldine/Highwood and finishing as the Six-Man runner-up.

“DGS is a good football team,” Rosette Jr. said. “They have some talented athletes. At this point, both teams know each other though. There aren’t going to be a lot of surprises. We might put in a couple of new things, but for the most part, it’s going to come down to whoever executes better.”

Throughout the season, the Bearcats have been dynamic on offense and just like Box Elder, DGS boasts a balanced attack. Kendall Carpenter runs the show from the quarterback position and is coming off a game in which he threw for 152 yards and no interceptions.

Carpenter’s top target is All-State wide receiver Connor Bokma, who is one of the most dangerous threats in Six-Man football. The running tandem of Rhet Woodhall, who rushed for 96 yards last week in a 66-21 victory over Savage, and Kade Woodall, who had 90 yards last week, is also a huge part of what the Bearcats do offensively.

“We know what to expect from them offensively,” Rosette Jr. said. “We know they want to be physical and run the ball with those Woodhall boys. We just have to match their toughness. But we think that is one of the things that sets us apart from a lot of other Six-Man teams.”

The Bears, who are allowing just under 20 points per game, will rely heavily on a defensive line that includes Jerrod Four Colors and Pernell Morsette at end and Elias Duran on the inside. Bodis Duran and Shane Ketchum each play key roles at linebacker and back deep is Brandon The Boy.

While Box Elder has had a solid defense all year long to rely on, the Bearcats have been even better, surrendering just more than 14 points per game this season. However, DGS will have its hands full with an offense that scored 34 points in the previous meeting between the two teams and averaged better than 50 during the season.

The Bears are a multi-faceted offense and one that can rely on multiple options to sustain the attack. However, the most consistent producers on offense this season have been quarterback Brandon The Boy and running back Shane Ketchum.

Both players have been exceptional throughout the season and the playoffs. Last week, the two connected on a 50-yard touchdown pass that allowed the Bears to wrap up an exhilarating come-from-behind win.

Ketchum was the Bears’ leading rusher and touchdown scorer during the regular season and his presence will be critical for Box Elder to move the ball. Box Elder must also try to get the ball in the hands of Four Colors, a talented receiver, who caught three-touchdown passes in the first-round playoff win over Jordan.

But the Bears offense runs through The Boy, a two-time All-State quarterback that is not only a threat with his arm, but his feet as well. Last week, in the 42-40 win over Hot Springs, he threw for more than 300 yards and four touchdowns. Duran also plays an important role as a smash-mouth runner.

“We just have to keep doing what we have been doing,” Rosette Jr. said. “We are trying to stay focused on this game and not think about winning a state championship or what it means.”

For a school like Box Elder, which has never played a football game of this magnitude, there is no question that a win would mean everything. Not just to the players or the coaches or the fans, but the community and the school as well.

“It would be awesome for these kids, this school and this community if we could win,” Rosette Jr. said. “It was something that we never imagined would be possible. But these kids wanted it and they worked hard for it and now they have the chance to reach their goal.”

The Bearcats and the Bears will square off in Stanford at 1 p.m., Saturday for the Class C Six-Man state title.

Box Elder (11-1) at DGS (12-0)

Saturday at 1 p.m.

in Stanford

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