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ST. GEORGE — The Crimson Cliff Mustangs picked up their seventh straight victory Friday night with a 56-21 finish over the Pine View Panthers.
McCord Christiansen, after scoring four touchdowns in the Mustangs' win last week, set a new personal record with five touchdowns against the Panthers.
"(Playing with Christiansen) is nice," Crimson Cliffs quarterback Ryder Sherratt said. "He gets me yards on first down, gets us ahead of the sticks a lot. It's convenient."
Pine View held their own in the first half, only trailing 29-14 at halftime, but the Mustangs ran away with a 27-point second half to seal the deal.
The scoring got started on the game's very first drive, with Crimson Cliffs taking just two minutes off the clock before Sherratt connected with Malakai Alofipo to open the floodgates. The Panthers fired back with the same intensity, and Maka Fiefia found his way into the end zone to keep the game tied.
Pine View's defense, as it seemed to do the entirety of the game, struggled to hold Crimson Cliffs back. And with Crimson Cliffs came Christiansen, who rushed for his first score, and a 2-point conversion put the score at 15-7.
When the Panthers broke back into Mustangs territory, it appeared as though the team's might trade scores again. Sophomore running back Garrett Gwilliam rushed inside the 40-yard line but fumbled, and the Mustangs stole the momentum, along with the ball.
Christiansen, though he carried a big load, wasn't the only rushing scorer for Crimson Cliffs. Van Dailey joined the club with his third career touchdown to extend the Mustangs' lead.
"We knew that we'd be able to get our gains on the ground," Sherratt said of the team's game plan. "Our O-line up front, they're amazing, and we have threats all over, so it's easy."
Pine View, once again, crossed midfield, where they committed another turnover.
Levi Shaw threw his first of three interceptions on the night to give the Mustangs the ball again. Fortunately for the Panthers, an offensive pass interference pushed Crimson Cliffs back 15 yards, ultimately leading to a three-and-out series and the Mustangs' only punt of the game.
This time, the Panthers got as far as the Crimson Cliffs 17-yard line, but when the defense double-teamed tight end Brock Harris, Austen Benson picked off Shaw's pass in the end zone.
Running out of time in the half, the Mustangs charged downfield in under two minutes to set up another Christiansen touchdown.
After the score, the Panthers offense had just 48.5 seconds to work with. The drive ended with seemingly the same play as Pine View's previous possession, but, this time, Harris made a one-handed catch as the buzzer sounded for a 34-yard touchdown reception.
Pine View started the second half with two consecutive punts.
Meanwhile, Christiansen provided two more touchdowns and ran the third-quarter clock down to four and a half minutes. The Panthers then scored their final touchdown of the quarter and of the game on a Shaw pass to Corbin Yocham, the junior tight end.
It hardly made a dent in the deficit, though, and the Panthers entered the final 15 minutes trailing 43-21.
The Mustangs closed the game out with one more Christiansen score and a passing touchdown from Sherratt to Ashton Parker for the senior receiver's first career touchdown, putting an end to the 56-21 rout.
The regular season will wrap up next week as the Mustangs take on the Dixie Flyers on the road, and the Panthers host the Snow Canyon Warriors.
