Region 10 football scores and updates: Dixie holds close lead; Crimson Cliffs dominating
Mustangs up big against Spanish Fork
Crimson Cliffs got an 88-yard kickoff return from Tyler West to open the second half and go up 28-7 against Spanish Fork.
Lightning delays kickoff
The Friday night lights needed to get a little brighter than usual across southwestern Utah this evening with monsoonal thunderstorms passing through the area and forcing teams from at least one game to get off the field over concerns about lightning.
The storms were expected to pass eventually though, and Region 10's top teams were set to try and defend their home turf against some tough teams from around the state.
Reporter Sean Ellertson is reporting from Crimson Cliffs, where a thunderstorm and lightning in the area forced players from the field and threatened to delay the start time in the Mustangs' matchup against Spanish Fork.
On the south side of St. George, Desert Hills was set to match up against Cedar Valley, hoping to stay unbeaten after knocking off Brighton on the road last week in the season opener.
Also in town was Dixie High, which was set to face Riverton in what was expected to be another tight matchup between the two. The Flyers were hoping the home-field advantage would help them to avenge a three-point loss to the Red Devils a season ago.
More coverage: Region 10 football preview: The players, teams and storylines heading into the 2022 season
Up north in Iron County, Cedar High was set to take on Juab, while Hurricane and Snow Canyon were both on the schedule but playing road games.
Predictions and storylines for the week
Cedar vs. Juab
In the 10-3 loss to Spanish Fork last Friday, Cedar’s only points came late in the fourth quarter on a short field goal by Parker Kucifer.
The Reds were able to gain over five yards per carry on the ground but couldn’t punch it in against a tough Dons defense.
Koden Lunt even completed more than 50% of his passes, going 10/15 for 86 yards.
Going from a 5A foe to a 3A powerhouse won’t be easy as Juab takes the drives from Nephi to Cedar City.
Juab knocked off Cedar 29-28, despite Ben Ellis racking up 200 yards on offense.
Riding the momentum of a narrow defeat at the hands of the Dons and the Wasps making the jump from a 2A Emery team to a 4A Reds team also bodes well for Cedar.
Prediction: Cedar
Crimson Cliffs vs. Spanish Fork
Could the Mustangs pitch a shutout against Spanish Fork? Probably not, but all signs are pointing to a low-scoring affair at Crimson Cliffs on Friday night.
edar gave up 34 points last year to the Dons and only ten last Friday, while Crimson Cliffs beat Region 11 favorite Green Canyon 10-3.
Steele Barben was efficient in his varsity debut, completing 70% of his passes for 213 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The defense recorded six sacks and had two interceptions off Jack Stephens.
A late field goal and defensive stop clinched the win in the season opener.
With the win over Green Canyon, Crimson Cliffs enters week 2 as the #23 team in Utah.
If Barben can maintain his efficiency and take care of the football, the Mustangs will be tough to beat in all their games this season.
Expect a low-scoring, defensive struggle between these two.
Prediction: Crimson Cliffs
Desert Hills vs. Cedar Valley
The Region 10 favorites impressed last Thursday against Brighton, winning 28-21 after a lengthy weather delay.
Desert Hills jumped out to a 28-7 lead in the second quarter, with Noah Fuailetolo and company shredding the Bengals' defense.
Brighton’s defense stiffened in the second half, but the Thunder defense held off a late comeback attempt.
Rick Berry’s defense picked off Jack Johnson three times in the win, as Desert Hills moved up to #10 in the MaxPreps Utah rankings.
Last season, Desert Hills beat up on Cedar Valley 38-7 behind four touchdowns from Fuailetolo.
The Aviators beat 6A Copper Hills 42-35 in their season opener.
A potential high-scoring game could be in the works for the Thunder home opener.
Prediction: Desert Hills
Dixie vs. Riverton
It was a tough start to the 2022 season for Dixie, who fell to Springville 41-14 at home.
The Red Devils ran for 370 yards and six touchdowns, while Dixie was held to a net -7 yards on the ground as Jalen Schultz was sacked eight times and completed just six passes.
A tough out-of-region schedule doesn’t get any easier, as the Flyers welcome in Riverton, who beat Syracuse 27-25.
Riverton nipped Dixie 16-13 a season ago, and the Wolves return quarterback Jake Meyers.
After getting gashed on the ground in the season-opener, the Flyers will have to stop a Riverton offense that favors the pass, the secondary will be put to the test this week.
Prediction: Riverton
Hurricane at Moapa Valley (NV)
Hurricane was shutout against Mountain Crest 27-0 in their opener. Gerritt Grondel completed just 7/17 passes in the loss, and RJ Wright was limited to three catches for 23 yards in the loss.
The running game for the Tigers only mustered 2.0 yards per carry.
Moapa Valley cruised their way to a 12-0 record and a 3A championship, outscoring teams 514-150.
The Pirates need to replace their starting quarterback and top receivers from the state championship squad, but Landon Wrzesinski returns as a potential 1,000-yard rusher for the #20 ranked team in Nevada.
Moapa Valley beat Hurricane 35-24 in 2017 and knocked off then 4A Canyon View in 2019 41-14.
Prediction: Moapa Valley
Snow Canyon at Arbor View (NV)
Hunter Johnson tossed six touchdowns as part of a 48-7 rout over Northridge last Friday, with three going to two-star athlete Jake Hill.
Johnson added 70 yards on the ground and found Dahrius Romander, Will Warner, and Brooks Esplin for touchdowns as part of the onslaught.
Warner and sophomore Phoenix Oliver had interceptions for the Warrior defense.
The trip down to Vegas features a visit against University of Cal-Berkeley commit Zurich Ashford.
Arbor View is coming off an 8-3 season in Nevada’s 5A class, led by 1,000-yard rusher Makhai Donaldson, who enters 2022 as a junior with an offer from Arizona.
I expect Snow Canyon to put up quite a fight against one of the best teams in Nevada, but the #5 team in the state might be too much for the Warriors.
Prediction: Arbor View
This article originally appeared on St. George Spectrum & Daily News: Region 10 high school football scores and updates
