For a team so defensive that it opted to kick off both halves, the Taylorsville Warriors were all smiles after a 21-7 victory over Granger Friday.
"Our guys are very humble at this time," said first-year Taylorsville coach Mark Clinton. ". . . good things are happening."For starters, the Warriors avoided a Tuesday tiebreaker with the victory. Taylorsville finished Region 3 play with a 4-2 record and sole possession of third place. Granger, on the other hand, dropped to 3-3 and faces West Jordan Tuesday at Kearns for the league's fourth and final playoff berth. The winner meets Highland next Saturday.
"We really tried to dedicate this game to our seniors," said Clinton. "It's just a new experience for these guys. We feel pretty good."
A perennial doormat, Taylorsville heads to Skyline for postseason play after improving four games from last season - finishing 7-2 overall.
The win came amidst a constant snowfall.
"It's a game of turnovers in this kind of weather," said Clinton. "We wanted to play defense the whole game. We believe our defense is very strong."
The Warriors jumped out to a 7-0 lead with 7:19 to play in the first quarter when quarterback Bryan Ball ran 24 yards for a touchdown. Kicker Jason Zur added the extra point to make it 7-0.
Granger pulled even after an exchange of punts when Fahu Tahi ran 20 yards for the Lancers' lone score. Kyle Lopez kicked the PAT to tie it at 7-all - a score that lasted for little more than two minutes.
Ryan Johnston's 57-yard touchdown scamper with three seconds to play in the opening quarter put Taylorsville ahead to stay.
A fumble recovery by Ball set up the final score midway through the second quarter. John Buck, who also performed well on defense, crossed the goal line on a 1-yard run with 3:03 to go in the half.
The second half was all defense - a scoreless stretch, much to the delight of Taylorsville.
"We are defense," said Clinton. "That's where we come from."