CEDAR CITY, Utah – Southern Utah will look to retain the HintonBurdick Grand Canyon Trophy for another year when it hosts Northern Arizona in Cedar City this Saturday. The Thunderbirds captured a thrilling 35-29 triple-overtime victory in the inaugural rivalry game at NAU last fall, and this weekend's matchup marks the first time the contest will be played within the confines of the Eccles Coliseum.
The game's presenting sponsor, HintonBurdick, PLLC, is a regional accounting firm with offices located in both home cities featured in the game, Flagstaff, Ariz. and Cedar City, Utah, as well as other Utah locations in St. George, Hurricane, Richfield and Mesquite, Nev. The Cedar City office includes partner Robert S. Cox, while Kevin L. Stephens, CPA, of the Flagstaff branch serves as a member of the Lumberjacks radio broadcast team.
"We certainly enjoy this great rivalry game and want to show our support for it," said HintonBurdick partner Mark Frost. "Our CPA firm has offices in Flagstaff and Cedar City and we have many employees and clients who support this rivalry game each year. We felt like this was something we could do to further promote this contest and show our support for these two universities."
Southern Utah joined the Big Sky Conference prior to the 2012 season, giving the two teams the opportunity to meet annually in the new rivalry matchup with the game alternating between Flagstaff and Cedar City. The two schools are separated by just 287 miles and the Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World.
"This is a rivalry that has been building for years," said Stephens, who played quarterback at NAU and is the color analyst for the Lumberjack Radio Network. "And now, because of exciting changes within the Big Sky Conference, it means more than ever. Year in and year out these two great schools will compete towards the end of their season for this trophy and the bragging rights that come with it. We want that to be a source of community pride for both schools."
"We wanted to add something special to this rivalry game that both institutions would value and look forward to each year," said Stephens. "We have many clients, employees, and friends of our firm that are graduates and supporters of either NAU or SUU. We felt like it was a very natural fit to support the rivalry."
Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. at the Eccles Coliseum. Tickets can be bought by calling the SUU Ticket Office at 435-586-7872 or by purchasing them online at www.tbirdtickets.com.
