4A football playoffs: Cedar Reds shut out Logan for 1st-round win

Written by Jeff Richards
October 21, 2022

CEDAR CITY — The Cedar Reds won their first-round playoff game at home on Friday afternoon, defeating the Logan Grizzlies 7-0.

Cedar hosts Logan in a 4A football first-round playoff game, Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 21, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Both teams came into the contest with similar RPI rankings, with Cedar seeded eighth and Logan ninth. Both ended up struggling offensively for much of the game, with almost every possession ending in either a punt or a turnover.

Cedar scored the game’s only touchdown late in the first quarter when quarterback Koden Lunt scrambled up the middle for a 6-yard score. Edgar Hernandez-Hinojosa converted the extra point kick to make it 7-0 for the Reds with 2:40 left in the first.

The closest the Grizzlies came to scoring was midway through the second quarter when they attempted a 23-yard field goal but missed.

Later in the second quarter, Cedar was forced to punt deep in their own territory, but Hernandez-Hinojosa’s monster kick ended up going 75 yards, pinning the Grizzlies on their own 3-yard-line at the other end of the field. That gave Cedar some added breathing room, and Logan was unable to advance the ball very far before halftime.

Each team made an interception early in the second half but was unable to capitalize. Midway through the fourth quarter, Logan faced third down and four but got sacked by Cedar’s Matthew Villa-Rowe, ending the Grizzlies’ drive.

A few minutes later, Cedar turned the ball over on downs on their own 31-yard line with 2:30 left. Logan then mounted an optimistic drive that took them deep into Cedar territory, aided by a pass interference penalty. But Logan’s last-ditch effort to get on the scoreboard ultimately fell short with a dropped pass on fourth down at the 5-yard-line with 51 seconds remaining. 

Cedar’s Lunt then took a couple of knees to finish running out the clock and give the Reds the playoff victory and a rematch with Region 10 rival Crimson Cliffs in next Friday’s second round. Crimson Cliffs, which finished the season ranked No. 1 in 4A with an 8-2 overall record, defeated the Reds 48-24 on Oct. 12, the last game of the regular season

Cedar head coach Josh Bennett said afterward that he was proud of his team’s defensive effort against Logan and that he’s looking forward for another chance at Crimson Cliffs.

“Our focus will be on getting our run game going and finding a way to stop their passing attack,” Bennett said.

In other first-round action involving Region 10 football teams on Friday, Snow Canyon outlasted Green Canyon 26-21, while Hurricane lost at Sky View 41-6 and Pine View got shut out at Ridgeline, 24-0.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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