Preview: Pine View at Hurricane on 92.5FM KDXU

By Keric Seegmiller
(ST. GEORGE, Utah – Aug. 31, 2022) Hurricane and Pine View are set to kick off the
2022 Utah 4A Region 10 football season this week, as the Tigers play host to the
Panthers on Friday in Hurricane. Friday’s game serves as the region-opener for both
squads and marks the first time Hurricane will play on its home field after hosting the
season-opener at Desert Hills.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m., and live radio coverage is scheduled on 890 KDXU and
890kdxu.com with Andy Griffin providing play-by-play and Keric Seegmiller offering
analysis and color commentary.

REGION OPENER: The start of region play represents a chance for both teams to hit
the reset button, as both Hurricane and Pine View finished without a win through the first
three weeks of out-of-region play.
Friday’s game marks the seventh time Hurricane has opened region play at home over the
past 10 seasons. The Tigers have posted a 3-7 record in region-openers over that
timeframe, with a 1-5 mark at home. Conversely, Pine View has open region play on the
road six times over the last 10 seasons, and has posted a 7-3 mark in overall league-
openers and a 4-2 record on the road.

SERIES HISTORY: Hurricane and Pine View have been battling on the gridiron since
the Panthers opened their doors in the fall of 1983. Over the past 10 seasons of 3AA and
4A play, Pine View has emerged victorious in six straight, and nine of the last 10,
matchups between the schools. Hurricane snagged its most recent victory in the series on
Sept. 25, 2015, holding on for a 42-35 triumph on the road.

SCOUTING HURRICANE: Hurricane enters the game with an 0-3 overall record after
falling to Mountain Crest, Moapa Valley, Nevada, and Timpanogos in out-of-region play.
After suffering a shutout at the hand of Mountain Crest in week one, the Tigers have
posted back-to-back outings of 22 points, including a 26-22 heartbreaker on the road at
Moapa Valley in week two. Through three games, Hurricane is scoring 14.6 points per
game (No. 6 in Region 10) and averages 293.3 yards of total offense (191.0 pass/102.3
rush) per contest. Sophomore quarterback Gerritt Grondel leads the Hurricane attack, and
has completed 49 passes for a Region 10-best 573 yards and four touchdowns, while
rushing for a team-high 152 yards and a touchdown on 44 carries. Grondel’s favorite
target is senior receiver RJ Wright, who leads Region 10 with 23 catches for 343 yards
and three touchdowns. Wright also leads the region in scoring with 20 points (3 TD/2
PAT).

Defensively, the Tigers allow an average of 31.6 points and 335.6 yards (183.6
pass/152.0 rush) of total offense per game. Junior linebacker Kellan Pledger leads the
Hurricane defense with 25 tackles, while junior defensive end Hunter Prince has added
19 stops. Junior Alexander Stubbs is the only player on the team to record an interception
and a sack, while senior Adrixx Clegg has also tallied a sack.
On special teams, Wright has connected on 2-of-2 point-after attempts, while the Tigers
have converted on 2-of-4 2-point tries.
SCOUTING PINE VIEW: Pine View enters Friday’s contest with an 0-2 overall record
after a week-one loss at Stansbury and a week-three defeat at home to Salem Hills. The
Panthers have played one less game than the rest of Region 10 after the squad couldn’t
find a week-two opponent.

After a blowout loss at Stansbury to open the season, Pine View took an early lead and
later trailed Salem Hills by just a touchdown at halftime. The Panthers couldn’t keep pace
in the second half, but the offense saw strides from game one to game two. Through two
games, Pine View is averaging 13.5 points (No. 7 in Region 10) and 249 yards of total
offense (160 pass/89 rush) per contest. Seniors Abe Rosenlund (14-33, 183 yards, 1 TD,
4 INT) and Tyler Brown (9-15, 137 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT) have both seen time at
quarterback, with junior Quincy Jones (7 rec, 101 yards), junior Blake Stucki (6 rec, 106
yards), and Brock Harris (5 rec, 112 yards, 2 TD) targeted as the primary receivers.
Rosenlund and Brown have also led the rushing attack from under center, with each
finding the end zone on the ground.

Defensively, the Panthers have allowed an average of 51.5 points and 384.5 yards of total
offense (127.0 pass/257.5 rush) per game. Senior linebacker Jacob Sersansie leads Pine
View with 14 tackles, while junior defensive linemen Mohelangi Tonga and Caden
Nelson, as well as Jaxen Blanchard, have each posted a sack. The Panthers have not
logged an interception through two games.

Junior Kimball Swift has connected on 2-of-2 point-after attempts to lead the special
teams, while Pine View has not yet attempted a field goal.
UP NEXT: Hurricane will travel to Cedar, while Pine View heads across town to Dixie
as Region 10 play continues next Friday, Sept. 9.