Logan Grizzlies win ‘statement game’ with 30-point runaway at Desert Hills

Written by Andy Griffin
October 15, 2015

ST. GEORGE – Wednesday’s game between Desert Hills and Logan may not have meant anything as far as playoffs and postseason, but don’t tell that to any of the Grizzly players.

logandhthunderLogan came out focused and fired up and took it to the Thunder, 42-12, in a rare mid-week, late-season, non-league contest from Thunder Stadium.

“We wanted to come out and send a message that we are the No. 1 team and we are a team to be taken seriously,” said Logan receiver Hartman Rector. “Coach just told us to be focused and ready and we were.”

Stetson Wood (2) and Cody Ricketts (1) break up a pass intended for Logan's Spencer Corbett, Desert Hills vs. Logan, Football, St. George, Utah, Oct. 14, 2015, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Stetson Wood (2) and Cody Ricketts (1) break up a pass intended for Logan’s Spencer Corbett, Desert Hills vs. Logan, Football, St. George, Utah, Oct. 14, 2015, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

Meanwhile, Desert Hills played without star quarterback Nick Warmsley and star lineman Bundy Sewell.

But the offense of Logan was the big story. DH couldn’t get the Grizzles off the field. The Grizzlies had 28 points by halftime and a TD in the third quarter made it 35-12 and pretty much sent the game into the win column. All-totaled, the Grizzlies had 466 yards and six touchdowns.

“Our great fans traveled all the way down from Logan — that’s a six-hour drive,” said Grizzlies wide receiver Kaden Jones. “We have the best fans in the state and they make us feel like home when we’re away. You’ve just got to play your best, show them why you’re No. 1. Represent.”

A huge second quarter was the key for the visitors from Cache Valley. Logan led 7-6 heading into the second, with the Thunder’s TD coming on a Marco Jordan 7-yard run and the Grizz’s score coming on a Colton Hatch 18-yard run.

Logan made it 14-6 when stud QB Hunter Horsley found Rector from 9-yards out 53 seconds into the quarter. The score capped a two-play drive after an interception by Spencer Corbett.

D-Hills looked to stay close with a 70-yard drive that spanned eight plays and ate up nearly four minutes of clock. Stetson Wood took it in on a fly sweep from 35 yards out to make it 14-12 with 7:30 to go in the half. Just over three minutes later, the Grizzlies pushed the lead to 21-12 when Corbett caught a 34 yard strike from Horsley.

After a Thunder punt, Logan again went no-huddle and marched 65 yards in nine plays. The next to last play of the drive was a fumble by Horsley at the goal line, but the officials ruled that Horsley’s forward progress was stopped before the loose ball. On the next play, a fourth down at the 1-yard line, Hatch took an option pitch from Horsley and scored untouched.

Zak Fuchs (32) puts pressure on Logan quarterback Hunter Horsley, Desert Hills vs. Logan, Football, St. George, Utah, Oct. 14, 2015, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News
Zak Fuchs (32) puts pressure on Logan quarterback Hunter Horsley, Desert Hills vs. Logan, Football, St. George, Utah, Oct. 14, 2015, | Photo by Robert Hoppie, ASPpix.com, St. George News

The 28-12 halftime lead seemed insurmountable and Logan scored the clincher late in the third quarter when Hatch took a screen pass and rumbled 47 yards for a score to make it 35-12 with a minute left in the third.

The Thunder had a couple of second half possessions end on fourth down deep in Logan territory. The Grizzlies iced the cake with a 9-yard TD from Robbie Ballam on a another screen from Horsley.

Logan, 7-2, got 346 passing yards from Horsley on 25 of 42 attempts. Surprisingly, he played the entire game in this non-region contest.

“We treated this like any other game,” Rector said. “Every game is important, whether it’s region or not. We wanted to come out and play well and show the state.”

Hatch had three TDs and 123 combined rushing and receiving yards. Corbett had six catches for 96 yards and a score and Rector finished with eight receptions and 93 yards, plus an interception on defense.

For the Thunder, Wood rushed for 104 yards on just three carries. Kobe Sattiewhite, playing for injured Warmsley, was 13 of 29 passing for 118 yards. Garrick Sharp caught four passes for 61 yards. Cody Ricketts had an interception in the game.

Desert Hills, 4-4, finishes the regular season with a home game vs. Cedar next Friday. A Thunder win would clinch a share of the region title and the No. 2 seed, which also comes with a bye Oct. 30 in the first round of the playoffs.

Warmsley and Bundy Sewell were held out for precautionary and healing reasons and will be available next week.

Stats: logdh101415

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @oldschoolag

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Andy Griffin has been in sports media since 1989 and has covered BYU, Utah State and the Utah Jazz as well as all sports in southern Utah. A journalism graduate of USU, Andy has carried on a dual career as both a sports writer and a sports broadcaster and has been heard around the country. He has also been published in USA Today, Sport magazine, The Sporting News, Fairways magazine, the Los Angeles Times and locally in the Deseret News, the Salt Lake Tribune and the Spectrum. Andy was “The Voice of Region 9 sports,” for many years. He also hosted a daily sports talk show for three years called AG in the a.m. Andy has been married to his college sweetheart Shelly for 28 years and has five children ages 13 to 25.

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