SPRINGVILLE — With Springville facing a double-digit halftime deficit, Jordan Sumsion knew the Red Devils needed to swing the momentum.
He did his best to offer the spark.
Sumsion raced down the sideline and caught a deep pass from quarterback Aaron Gray, finally waking up a stagnant offense and setting up Springville's first touchdown in a 21-14 win over Dixie on Friday night.
"(That first touchdown) was crucial," Sumsion said. "I just saw the ball in the air and ran as fast as I could."
With the win, Springville (1-0) avenged a 40-36 loss to Dixie in last year's playoffs. But it almost didn't happen, as the Flyers (0-1) scored two early touchdowns and Springville's offense sputtered out of the gate.
However, with Springville trailing 14-0 with just less than three minutes left in the first half, Sumsion broke free from a Dixie defense that had locked down the Red Devils (1-0) for the first 20-plus minutes, and picked up 55 yards down the sideline before being chased out of bounds at the 9-yard line.
Three plays later, Gray sneaked the ball in for a 1-yard score to finally put Springville on the board and start a run of 21 straight points.
"We talked to everyone in the huddle and said it was our time to score a touchdown," Gray said. "And we got it done."
Thanks to Sumsion.
"All my receivers are go-to guys, but in that situation we were looking for Jordan over the top," Gray said.
But Sumsion wasn't done. In the third quarter, he broke free again down the sideline, this time scoring on a 47-yard touchdown pass from Gray to tie the score.
Springville's biggest break of the game came on the ensuing kickoff, when the ball bounced off a Dixie player and bounced nearly 20 yards back to the Dixie 41-yard line, where it was recovered by Red Devil kicker Thomas Day.
"The ball's not round, so it bounces funny," said Springville coach Scott Mitchell. "The thing I really talked to our players about is finishing every play and running to the ball because sometimes those things happen."
And the Red Devils took advantage, scoring the eventual game-winning touchdown on a 26-yard pass from Gray to Todd Gillies with 1:54 remaining in the third quarter.
Springville's defense then shut down Dixie, forcing a turnover on downs at the Red Devil 25-yard line, and intercepting a pass with seconds remaining.
Dixie started strong, scoring on an 80-yard opening drive when quarterback Mike Sharp found Dalton Smith for a 36-yard score.
The Flyers would take a 14-0 lead on another touchdown pass from Sharp to Smith, this one for 9 yards with 3:16 left in the first half.