CEDAR CITY — It must have been a heck of a halftime speech by coach Todd Peacock.
Down 13-3 at intermission, the Cedar Redmen scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to beat Payson and grab the final 3AA South playoff spot in the last game of the season.
Midway through the third quarter, Cedar had managed just two Jeff Rogers field goals and still trailed the Lions 13-6. But a roughing the kicker penalty helped Cedar drive for the tying score on a Brecken Lewis 1-yard dive.
Payson fumbled it on its next possession, setting the Redmen up at the Lions 21-yard line. A few plays later, Lewis scored again, this time from 2-yards out to give Cedar its first lead since 3-0 early in the game.
Rogers nailed his third field goal in the fourth quarter and Austin Obering picked off an Easton Smith pass to ice the game for the Redmen, who are 4-5.
Cedar, which finished 2-5 in region, is the sixth seed from the 3AA South and will head to Tooele for a first-round playoff game next Friday night. The Buffaloes, 7-3 overall and 4-2 in region, finished third in the 3AA North behind Stansbury and Juan Diego.
Stats: Cedar 23, Payson 13
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