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MURRAY — Neither the Snow Canyon Warriors or the Murray Spartans had much going for them for most of the first half.
Snow Canyon had long drives it couldn't finish, and Murray kept turning the ball over.
But it was still anybody's game until the Warriors broke through late in the second quarter. From there, the Warriors never looked back.
Snow Canyon advanced to the second round of the 4A state playoffs with a 27-7 win Friday over Murray, where they will play Crimson Cliffs, which had a bye in the first found, next Friday.
"I felt like we had a really good week of practice," Snow Canyon sophomore quarterback Brody Lounsbury said. "We prepared really good. Just had good practices and then we came out here and executed good."
The execution didn't pay any dividends on offense for the Warriors until late in the second quarter. But defensively, the away team was dominant from the opening kickoff and held Murray scoreless in the first quarter, then intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble in the second.
A Lounsbury's 8-yard touchdown pass to junior Cael Esplin came directly off a Murray fumble to give Snow Canyon a 7-0 lead heading into halftime.
"We're an attack defense," Snow Canyon coach Michael Esplin said. "We practice getting the ball out."
The floodgates then opened in the second half for Snow Canyon. Murray had the ball to start the third quarter, but again fumbled away the ball, which was recovered by Trey Vaughn.
JT Westbrook scored on a 5-yard run that gave Snow Canyon a 14-0 lead. Moments later, Zachary Condie recovered another Murray fumble and scored, giving the Warriors a 20-7 lead after a missed PAT.
Snow Canyon scored again on a 7-yard pass from Lounsbury to Cael Johnson, making it a 27-0 lead. Lounsbury controlled the offense for the Warriors, whether it was with his passing or his elusive run game. He had one run in the third quarter for 46 yards.
"Sophomore, so that's nice when a sophomore comes in," Michael Esplin said.
Snow Canyon's offense wasn't perfect, though. Other than the missed PAT, Warriors kicker Ammon Allred missed a 37-yard field goal and got his 27-yard attempt blocked. The Warriors also turned the ball over on downs once.
Murray quarterback Alexander Bojorquez left the game late in the second quarter and didn't return. Phil Holland replaced him, but the team's offense mostly ran through running back Sam Pehrson.
The only touchdown for the Spartans came late in the fourth quarter on a 9-yard pass from Holland to Conner Whitehead.
Esplin said his team has been hampered by injuries but is starting to get healthier. The Warriors are going to need everyone against Crimson Cliffs, to which Snow Canyon lost to earlier in the season.
"I hope that we play to our potential and we have as many guys as we can have," Michael Esplin said.
