St. George • Pajama night was the theme Friday at Snow Canyon, but there was no time for napping as Cedar City came away with a thrilling 34-28 triple-overtime victory over the Warriors.
Cedar City running back Trenton Maurer put on show, running all over the Warriors defense. The senior amassed a career-high 227 yards rushing to go with three touchdowns, including the game-winning score in triple overtime.
“I have to give all of the credit to my offensive line,” Maurer said. “They opened up some big holes for me all night long and blocked their butts off.”
For Cedar City coach Josh Bennett, it was the best victory he has been a part of in his three years with the team.
“The thing that I loved the most is that our guys did not give up,” he said. “We had some things not go our way late in the game, and they could have folded. But they didn’t, and they gave everything they had, and I couldn’t be prouder.”
With a majority of the team playing on both sides of the ball, fatigue could have derailed most teams.
PLAYER OF THE GAME <br>Cedar City’s Trenton Maurer put on a show, running for a career-high 227 yards and three touchdowns, including a 12-yard game-winning TD in triple overtime.
But not Cedar City.
“We worked hard this offseason and put in the work in the weight room and conditioning,” junior linebacker Drake Fakahua said. “Our coaches do a great job preparing us, and it showed tonight.”
Fakahua also had a game to remember. The junior had two interceptions, including a pick-6 to tie the score at 21-21 with just more than three minutes to go in the third quarter.
“I wasn’t going to let anything stop me from reaching the end zone,” he said with a smile.
But the biggest play of the night came in triple overtime when Fakahua picked up his second interception of the game to seal the victory for Cedar City.
“It was unbelievable,” Fakahua said. “Nobody gave us a chance to win tonight, but we believed as a team and came together.”
Both teams entered Friday’s game on a winning note, but for Cedar City, the win on the road helped the team take a giant step toward making the playoffs with the new format in Class 4A.
Only the top four teams in each region move on to postseason play, and Cedar City moved into sole possession of third place, while Snow Canyon sits tied for fourth with Pine View.
Cedar ties it up 14-14 on Mauer TD and 2-PT conversion. Setup by this amazing @FootballCedar grab to the 2-yard line. pic.twitter.com/9AK9ZC1U4e
— Justin Giles (@JustinGiles_) September 30, 2017