CEDAR CITY — Nate Carter ran for 191 yards and three touchdowns, including a fourth-quarter 86-yard dash down the sideline, as Dixie defeated longtime rival Cedar City 29-15 in Region 9 action Friday night.
"To be honest, I saw a big hole our linemen opened up, and I took it," Carter said. That was after he had scored earlier on 1- and 3-yard carries.
Tied 7-7 at halftime, the game was still in doubt when Carter took over and led Dixie on a 20-0 scoring spree. Held to 36 yards in the first half, Carter broke loose for 155 yards in the second half on a baker's-dozen carries, including a one-bounce fumble to himself.
"Our conditioning wore them down the second half," Carter said. "The coaches work us hard at practices."
Flyer quarterback Macrae Heppler scored first in the game on a short punch after a Zach Whitney interception gave Dixie good field position. A face-mask penalty, added to a Carter 13-yard scramble, had given the Flyers the short yardage, and kicker Mike Sharp added the extra -point after a roughing-the-kicker penalty gave him a second chance.
The Redmen tied the score on a fourth-down 15-yard run by quarterback Logan Obering and an extra point by Scott Rogers, to cap a 62-yard running drive.
After trading series, Flyer punter Chunner Nyberg backed the Redmen to their own 15-yard line with a 50-yard kick to end the first half.
Dixie coach Jake Nelson credited special teams coach Kevin Cuthbertson for a good performance as the Flyers were stingy on field position all night. "Special teams is something we work on every single day," Nelson said. "We think it's that important."
After a Sharp kickoff and touchback started the third quarter, Dixie recovered a fumble on Cedar's 23, then Carter scored six plays later to give the Flyers a 14-7 lead.
Sharp and the kickoff unit then held the Redmen to their own 15, and a Cedar holding penalty negated a 40-yard pickup. Dixie returned the favor on the next series with four quick penalties, but still managed to move the ball to set up another Carter score to start the fourth quarter 20-7.
Dixie gave the Redmen good field position early in the last period, though, with an out-of-bounds kickoff and a personal foul, added to a 20-yard run by Cedar's Logan Aitken. But Cedar turned the ball over on downs at Dixie's 14-yard line, and Carter sprinted 86 yards for a Flyer touchdown on the next play.
Sharp again held the Redmen to their own 12 on the kickoff, and two false-start penalties later, Cedar gave up a safety when the ball sailed over the kicker's head and out of the end zone.
Dixie's Jake Goodrich returned the kickoff 63 yards to the Redmen 2-yard line, but Dixie fumbled and Cedar took over at their own five. Three first downs later, Cedar's Taylor Sams scored on a 5-yard run and two-point conversion. The drive was aided by catches of 13 and 36 yards by Ryan Corry, and a reception and run by Sams. The final drive left some fans wondering why the Redmen hadn't passed much earlier in the game. Up until then, Cedar had passed fewer than a handful of times.
Dixie starts its first 4A regular season 1-0, but Nelson believes Cedars' 3A status doesn't separate the teams at all.
"Our teams are well-matched, and they (Redmen) are well-coached," said Nelson. "When the 3A season is over, they will be there."