CEDAR CITY – Cedar may have struck the first blow, but Hurricane had the last laugh in a 31-13 Tigers win.
Jared Edwards made the biggest play of the night, picking off Cedar quarterback Easton Weaver on Hurricane’s own 22-yard line during a pivotal fourth-quarter Cedar drive. Adam Thompson ran the next play 72 yards for a clinching touchdown.
“We try to stay humble,” Thompson said. “We kind of overlooked Cedar, but they’re a good team. They hit hard and played us real well tonight.”
Before the interception, the Redmen were down 24-13, but still had a chance to cause a stir with plenty of time left on the clock. Hurricane’s defense was just too strong for Cedar to handle.
And their offense wasn’t too shabby either.
Despite trailing 7-0 after Weaver’s 14-yard run early in the first quarter, the Tigers calmly went to work as they have all season: by pounding the ball inside and running end-arounds and reverse plays to offset the opposing defense.
It took less than three minutes for Hurricane to score on its first possession, courtesy of running back Jared Edwards, who rushed the ball into the end zone for the easy score.
Later, in the second quarter, the 5-foot-10 Edwards took turns running the ball with Thompson. Edwards first plowed through defenders and picked up 20 yards and then watched his teammate leap over the defensive line for the first down.
At the end of the drive, Thompson broke three tackles and rushed in a 15-yard touchdown, leaving a line of fallen Redmen in his wake.
Cedar’s woes continued on the next play. Adlai Elison picked off Weaver with 4:34 remaining in the half and set up Edwards’s second rushing touchdown of the night – a 27-yard carry that pushed Hurricane’s lead to 24-7 entering the intermission.
The Redmen weren’t about to go away quietly, though.
Cedar managed to put together a nice drive in the third quarter, culminating in a 15-yard Weaver touchdown.
Hurricane bobbled the ensuing kickoff and gave the ball back to Cedar with plenty of time on the clock. Luckily, the Tigers potent defense held strong and forced a four and out – an opportunity missed.
The Redmen were still breathing, especially when they regained control of the football with six minutes left in the game. But then came Thompson’s interception and Hurricane’s blowout victory.
“Cedar did exactly what we expected them to do,” Tigers coach Chris Homer said. “They’re a well-coached ball club – they’ve been doing this for 25 years. We’re never surprised when we come in here and get a war.”
The Tigers remain undefeated on the season and look just as imposing as they did last season, something Homer is keen to focus on.
“I don’t think we ever believe we’re going to win,” he said. “There’s always some ways we can improve. I worry about that every week. I worry about having another losing season. We can’t take anything for granted.”
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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2012, all rights reserved.
Corecction needed – It was Jared Edwards who had the crucial intercetoption in the 4th quarter to stop the Cedar drive. Adam Thompson intercepted a pass on the last play of the game in the endzone.
Thank you Loretta. The correction has been made.
Both names to remember come college football games. Both great boys…ALL OF THEM out there contributing and just amazing boys/young men!! Go Tigers!!!!