Notebook: Titan’s 2021
GRANITE COUNTY – With the football season now over, a look at some of the stats and tidbits that made up the 2021 season.
Feels like the First Time
2021 marked the first time in Flint Creek franchise history the Titans made it to the championship and were crowned runner up. In eight years of the co-op, Flint Creek is 72-12 with three state championships, one finish each as runner up and in the quarterfinals and three first round appearances.
Win Streak
Flint Creek finished 10-1 in the 2021 campaign, capping a 22-0 run that dated back through the 2020 campaign.
Granite County Dominance
Since 2003 football teams from Granite County have accounted for eight 8-Man titles over the last 18 years.
Best of the West and the rest
With their quarterfinal win over Fairview, the Titans can now lay undisputed claim to being the best 8-Man football program in the state since their inception in 2014. The status was acquired by awarding one point for a first round exit, two for the quarterfinals, three for the semis, four as a runner up and five for a championship.
The Warriors and Titans are the only two teams in the division to make the postseason every season since 2014. Fairview has 20 points and has finished as follows: Quarterfinals (’16, ’17, ’20, ’21), Semifinals (’14, ’15, ’18), Champions (’19). Flint Creek has 22 points and has finished as follows: 1st Round (’14, ’15, ’16), Runner Up (’21), Quarterfinals (’19), Champions (’17, ’18, ’20).
Number Games – Defense
Jacob Arron was the top solo tackler for the Titans in 2021, logging 71 takedowns. That tally places him third in the single season Flint Creek record book behind Colton Grange at both 77 and 72. Other 2021 Titans making the Top 10 are Tyler Burden with 51 and Avery Metesh with 50.
Burden tied Wyatt Rigby in assisted tackles with 57, falling just one short of first-place Colby Manley at 58. Arron (43) and Cordell Langton (46) also cracked the Top 10.
Three ’21 Titans made the Top 10 of the total tackles, led by now second-place Arron with 92.5 for the season. He is 8.5 behind first-place Colton Grange. Also making the list were Burden (79.5) and Metesh (63.5).
Cordell Langton finished fourth in tackles for loss with 13 and tied teammate Reece Rigby with seven sacks, ranking them fourth.
Numbers Game – Offense
Tyler Burden had a banner year on the ground despite the loss of two game opportunities during the regular season. The junior finished with 164 carries for 1,134 yards, ranking him second behind Kade Cutler in the former and third behind Cutler and Colby Manley in the latter. Burden’s 103.9 yards per game average is second behind Cutler’s 130.45. Andrew Tallon’s 814 total yards places him eighth.
On the career list Burden is currently third with 1,567 yards, trailing Manley at 2,900 and Cutler at 3,746.
Tallon finished fourth in single season completions, attempts and touchdowns (67/103/16) and fifth in total yards. On the career list Tallon is third in completions, attempts, yards and touchdowns (87/141.1/125/24) behind Cutler and Colton Grange.
Avery Metesh was the team’s top receiver this season with 39 catches (3rd) and his 563 yards (5th). His nine receiving touchdowns tied him for fourth with brother Preston who graduated in 2020 in the single season stats. Metesh is second all-time as a Titan with 84 catches and 1,023 yards and second in TDs at 15, one ahead of Preston.
