ST. GEORGE — J.T. Diederichs had another explosive game and the No. 6 Dixie State Rebels beat Eastern Arizona 49-21 Saturday afternoon at Hansen Stadium.
Diederichs, a freshman from Seattle, rushed for 209 yards and three touchdowns as the Rebels rushed out to a 49-9 lead. The star tailback was pulled from the game in the third quarter and didn't return in the rout.
"He was great, except for the two times he laid the ball on the ground," Dixie State head coach Greg Croshaw said. "We wanted to make sure we gave the other guys a chance to play as well. But J.T. is the real deal."
Diederichs now has 978 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns in eight games as the Rebels improved to 7-1. Dixie State amassed 449 yards of offense and cleared its bench for the fourth quarter.
The Rebels led 35-9 at the half as Ryan Larsen and Alphonso Cunnungham added TDs to Diederichs' three scores. Cunningham also scored in the second half and had 65 yards on the ground.
The Rebels play at home next week against rival Glendale (Ariz.).
SCOTTSDALE 17, SNOW 13: The No. 14 Artichokes overcame a slow start to stifle the No. 18 Snow College Badgers 17-13 Saturday afternoon at Badger Stadium.
Still, things began promising enough as Snow wideout Jake Little, who finished with six receptions for 125 yards, took a short pass from quarterback James Pritchard and raced 73 yards for a score and a 7-0 Badgers lead. Throughout the remainder of the first half, the Badgers' defense made numerous stops, as it effectively contained the league passing leader, Scottsdale QB Dexter Hill.
Turnovers and other gaffes doomed the Badgers, even with Pritchard's first 300-yard performance of the season, as his four interceptions enabled the Artichokes to keep their advantage.
Trailing 17-13, Snow seemed poised to come back as Little threw a 28-yard bomb to wideout Travis Henderson placing the Badgers at Scottsdale's 6-yard line. The opportunistic Artichokes then forced a fumble and were able to run out the clock after a successful recovery.
With the loss, Snow fell to 4-3 and must regain its winning ways if it is to obtain a bid to the new Top of the Mountain Classic in December.
Next up for the Badgers is New Mexico Military Institute Broncos in Roswell, N.M. Game time will be Saturday at p.m.