Alma Barlow Has 2,532 Rushing Yards at 12.7 a Carry, the Most in Utah, and Water Canyon Plays for a Title Shot Saturday

Alma Barlow Has 2,532 Rushing Yards at 12.7 a Carry, the Most in Utah, and Water Canyon Plays for a Title Shot Saturday

Water Canyon's Alma Barlow leads Utah with 2,532 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns, including a 514-yard night. He and the Wildcats play Rich in the 1A 8-player semifinals Saturday.

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Alma Barlow averages 12.7 yards every time he touches the ball. In 8-player football, where the field is the same 100 yards and there are fewer bodies to get through, that has added up to more rushing yards than anyone in Utah.

The Water Canyon back has 2,532 yards and 27 touchdowns on 200 carries in 11 games, according to the Deseret News statewide leaders. That is 230.2 yards a game. The next closest rusher in the state, Ridgeline's Noah Fiefia, has 2,385 in 12 games. The Deseret News semifinal preview lists the same 200 carries, 2,532 yards and 27 scores.

Alma Barlow's Best Night: 514 Yards and Five Touchdowns

His biggest game came Sept. 25 at St. Joseph, when he ran 28 times for 514 yards and five touchdowns in a 94-61 Water Canyon win, per the Deseret News box score. He also plays defense: Barlow leads the team with 89 tackles and has seven sacks.

Water Canyon's Turnaround: 3-8 to the Semifinals

Water Canyon went 3-8 last season and has never won a state or region title, according to the preview. This year the Wildcats are 8-3, have won seven straight and beat Whitehorse 44-8 in the quarterfinals. They score 45.1 points a game, second in 8-player. Quarterback Deagan Williams has thrown for 1,375 yards and 14 touchdowns and run for 580 more, so defenses cannot sell out on Barlow.

Saturday: No. 4 Water Canyon vs. No. 1 Rich

Water Canyon (8-3) plays top-seeded Rich (8-3) at 10 a.m. Saturday at Zions Bank Stadium in the 1A 8-player semifinals. Rich knocked the Wildcats out 55-14 in last year's quarterfinals. The winner plays the Monticello-Milford winner for the state title. More high school football is on the BallerTube news page.