Ogden • South Summit quarterback Kael Atkinson opened his shoulders while running to his left and tossed an 8-yard pass on a line to Cole Reidhead as he darted across the end zone.
That was one of five touchdown passes Atkinson threw in Saturday’s Class 2A state semifinal game against Grand County en route to a 47-9 win at Weber State’s Stewart Stadium. South Summit advances to the 2A final, earning a state title game appearance for the fifth consecutive season. South Summit next week will play Beaver, which beat Delta in the other semifinal 35-16.
“We have a lot of weapons offensively,” Wildcats coach Mike Grajek said. “They’ve got to choose who they’re going to try to stop, and as they start to double some people then other people are open.”
While South Summit’s defense limited the Red Devils to 172 yards, the Wildcats offense found success in the passing game. That was a change from last week, when the Wildcats rushed for 400 yards, Grajek said.
“They were probably coming in thinking, ’Hey we’ve got to slow down the running attack,’” he said.
Atkinson said the reliance on the run game last week came as an adjustment to windy conditions and Atkinson’s struggles hitting his targets at the beginning of the game.
He had no such issues Saturday. Atkinson was 14 of 23 passing for 232 yards. His most frequent target, wide receiver Parker Grajek, scored two touchdowns, both in the first half.
SOUTH SUMMIT 47, GRAND COUNTY 9 <br>• South Summit advances to the state championship game for the fifth year in a row. <br>• The Wildcats limit the Red Devils to just 172 yards on offense. <br>• Parker Grajek leads South Summit in receiving with seven catches for 123 yards.
But as coach Grajek said, Grand County couldn’t focus on Parker Grajek. Keegan Stracher led the team in touchdowns, finding his way into the end zone three times.
While the Wildcats didn’t abandon their run game by any means — they rushed for 211 yards — South Summit’s first four touchdowns came on passing plays.
“We kind of had an idea of what they were going to run against us,” Atkinson said about Grand County’s defense. ”We practiced that all week, and our receivers ran good, crisp routes. Our offensive line did an amazing job.”
The Wildcats broke the passing touchdown streak on a 27-yard carry by Stracher. He ran to his right, looking to throw, then took off downfield, bobbing and weaving his way into the end zone.
That squashed the momentum the Red Devils had begun to build. Since South Summit’s last touchdown, Grand County had recovered two Wildcats fumbles, and kicker Dante Wells sent a 24-yard field goal between the uprights.
Stracher’s touchdown gave the Wildcats a dominant 34-3 lead before halftime. South Summit forced a running clock in the third quarter.