As he lined up under center for each snap of the second quarter Friday afternoon, East quarterback Ben Ford could look over his hulking offensive line, past the trees in the distance and see the lights on at Rice-Eccles Stadium to the north.
Ford got his team there in the state tournament a year ago but had to watch the championship game from the sidelines because of a dislocated elbow. And after a four-touchdown performance — three of them coming in the second quarter as he sprinted in the direction of the stadium — Ford and the Leopards are headed back to the University of Utah’s campus for a state semifinal matchup next weekend.