Mountain Crest avenges two years of losses, beats Logan on home turf
October 7th, 2012 Posted in SportsBy Curtis Lundstrom
LOGAN — With valley and region bragging rights on the line, senior Eddy Hall stole the show for the Mountain Crest football team as the Mustangs topped rival Logan 17-10 Friday with a dramatic come-from-behind win at Crimson Field.
“(Eddy) was just someone that couldn’t key on,” Mountain Crest head coach Mark Wootten said. “It was a great individual effort. But it’s just one game. I know it’s big, it’s huge for the community, but it’s just one game. If we go and lose next week then what does it mean?”
Defense told the tale for both teams early on as the Mustangs forced Logan quarterback Luke Falk into six straight incompletions to start the game with constant pressure. Without time to throw, Falk was unable to connect with his receivers, overthrowing them on nearly every play.
But with nine and a half minutes remaining before the half, Falk finally found a rhythm. The 6-foot-4 senior connected on back-to-back throws of more than 10 yards to put the Grizzlies in the red zone and then the end zone for a 7-0 lead.
It was the only time during the first half in which either team found the end zone as the defenses continued to shine.
While Hall had every yard of offense for the Mustangs on their first two possessions, the Grizzlies’ defense held firm and forced consecutive punts while holding firm throughout the game. The Logan defensive line was in the backfield constantly, dropping Mountain Crest for a loss.
After a 41-yard pass from Falk to Hagen Andersen with five minutes remaining, the Mustang defense forced three straight incompletions to hold Logan to a field goal and a 10-0 lead at the half.
“I’m not that surprised,” Logan head coach Mike Favero said. “We play good defense, as do they. We expected a dogfight and we got one and came out on the short end.”
With the defenses controlling the game, Wootten opted to move Hall, a three-year starter and last year’s starting quarterback, from running back to quarterback despite Hall’s recent shoulder injury to start the second half and Hall took full advantage.
On the second play of the second half, Hall ripped off a 57-yard run, leaving a trail of Logan defenders in his wake to cut the deficit to three. The Mustangs intercepted Falk on the ensuing possession and Hall continued to shred the Grizzlies defense on the ground.
“My arm didn’t hurt,” Hall said. “I thought we’d throw a lot more than that, but I was confident in what (Coach Wootten) was thinking the whole way through. I wasn’t nervous. (My coaches) taught me how to run the ball through everybody, through arm tackles, through hitting me low or high.”
Hall finished with 198 yards rushing on the night, and added 57 through the air to account for more than 250 yards of total offense. After a field goal knotted the game at the end of the third quarter, the defenses locked down throughout the fourth.
But Hall ensured the Mustangs would walk away with the win. With less than a minute remaining, Hall capped his stellar night with his second touchdown run, and the defense sealed the deal to give Mountain Crest sole possession of first place in Region 5.
“Our D coordinator put in so much time and had it schemed very well,” Wootten said. “They did an incredible job getting the kids ready and getting them in the right places. All week long the kids were focused. They’ve been really embarrassed the last two years against Logan.”
The win not only avenged two straight years of agony for the Mustangs against the Grizzlies –including a lopsided 34-6 loss last season – but Mountain Crest improved to a region-best 4-0 and 6-2 overall. Logan also holds a 6-2 record overall, but dropped into a tie for second-place with Box Elder at 3-1 in region competition.
Logan will look to secure second-place when they face Box Elder on the road next Friday, Oct 12, while Mountain Crest hosts Roy the same day. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
Tags: Eddy Hall, football, Logan, Mark Wootten, Mountain Crest
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