ST. GEORGE — Despite building up a 21-point lead early in the fourth quarter, Crimson Cliffs had to stave off a late comeback by Snow Canyon to hold on to a 28-21 win on the road Friday night.
The Mustangs improve to 6-1 on the year with the victory, while Snow Canyon fell just short of another dramatic comeback and suffer their second loss of the season.
Crimson Cliffs struck first in the opening quarter when Kade Shaw powered in a touchdown run with 2:24 left in the first, giving the Mustangs an early 7-0 edge.
The second quarter was a battle from both teams with several turnovers and interceptions, but neither team was able to get the ball into the end zone. Snow Canyon finally broke through after halftime, punching in a score midway through the third to even things at 7-7.
That tie didn't last long as Crimson Cliffs flipped the momentum in a big way behind junior receiver Briton Phillips, who hauled in a touchdown and turned it into a long scoring run with 1:25 left in the third.
Less than a minute later, Phillips found the end zone again, this time on a clean catch-and-score to make it 21-7 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Mustangs stretched their lead to 28-7 early in the final period when Jaxson Holt secured a touchdown grab at the 9:58 mark.
Snow Canyon, however, wasn't done. The Warriors answered with back-to-back touchdowns — first through the air to Milo Ence, then a late scoring run from Cael Esplin with 3:58 to play suddenly cutting the deficit to 28-21.
With the home crowd roaring, the Warriors got the ball back with a chance to tie, but Crimson Cliffs' defense stayed strog forcing a turnover on downs in the final minutes to seal the win.
