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WASHINGTON — The Crimson Cliffs Mustangs are one game closer to repeating as 4A state champions. Their 35-20 win against the Snow Canyon Warriors on Friday night set up a quarterfinal appearance next week.
The Mustangs, with senior quarterback Ryder Sherratt at the helm, pushed ahead early and never let Snow Canyon get a taste of the lead.
"We knew these guys had changed since the last time we played them," Sherratt said. "So we just tried to get in the film room as much as possible. Coach Stokes and coach Weiss, on the offensive side of the ball, they schemed it up for us really good and put us in a position to win."
Crimson Cliffs was up by just one score at halftime before building a 35-7 edge in the fourth quarter. Snow Canyon showed some fight in the final frame, but the reigning champs were too much for the Warriors.
Before the fans had found their seats, Crimson Cliffs got the scoring going. The opening drive took just under a minute and a half off the clock before junior running back Van Dailey scored his first touchdown of the night. He broke free around midfield and found the end zone for a 48-yard rushing score.
"Our game plan was to attack first. Get scores on the board first, just be the first," Dailey said. "Just be intense all the way through the game. I think our main goal was just to put fear into them."
Snow Canyon's first possession was lackluster. The Mustang defense got the better of sophomore quarterback Brody Lounsbury, and a big sack forced the Warriors to punt.
The punt put the Mustangs at midfield and set up another scoring drive. This time, Sherratt threw a pass to Briton Phillips for the sophomore's first career touchdown.
After the teams traded punts, the Warrior offense was in business. They started the drive on their own 49-yard line as the game rolled into the second quarter. Lounsbury scrambled to bring his team downfield and a pass to Joseph Smith set up a first-and-goal opportunity for the Warriors. JT Westbrook reined in an 11-yard touchdown pass to get Snow Canyon on the board and make the score 14-7.
The ball traded hands after a few punts and interceptions — one by Snow Canyon's Smith and one by Crimson Cliffs' Bryce Strickland — but the rest of the half was a stalemate.
Snow Canyon had a chance to tie it when they received to start the second half, but Lounsbury was intercepted for a second time by a juggling Josh Alvey to spoil it. The Mustangs faced their first fourth-down situation at midfield and successfully converted en route to another scoring drive. It was capped off by a 46-yard run by Dailey that carried him all the way to the end zone for his second multi-touchdown game. His first came against Snow Canyon in the regular season when the Mustangs topped the Warriors 35-6.
Snow Canyon's Cam Hill fumbled the return on the ensuing kickoff, and the Mustangs picked right back up just 24 yards from another score. And score they did, with Sherratt finding Maddux Alofipo to put the Mustangs up 28-7.
Crimson Cliffs carried their lead into the fourth quarter, which they started by tacking on another 7 points for good measure. Sherratt threw for his third touchdown of the night, a 28-yard pass to Caiden Garcia-Casey.
With less than 11 minutes remaining and a 35-7 deficit, the Warrior offense took the field. The Mustangs committed two pass interferences to bring the line of scrimmage to the end zone, and Lounsbury connected with Cael Johnson in attempts to keep the Warriors' season alive.
Lounsbury threw one more touchdown, a 4-yard dart to Max Reynolds, but Snow Canyon fell short and took the 35-20 after a failed extra-point attempt.
Though they came off a bye week, Crimson Cliffs still tried to keep their stars fresh. Running back McCord Christiansen, No. 3 in the state of Utah in rushing yards, did not see the field the entire second half. Receivers Malakai Alofipo and Jaxson Holt got some playing time, but were not targeted as often as usual. Still, they came away with the 15-point victory.
"We got weapons all over, even our two and three guys. They can threaten just about any defense. So we're just trying to spread it out, keep everyone healthy, get everyone ready to go," Sherratt said.
Next week, the No. 3-seeded Mustangs will host No. 6-seeded Green Canyon in the quarterfinal matchup.
