All in the name: Steele Barben's rise has Crimson Cliffs Mustangs on verge of region title

The Crimson Cliffs Mustangs have taken Region 10 by storm in 2022.

A reworked roster and a new head coach haven’t stopped the program from jumping out to a 7-1 record, and a 5-0 record in the region.

At the forefront of their success has been junior star quarterback Steele Barben.

As a sophomore last year, Barben sat behind Gunner Orr, completing just 4/13 passes while throwing two interceptions.

“I just had a lot of leaders in front of me, teaching me the reads,” said Barben. “Had a lot of good coaches help me with preparing for this year, especially the game against Dixie last year, so I’m ready for this week.”

Barben beat out Darius Strickland for the starting quarterback spot in camp, and has taken the job and run with it.

This year, Barben not only leads Region 10, but all of 4A in yards with 1,711, and 21 touchdowns to just five interceptions, establishing himself not only as a potential region player of the year, but a class player of the year candidate as well.

“We don’t really care about standings, we just try to play our game and do our thing,” Barben said.

Barben showed signs of being a star athlete in the 4A baseball state tournament this past spring.

After relieving Jaiven Ross in the championship round against Snow Canyon, Barben threw 4.1 innings, striking out eight and allowing just two earned runs in an 8-7 win.

Crimson Cliffs would capture their first state title the next day.

“I can’t say he’s surprised us,” said head coach Wayne Alofipo. “We’re happy to see where he’s at. The kid’s a competitor. He has the ‘it-factor’ in him. On big stages, the kid doesn’t fold, he shines and so we had that same expectation for him taking over the helm this year at the quarterback spot. We knew he’d be able to handle the spotlight.”

Outside of a 49-14 loss to Timpview, Alofipo’s team has been near-perfect.

Since the loss to the Thunderbirds, Crimson Cliffs has rattled off five straight wins, while the offense has scored over 40 points in each of the last three games.

"Just focusing in practice is a big thing, just focusing on the little things and fix the small things," said Barben. "That really helps with how many points we've been putting on the board."

In the last three wins, Barben has thrown 13 touchdowns and just one interception.

“We put in a brand-new offense,” Alofipo said. “Completely different scheme than the first three years. We started that right in July and we’re three months from that. It just takes time to get that chemistry, that understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish with the philosophy. In my opinion, we’re barely starting to peak.”

Barben had 253 yards and four touchdowns on just 12 completions in a 41-8 win over Cyprus.

The following week against Hurricane, Barben threw six touchdowns, with four going to Jordan Eaton.

“Whenever he’s open, I try to get the ball to him, but I try to stick to my reads and get the ball to whoever’s open.”

Eaton leads 4A with eight receiving touchdowns.

“Jordan’s got this natural talent about him,” Alofipo said. “He’s got the size and he’s a physical, big target for Steele to see. We play him in the slot, and he creates mismatches with outside linebackers and middle linebackers with there being a 6’3”, 6’4” type kid with a big frame.”

With a win against Dixie on Friday, the Mustangs will capture their first-ever region title.

The family ties between the Barben name and Dixie run deep.

Not only is Barben making a name for himself at Crimson Cliffs, but he’s also another one in the line of talented Barbens that have made their way through the ranks of St. George football over the past decade.

Barben’s cousins, Jacob and Bronson, starred as quarterbacks for Dixie, with Bronson leading the Flyers to a state championship appearance last year. Jacob led Dixie to a championship game appearance in 2018.

“I’ve always watched Bronson growing up," Steele said. "He’s been a really good quarterback and I’ve always looked up to him.”

Bronson and Jacob’s older brother, Bret, was a star wide receiver that won a state title in 2014, while Jaxon is currently a junior wide receiver for the Flyers that leads the team with 355 receiving yards.

“I don’t think there’s been a bad Barben yet,” said Alofipo. “Every Barben I’ve coached—I coached Jacob back at Dixie — and he was probably, in my eyes, one of the best quarterbacks that’s been around, and Steele has some of those same attributes as Jacob. He has a good mix of Jacob and Bronson. Jacob was like a 5’10”, Bronson was 6’4”, and Steele is right in the middle at like 6’1” but still has that Barben blood in him where they have ice in their veins and are playmakers.”

Barben took some snaps against Bronson and company in last year’s 16-10 loss to Dixie, completing just 3/10 passes and throwing two interceptions.

It was Bronson’s first game back following an ankle injury that sidelined him for a month. Bronson committed to Utah Tech following his senior year.

“Yeah, it’s fun playing against your cousin, but you just do what have you to do," Steele said. "I guess before the game you’re friends, but once the game starts you’re just competitors.”

With a victory on Friday night, Crimson Cliffs not only wins its first region title, but a win would be the first in program history over Dixie and would likely mean the Mustangs are the top overall seed in the 4A state tournament.

Since the program’s first year in 2019, Crimson Cliffs has gone from one win, to four, to eight last year and a 4A semifinal berth.

The Mustangs are aiming for new heights come playoff time in 2022.

Sean Ellertson is a sports reporter for the St. George Spectrum & Daily News. To continue to support his work, please subscribe to The Spectrum. Follow Sean on Twitter @SeanEllertson.

This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Steele Barben's rise has Mustangs football on verge of egion 10 title