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Show i "TT? The 1979 16-team Class 3-A football tournament is a joke because many teams that don't deserve to compete in a state meet are able to play in the tourney even though they finished way down in the region standings andhave a below .500 record, but the Uintah Utes were an exception to the rule this season. Uintah High School's football team finished in a third place tie with Tooele and Murray in Region Seven at 2-3, but the Utes had an overall record of 4-4. However, Uintah's 4-4 record is deceiving because with a break here or there the Utes could have finished the season with a 6-2 record and could have placed second in Region Seven at 4-1 behind the Judge Memorial Bulldogs. Two overtime losses to Tooele and Cyprus kept the Utes from taking part in the state tourney. The four teams from Region Seven that competed in the first round of the 3-A 3-A State Tournament, Saturday were Judge Memorial, Cyprus, Tooele, and Murray. Uintah defeated Murray and tied Cyprus and Tooele, but the over- time rule enabled Cyprus and Tooele to down the Utes and Uintah defeated Murray in the extra period. Judge Memorial, the first place team in Region Seven, encountered a tough Uintah defense, which stopped countless coun-tless drives by. the Bulldogs and the only Judge Memorial touchdowns were scored on aerials. Judge blanked Uintah, 14 to 0, but they had to work for every point. Uintah High School won all the coin flips before the first half in the first seven games of the season against Lehi, Union, Green River, Wyoming; Tooele, Cyprus, Judge Memorial .and Murray, but last week the Utes' luck ran dry in the coin tossing department. The Uintah Ute players, coaches and fans assumed that if they defeated Murray and Jordan that they would be allowed to compete in the state tourney, but that wasn't the way it was to be. There was a chance that Tooele, Murray and Uintah would end up tied for third place in Region Seven and so the teams competed in a coin flipping contest for third and fourth place, Uintah lost coin tosses with Murray and Tooele, and thus Murray was awarded third place and Tooele fourth place. The Utes were forced to stay at home. The only way the Utes could advance into the state meet was if Tooele defeated Murray and Uintah downed Jordan on October 24. Uintah lived up f to its part of the bargain as they blanked Jordan, 12 to 0, but Tooele failed to help out the Utes as they were thumped by the Murray Spartans, 23 to 15. So Uintah, Tooele and Murray tied for third place in Region Seven. Murray and Tooele have competed in state tournaments before, but Uintah hasn't been to the state playoffs since the early '60's and the thought of having Ix-en denied the chance to go to the state tournament due to a coin flip instead of a football game was hard for the Uintah fans, players and coaches to take. Murray, a team which suffered a 7-0 loss to Uintah and finished the season with a 3-6 record as compared to Uintah's 4-4 mark, was able to compete in the state meet, but the Spartans did defeat Tooele, a team that downed Uintah, 21-20, in overtime. , Uintah's John Merkley remarked, "If anyone deserved to go to the state tournament it was us (Uintah). They didn't beat us on the field. They defeated us with a coin flip in a restaurant in Salt Lake City." "I feel proud to have been a part of this team. I would like to express my appreciation to all my teammates and coaches for a fine season," stated Todd Parker. "We had a good team this year. We didn't play the best that we are capable of in the game with Jordan. Next year we are going to come back and show those Salt Lake City folks who Uintah is," remarked Brent Hales. The Utes' starting center, Art Daley, remarked, "We played a heck of a season. Every game was close and we deserved to go to state, but the odds were against us. Team unity was really great this year, and that was the key." "This is the closest bunch of guys that have ever played at Uintah," commented com-mented Brent Labrum. "The seniors deserved those coats and they deserved them more than anyone in this world," stated Dave Hardy. Seniors Tcrrance Thcdell, Kay Smuin, Marty McCarrel, Brad Schaefcrmcycr, Kirby Manwaring, John Merkley, Robert Shaw, Clark McClellan, David Lind, Burke Buckalew, Todd Parker, Steve White, Art Daley, Hilly Bedell, Kim Reid, David Cook, Brent Labrum, Vance McKeachnie, Lance Hatch, Ken Cobbs, Hon Ellis, Davis Stone, David Perry, Jeff Bigelow and Lance Workman were presented Jackets after the Uintah-Jordan Uintah-Jordan game, which uas the final contest for the seniors. ' Uintah's coach, Curg Belcher, remarked, "We just have n super bunch of players and we luive great diameter. The kids deserved to win iiikI go to the stale toui iininent, but the coin flip kepi them from going." "I hale those copper-clad quarters," remarked Uintah Ute tackle, Lance Hatch. |