By Tom Zulewski, Iron County Today
For the second straight week, the Cedar Reds faced a familiar opponent who provided more than enough of a challenge to keep the defense on its toes. The Canyon View Falcons were moving the ball in the fourth quarter and closing in on the end zone.
Facing a fourth-and-goal, a Ryder Miller pass was tipped in the air near the goal line by Madden Persons. When it came down in the hands of Junior Togiai-Bloomfield, he knew what to do as Cedar stayed perfect on the season.
Canyon View quarterback Ryder Miller crosses the goal line on a 14-yard touchdown run in the second quarter of the Falcons’ game against the Cedar Reds on Oct. 3. (Cavett Ishihara/For Iron County Today)
Togiai-Bloomfield returned Miller’s deflected pass 97 yards early in the fourth quarter for what proved to be the game-clinching touchdown as the Reds beat the Falcons, 35-14, on Oct. 3 before a big crowd at Eccles Coliseum. Cedar kept the rivalry pick-axe trophy on the south side of town for the third straight year and improved to 8-0 overall, 4-0 in 3A South.
“We told our kids at halftime, ‘you can’t flinch,’” Cedar head coach Tye Hiatt said. “The worst thing that could happen is we start to over-analyze and whatever else. I was proud of our kids for making that play.”
CV suffered their third loss in the last four games and fell to 4-4, 1-3 in 3A South. The Falcons scored two touchdowns in the second quarter and came through with an interception on the final play of the first half as they pulled even at 14-14.
After a personal foul penalty forced Canyon View to kick off from their own 25-yard line to start the second half, Slade Parsons took the kick and returned it 61 yards to the Falcons’ 19. Four plays later, quarterback Everett Kelling found Dylan Crowley on a 10-yard touchdown pass as Cedar took the lead for good at 21-14 with 9:49 to play in the third quarter.
Later in the period, Cedar drove 85 yards in four plays and Gavin DeMille found the end zone on a 17-yard run to push the lead to 28-14. Kelling contributed the big play with a 50-yard run that put the Reds in the red zone at the CV 12.
Cedar’s Slade Parsons (9) makes a move on a Canyon View defender during their game played Oct. 3. The Reds won, 35-14. (Eric Fieldsted/For Iron County Today)
The Falcons started the next drive from their own 23-yard line and had the ball for more than six and a half minutes. In the space of 15 plays, they would come away with no points after Togiai-Bloomfield’s interception.
“He’s a linebacker, so he doesn’t need to be in great shape. Usually he only runs around five to 10 yards, anyway,” Kelling joked of his teammate’s length-of-the-field touchdown run.
With a perfect regular season only two wins away, Kelling took note of what it all means to the Reds.
“You can see all the growth that’s happened with the senior class through these last four years,” he said. “We’ve put in plenty of work, plenty of time, We had all the pain in the last three years and now it’s starting to pay off.”
Cedar took advantage when Maddox Harris picked off a Miller pass on the game’s opening possession at the CV 17. From there, Braxton DeMille scored on a 5-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. A poor punt by the Falcons on their next possession allowed Kelling and the Reds to pad the lead.
Starting from their own 47, Kelling would hit Parsons with two passes, the second one covering 32 yards for another score and a 14-0 advantage.
Canyon View used a 10-play, 76-yard drive to get on the board for the first time. After nine straight runs, Miller threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Brock Neighbors on the first play of the second quarter to cut the Cedar lead in half.
Miller’s legs would help CV tie the game on its next possession, finishing off an eight-play, 75-yard drive with a 14-yard touchdown that tied the score at 14-14 midway through the period.
Cedar will be facing one of its tougher tests in this week’s game at Juab on Friday for a 7 p.m. kickoff. The Wasps went on the road and beat Richfield, 35-31 in last week’s game.
Canyon View will travel to face the Wildcats in their game for this week, also starting at 7.
CEDAR 35, CANYON VIEW 14
Cedar 14 0 14 7 – 35
Canyon View 0 14 0 0 – 14
First quarter
C – B. DeMille 5 run (Stevenson kick), 7:45
C – Parsons 32 pass from Kelling (Stevenson kick), 4:23
Second quarter
CV – Neighbors 17 pass from Miller (Beckstrom kick), 11:55
CV – Miller 14 run (Beckstrom kick), 6:15
Third quarter
C – Crowley 10 pass from Kelling (Stevenson kick), 9:49
C – G. DeMille 17 run (Stevenson kick), 2:34
Fourth quarter
C – Togiai-Bloomfield 97 interception return (Stevenson kick), 7:46