ST. GEORGE — Snow Canyon bounced back from its lackluster performance against Desert Hills last week to stun Dixie 28-21 in a thrilling, high-offense game Thursday night.
Mitch Phillips picked up 340 yards and three touchdowns in the win, but it was the Warriors defense and offensive line that stepped up on the crucial plays down the stretch.
“I think the O-line took things personally after last week,” Snow Canyon coach Jay Graft said.
That O-line allowed Phillips to break free for a huge 65-yard run midway through the fourth quarter when the game was tied at 21, resulting in the final, and ultimately decisive, touchdown of the night.
“The right side killed it tonight,” Phillips said. “That was the key tonight – our offensive blocking. That was huge.”
The Flyers (4-2, 7-2 overall) put up a good fight, but couldn’t find a solid offensive groove until late in the game.
After a quick touchdown from quarterback Blake Barney in the first quarter, Dixie gave up 21 unanswered points heading into halftime, including a 10-yard touchdown run from Warrior QB Mason Smith.
Barney got things going to start the third quarter, connecting with Lukas Hildebrandt for a huge 25-yard gain that led to a Taylor Berry touchdown.
Later, in the fourth quarter, Barney, after several unsuccessful attempts, threw a long bomb to Kyle Hansen who sprinted into the end zone for the 84-yard touchdown and tied the game at 21-21.
With the momentum shifted, the Warriors (3-2, 6-3 overall) continued to rely on Phillips. On the following possession, less than a minute after Barney’s big touchdown play, Phillips found an opening in the defense and ran for 65 yards. It only took him two more carries to find the end zone.
The Flyers still had enough time to do some damage, but Taylor Johansen made a terrific defensive stop on fourth down, throwing Barney to the ground for no gain, that more or less sealed the deal.
“The biggest thing for us was to come out relaxed,” Phillips said. “We didn’t want to let little things get us down like they did last week. This was a huge win for us. It guarantees at least two more games.”
Snow Canyon will finish off the regular season at Pine View next Wednesday.
Boxscore S: Stats(4)
Boxscore D: dixsc12
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Copyright 2012 St. George News.