Dixie came into the 3A state football championship game with too much speed, too much size and too much talent.
None of those things proved to be the difference, though, as Cedar City gave the Flyers - who also came into the game with too little discipline - all the neighbors from St. George could handle before falling 35-28.In the end, it turned out to be too much firepower that lifted Dixie to the state title many thought it would win when the season began way back in September.
"This is for all the kids that fought so hard all year long," said Dixie coach Mike Smith. "We had to work hard, but this is so worth it."
The Flyers put on an impressive defensive showing as they shut the Redmen down in the second half, allowing only a desperation touchdown pass with less than two minutes to play.
Lance Pendleton - known much more for his arm than his running ability - captained Dixie to the win as he ran for three touchdowns including the final two Dixie scores of the game that sealed the come-from-behind win.
"We've been behind all year," Pendleton said. "Everybody knows we can come back from any deficit."
Dixie did it this time by hitting hard, often and fast. In fact, if not for a bevy of turnovers near the goal line, the Flyers would have won this game in a landslide.
"It could have been a lot worse than it was," Smith said. "But give Cedar credit. They're a great football team and had a great season."
Pendleton not only ran for a trio of scores, he intercepted a pass late in the fourth quarter that easily could have resulted in a Cedar City touchdown and a completely different outcome.
While the Flyers were using long, sustained drives to score their points - especially in the first half - Cedar did its damage with quick strikes.
Dixie's offense was on the field for 44 first-half plays - including a drive of 17 plays (if you include a returned fumble that resulted in another fumble and maintained possession) that lasted 10:20 and covered 106 yards before Danny Gifford finally plunged across the line to give the Flyers a 14-7 lead.
Cedar, on the other hand, scored three first-half touchdowns on drives that lasted no longer than four plays. In all, the Redmen ran only 22 plays in the first half but obviously made them count as they enjoyed a 21-14 halftime lead.
Brad Strickland caught a perfectly lofted 29-yard pass from Jeff Oliverson at 7:03 in the first to give Cedar a 7-0 lead. The drive - following an unsuccessful fake punt - lasted two plays and covered 37 yards.
The Flyers answered with a 9-yard run by Pendleton to even the score.
Dixie went ahead on Gifford's run before Cedar City's offense showed it wasn't to be forgotten despite being on the sideline for so long.
Oliverson hit Jared Faddis on a dump pass over the line that turned into an 87-yard sprint for the end zone with 2:30 left in the half.
Dixie quickly punted on the ensuing possession and the Redmen made the Flyers pay as Oliverson lofted another pass to Kelby Gale who caught it at the 2-yard line and danced into the end zone for a 21-14 lead.
But that was pretty much the last time the Cedar offense showed life until the final few minutes of the game. The Redmen had more turnovers than first downs in the game. Cedar gave the ball away seven times, while picking up just six first downs in the contest.
Gifford scored on fourth-and-goal to open the second half to tie the score.
Following Gifford's score, Cedar fumbled on three straight possession, through an interception on the fourth and, after a touchdown brought the score to 35-28, turned the ball over on downs after recovering an onsides kick.
Smith acknowledged his defense was the deciding factor in the game.
"The defense won the championship for us today," Smith said. "It just got better and better each game."
With the Dixie defense dominating the way it was, the Flyer offense had plenty of opportunity to run the Cedar defense ragged. The Flyers ended with 21 first downs and a nice piece of hardware to show off.
Not even blown offensive opportunities were enough to dampen any of the enthusiasm.
"I don't care," Pendleton said. "As long as we get that gold trophy hanging up there."