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ST. GEORGE — Hurricane came into Friday night's match lucky.
They were lucky and grateful to be in the tournament after going 0-6 in region play. Desert Hills, though, saw an opponent that it dismantled 56-18 just two short weeks ago. A path to get past the Tigers and move on to the next round against Snow Canyon seemed likely.
Desert Hills' confidence proved accurate in a 49-20 win over Hurricane in the first round of the 4A playoffs.
The game started off as a back-and-forth affair, with both teams scoring on their first three drives of the game. Hurricane opened up the scoring with a field goal to take a 3-0 lead over the Thunder. But Desert Hills responded with a 30-yard rushing touchdown by Tytan Mason, who got the first of many on the night.
On a lateral play on their next drive, the Tigers scored a 68-yard receiving touchdown thanks to a pass from Kellan Pledger to Gage Huntsman to give their side a 10-7 lead.
A return to the 50-yard line after the kickoff put the Thunder in great position to storm the rest of the way down the field, where quarterback Gerritt Grondel easily walked into the end zone for the 14-10 lead near the end of the first quarter.
The Tigers opened the second quarter with a field goal as an answer, but the Thunder had a big return off the kickoff and finished with a 10-yard receiving touchdown by Mason, his second on the night.
The Thunder weren't done there as Javiyen Cummings reeled in a 50-yarder to extend the lead to 15 on the ensuing possession before the halftime break.
Hurricane's push for a comeback came when quarterback Brigham Kemp, who came in for an injured Dylyn Gabriel, rushed for a 9-yard touchdown to make it a one-score game.
Desert Hills responded quickly, with Mason scoring his third touchdown on the night. He managed a fourth score in the final frame on a 40-yard run to put distance on Hurricane, and then Ryker May added a 5-yard rushing touchdown of his own to cement the blowout victory.
Desert Hills will now face Snow Canyon in the second round. Snow Canyon previously lost to Desert Hills during the regular season and will be looking for revenge. The two sides face off next Friday at 6 p.m. MDT.
