ST. GEORGE — Region 9 girls soccer teams started the 4A state playoffs with a huge win in St. George and an upset on the road.

Snow Canyon scored two touchdowns in a soccer game and Cedar stunned Orem as both squads advanced to the second round.

Meanwhile, Hurricane and Dixie saw their seasons come to an end with losses on the road.

No. 6 seed Desert Hills and No. 8 Crimson Cliffs both had first-round byes.

Following are recaps from Region 9’s opening-round playoff games.

Snow Canyon 14, Tooele 0

The red hot Warriors won their ninth game in a row in convincing fashion, netting a baker’s dozen goals in the first half and adding one more after the break to win big at home.

Snow Canyon senior Ashlee Harris scored her 16th goal of the season off a strong header and also assisted a score for the winners

“I was proud of our performance. It was really good,” Harris told St. George News after the game was called at the 30-minute mark of the second half. “We came out and even though their level of play wasn’t quite as high as ours, we kept our intensity, which I was proud of.”

The overmatched No. 22 seed Buffaloes managed one shot on goal in the contest. Meanwhile, No. 11 Snow Canyon’s offense was able to possess the ball at will and freed up its speedy wings for several one-on-one rushes.

Harris said the Warriors did not overlook Tooele and used the game to prepare for the next round when they’ll face a familiar region rival.

“We made sure that we were going to work on preparing for Desert Hills,” Harris said. “We knew that we needed to come out and that we did need to finish our chances. But once we were up we just needed to keep playing so we’re ready for Desert Hills.”

Lilly Wittwer scored a hat trick for Snow Canyon. Amelia Nadauld also posted a hat trick of goals to go along with her trifecta of assists in the win.

“We’ve definitely been working on our offensive runs,” Harris said. “Passing and connecting and working together.”

Chloe Vowell finished with two scores and two helpers in the victory.

Besides Harris, five other Warriors  — Ava Wong, Lottie Smith, Jolee Irvin, Prentice Leonard and Anna Monson — scored single goals.

Smith recorded two assists while Monson and Millie Warner had single helpers for the Warriors.

It seems almost as if fate intended Snow Canyon and Desert Hills to meet in the state playoffs.

The rivals split their two games in Region 9 play, with the Thunder winning 2-nil on Aug. 8. The Warriors rallied to win a 5-4 overtime thriller on Sept. 12. Both games were hard-fought, emotional contests.

Desert Hills finished as Region 9 co-champs (tied at 10-2 with Crimson Cliffs) while Snow Canyon finished one game behind in third at 9-3.

“Just play our game,” Harris said when asked what the key will be for the Warriors when they face the Thunder. “We just need to be calm and play how we always play.”

Snow Canyon plays at Desert Hills in the second round of the playoffs on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 4 p.m.

Cedar 4, Orem 1

The long-awaited return of senior Rylan Tebbs gave the Reds the boost they needed.

Tebbs, who had been a three-year starter for Cedar and was one of its top scorers over the past two years, sustained a knee injury in practice during the summer.

But after missing 17 games, Tebbs was medically cleared to play in Cedar’s playoff opener at Orem.

Tebbs scored two insurance goals in the second half to lift No. 19 seed Cedar over the No. 14 Tigers.

Cedar’s Kyla Johnson scored to give the Reds a 1-nil lead at halftime.

Early in the second half, Orem got the equalizer to make it 1-1.

But in the latter part of the second half, Cedar added Tebbs’ two goals, plus one more from Kenzie Bird, to secure the win.

“Our defense kept getting better throughout the game,” said Cedar coach Scott Kamachi. “Just a great first-round win.”

Cedar advanced to play at No. 3 seed Park City next Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 4 p.m.

–written by Jeff Richards

Logan 3, Dixie 2

The No. 20 Flyers suffered a tough loss at No. 13 Logan after Dixie scored in each half but could not stop the Bears’ Mia Lopez, who scored once in the first half and twice again in the second for a hat trick.

Brinlee Bennett and Kymber Beacham scored goals for Dixie, which finished the season with an overall record of 5-11. The Flyers finished tied for fourth in Region 9 with a mark of 5-7.

Logan (7-9) advanced to face Region 11 rival and No. 4 seed Ridgeline in the next round.

Mountain Crest 8, Hurricane 0

The two-time defending 4A champion Mustangs, seeded ninth in this year’s tournament, ambushed the No. 24 Tigers with eight tallies in the first half.

Hadli Barrera scored half of those goals, finishing with four scores and one assist as Mountain Crest’s experience and offensive firepower were too much for Hurricane to handle.

Hurricane entered the contest after placing sixth in Region 9 at 2-10 and finished the year with an overall record of 4-15.

Mountain Crest advanced to face No. 8 seed and Region 9 co-champ Crimson Cliffs (12-4). The battle of the Mustangs will be at Washington Fields on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 4 p.m.

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