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ST. GEORGE — Desert Hills do-it-all receiver Nephi Sewell is just happy to be back on the gridiron.
The senior is one of the top players in Utah’s recruiting class of 2017, but his senior year almost didn’t happen. Last August, the promising Thunder star broke his neck in the first game of the season.
A nationally rated cornerback who also plays wide receiver, running back and returner, the budding star’s junior season was lost.
After neck surgery that still bears scars, the 6-foot, 190-pound athlete is hoping to lead Desert Hills on a run to a Class 3AA South title and state championship.
The Thunder (5-1, 2-0 3AA South) face rival Dixie (3-3, 2-0) in a game that will go a long way toward deciding the region title Friday at 7 p.m. MT in the KSL Game of the Week. The game will be streamed live on KSL.com, with a half-hour pregame show on KSL TV prior to kickoff.
A big game, sure. But football is also a game, and one Sewell is happy he gets to enjoy.
“It’s been quite a while since I’ve been in a big game,” Sewell told KSL Sports after piling up 172 rushing yards and two touchdowns in his full return last week against Hurricane. “I’ve definitely been waiting for a game like this."
"Every game is a big game for me. I almost wasn’t able to play this year, or ever again. It definitely feels great to be out here and to be able to play in a big game.”
Desert Hills and Dixie are only 4 miles apart — a 7-minute drive in southern Utah’s largest city — and these players know each other well. Many of them attended school together through grade school and played on the same Little League teams.
“Our team has good respect with theirs,” Dixie wide receiver Hobbes Nybert told KSL. “We’re good friends and have good respect. We play fair. But it’s always a battle when we are on the same field. We’ll be friends before, but on the field, we’ve got to play as enemies.”
The rivalry makes the game fun and puts added emphasis on a game that perennially pits two of the top teams in 3AA against each other.
“It makes things kind of fun, having some friends over there,” said Desert Hills quarterback Quinn Kiser, who has 1,046 passing yards and eight touchdowns. “We talk smack, but jokingly. We’ve been playing against each other for a lot of years, and it’s been pretty back and forth. It’ll be a lot of fun. They beat us the last four years, and I think it’s about time we change the tide.”
Desert Hills has won five in a row since a season-opening 28-21 loss at Class 5A Jordan. The Thunder also challenged themselves with wins over 4A Salem Hills and Grantsville, as well as a shutout of Foothill in Las Vegas.
But playing Dixie means a little bit more.
“It’s good to be able to compete against your friends,” Sewell said. “There are times when you can have fun and laugh, but when you get on the field, you have to change your mindset.”
Watch 13 high school football games on live.ksl.com beginning at 6:50 p.m. MT.
