BADGERS NEXT STOP: NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
by Greg Dart

EPHRAIM- The No. 2 ranked Snow College football team finished its regular season 11-0 for the second straight year following a 65-20 thrashing of Mesa Community College Saturday.

The Badgers victory and the loss of No. 1 Navarro means Snow will be playing with a national championship at stake during the Zions Bank Top of the Mountains Bowl at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy Dec. 6.

“Every game has been a big one for us this year,” said head coach Steve Coburn. “We knew coming in we would be battling every week. To finish the regular undefeated speaks to the talent and drive of this team.”

Snow was firing on all cylinders early with back-to-back touchdown runs by fullback Mike Meifu (West Jordan High School) to give the Badgers an early 14-0 first quarter lead.

After a Mesa score, Jordan Brown (Box Elder High School) returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. Mesa tacked on one more touchdown to make it a 21-13 game at the end of the first quarter.

After that, it was all Badgers, with quarterback Jon Eastman (Hillcrest High School) hitting back-to-back second quarter scoring strikes to receiver Sam Thomas (Timpanogos High School). After Mesa added another score, Eastman hit receiver Regan Buck for a 17-yard touchdown pass just before halftime to give Snow a 42-20 halftime lead.

Snow’s defense held Mesa scoreless in the second half, while adding two points of its own with a fourth-quarter safety. Snow’s offense tacked on three second half touchdowns for a 65-20 final.

The Badgers racked up 613 yards of offense in the game, while holding Mesa to 255 yards in the game. Eastman led the passing attach by going 24-31 for 333 yards and four touchdowns. Thomas caught six balls for 64 yards and two touchdowns to lead all receivers in a balanced attack with 12 players catching at least one pass.

Running back Tyson Church (North Sanpete High School) led the Badger rushing attack with 92 yards on 11 carries.

The Badgers opponent for the Top of the Mountains Bowl will be determined Tuesday following conference championship games for other National Junior College Athletic Association over the next two days.

For a complete statistical summary of the game please click here.

Discount tickets for the game are available for the next week by visiting www.snowbadgers.com.

Snow College, founded in 1888, serves approximately 3,000 students at its Ephraim campus. The college provides general education and applied technology programs leading to Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science and Associate of Pre-Engineering degrees, and certificates of completion in a number of occupational areas.  Once owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Snow College became a state college in 1932.

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