SALT LAKE CITY — There was as turning point in the 3AA semifinal game in which Logan defeated Snow Canyon 42-14 on Thursday evening.
Nearing the end of the first quarter, Logan senior Spencer Corbett caught a pass from quarterback Hunter Horsley, ran diagonal across the field, broke five tackles, and then stiff-armed another defender while going 73 yards for the touchdown.
That rushing score tied the game for the Grizzlies, 7-7, and set the stage for three more quarters of hard-hitting Logan football. But the entire play was an indication of something much greater for Logan and Corbett: the preparation was working.
"I haven't really broken any tackles this year. I was surprised, I didn't even know I could do that," Corbett said after the game. "I don't know what happened. I think it's our training."
Logan head coach Mike Favero couldn't agree more. In fact, more than just serve as a difference-maker, the coach said the way his team prepared in the weight room gave them a distinct advantage on the gridiron.
"There's a reason Vince Lombardi said 'fatigue makes cowards of us all,'" Favero said. "You don't play as well if you get tired, so conditioning is a big part of the program and the success we've had over the years."
That training included a lot of weight lifting and conditioning prior to the season and during lulls in the schedule that could have worked against the team.
"Our bye week … I didn't tell them it was a bye week," Favero said. "I called it a get-better week, and we lifted our guts out that week."
Corbett was just a piece of the Logan puzzle that benefited from the work, but he was a very visible piece in the semifinal game at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The opening touchdown was so dramatic, it caught his teammates standing and watching.
"I broke all those tackles and scored and my friends came up to me like, 'we thought you were down. I went to coach and was asking for the next play and we saw you running,'" said Corbett, who totaled 168 yards and two touchdowns on five catches as well as an 84-yard punt return for 252 all-purpose yards.
The punt return touchdown, which put Logan up 21-7 midway through the second quarter, came on a trick play Utah football fans will remember from the Utes' trip to Autzen Stadium in late September.
"We watched Utah do it, actually. Britain Covey. And we said we were going to do it again," Corbett said. "We came out, and it worked. I was surprised I didn't get hit when I caught the ball."
The Grizzlies indicated the ball would be caught and returned from the right side of the field while Corbett lined up alone on the left. He received the punt and ran up the sideline, breaking four tackles on his way to the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.
His third score was a 55-yard reception from Horsley just two minutes later to give Logan a 28-7 lead going into halftime. In the second half, Corbett caught one more pass for 4 yards before the Grizzlies punched their ticket to the 3AA state championship game.
sthomas@desnews.com
Sarah Thomas earned a degree in Mathematics from the University of Utah and is currently pursuing an MBA at Westminster College. She has been covering sports for the Deseret News since 2008.