CEDAR CITY – With starting quarterback Mason Fakahua held out due to a leg injury, Cedar attempted three passes all night against Hurricane. It didn’t seem to matter much as the Redmen rushed for 317 yards and beat the Tigers 37-29.
Hurricane also helped play into the nearly complete running attack until it was deemed necessary to throw the ball because of time constraints. Cedar rushed for a total of 317 yards on the night, while the Tigers also rushed for 200 yards of their own.
Braden Garrett started at quarterback in place of the injured Fakahua. He rushed for 104 yards, plus threw for 44 yards and a touchdown. He completed two of his three attempted passes.
“For not playing quarterback since last year, I thought Braden Garrett did an outstanding job,” Cedar head coach Josh Bennett said. “We challenged our offensive line to sustain their blocks a lot longer, and they were able to do that.”
The game bounced back and forth, with each team being able to match the other’s scoring. The Redmen were the first to stop the trend of trading scores when Brandon Johnson was able to get to Hurricane quarterback Josh Parker and force an intentional grounding in the end zone for a safety. On the ensuing punt kickoff, Cedar’s Luke Maggio was able to break free and score a touchdown to put Cedar up by 37-21 with just over eight minutes to go in the game.
Hurricane quarterback Parker would get a score back as he hit Tobie Swenson on fourth down for the score, then found Jaron Cordova for the two-point conversion.
Hurricane got the ball back quickly, but penalties forced them into long-field situations that the Tigers couldn’t overcome.
With the clock dwindling, Cedar looked like it was going to win the game, but Hurricane would have one last chance as the snap was fumbled with 52 seconds left and Hurricane recovered. But it was to no avail. The Hail Mary passes fell to the ground and Cedar came out victorious.
Cedar’s duo of running backs both had big games. Trenton Maurer rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns, while Travis Tait rushed for 95 yards. Tyler Barrick scored the first touchdown on a 13-yard run.
For Hurricane, Cordova rushed for 197 yards and two touchdowns on the night. His two touchdowns came on a 70-yard run and a 64-yard run straight through the teeth of the Cedar defense. Parker threw for 179 yards and the one touchdown. Joseph Armijo scored the first touchdown on a 5-yard run.
Cedar will next travel to St. George to play Pine View, while Hurricane will travel to Dixie to battle the top team in Region 9. The entire 3AA South Region has a bye next week and the games will be played Oct. 21 starting at 7 p.m.
Stats: hurced10716
For more on this game and the rest of the 3AA South Friday night lights, including video, photos, quotes, stats and insight, go to Saturday Breakdown on St. George News Saturday morning.
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