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ST. GEORGE — Crimson Cliffs came into its Friday night matchup hoping to extend its winning streak against Snow Canyon to three straight years; but more importantly, to make it known that it looks to maintain the top spot in 4A's Region 9.
There was no question Crimson Cliffs accomplished its goal in a 41-7 win over Snow Canyon.
Both teams entered the contest with a 4-1 record, leading many to believe Snow Canyon could contend with Crimson Cliffs for the night. That wasn't the case, though.
The Mustangs drew blood first on its first drive of the game with a 26-yard touchdown reception as Tyler West reeled in an easy throw from quarterback Steele Barben for the only score of the first quarter.
After a fumble by the Mustangs early in the second quarter, the Warriors took over on their own 49-yard line. Quarterback Talan Kelly immediately took charge and after finding no receivers open and almost being stripped of the ball was able to duck out of the pocket, look right and find Makaio Swensen wide open for the 51-yard touchdown to even up the score 7-7.
The Mustangs weren't deterred from their objective, though. On the following drive, thanks to McCord Christiansen's run game, Crimson Cliffs was able to drive down the field and capped off the drive with a 6-yard touchdown by Boston Adamson to give the Mustangs the 14-7 lead going into the half.
From there, the Mustangs were unstoppable.
Out of the halftime break, Barben threw a 64-yard strike to put Crimson Cliffs on the 7-yard line to set up his 7-yard rushing touchdown to put some distance on the Warriors. On the next series, Christiansen rushed for a 15-yard touchdown, his first of the night, to add to an offense that had little trouble moving the ball in the second half.
Things looked better for the Warriors when the Mustangs fumbled near the end zone, and Snow Canyon recovered the ball. Kelly marched his team down the field as the team's primary rusher, but was picked off to end the prosperous drive, ending all hope for the Warriors.
The Mustangs added another rushing touchdown, this time a 9-yard run by Mason Topalian, and a 3-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Darius Strickland to Luke Childs.
All six of Crimson Cliffs' touchdowns came from six different players as the team improved to 5-1 on the season.
