Delta's defense shut out Summit Academy after halftime, and the Rabbits held on to beat the Bears 21-14 in a 2A semifinal on Friday. The win sends Delta to its first championship game since 2016.
The victory leaves Delta one win from ending a 25-year title drought. Head coach Denton Peterson said the return to the final matters to both the school and a community that has always loved football.
It’s been fun this year to watch what that does to reignite a community that’s always loved football and has always been behind it.
Denton Peterson, Delta head coach
Delta built its margin early. The Rabbits marched to a touchdown on their opening drive. On the first snap of their next possession, Bodey Shurtz found Jacen Johnson for a 68-yard scoring pass and a 14-0 lead.
Peterson said the plan was to jump ahead quickly because Summit Academy is a physical team that tends to improve as games wear on.
Summit Academy's best first-half chance ended at the 1-yard line. Moments after the Bears forced a fumble, the Rabbits forced one of their own. Tannon Horner got Summit on the board in the second quarter, but Shurtz ran for a touchdown just before halftime to make it 21-7.
Delta's offense did not score again. Summit Academy played more physically after the break and drove deep into Delta territory on each of its first two second-half possessions, but both drives ended with interceptions in the end zone.
The Bears closed to 21-14 with just under six minutes left when Rigby Young threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Brayden Dieters. Their defense then got a stop. Johnson ended the comeback bid with another interception, Delta's third of the second half.
Peterson credited his defensive backs. He said the Rabbits knew they could not fully contain Summit's explosive receivers, but they wanted to make them work for it, in line with a long Delta tradition of trying to outhit opponents.
