Ludlow throws four TDs, Reds rout Tigers for Region 9 crown
Tom Zulewski •
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• Published: October 22. 2010 4:55AM - Last modified: October 22. 2010 7:13AM
Next Page1| 2Previous PageCEDAR CITY - When Cedar quarterback Carson Ludlow greeted a friend during the postgame celebration, he was shocked at one stat that clearly stood out.
With a Region 9 title on the line, the senior delivered at the perfect time to help the Reds pull off a jaw-dropping victory.
Ludlow threw four touchdown passes - three in the first half alone - and Cedar blew away Hurricane 44-30 before a packed house Thursday night to claim the championship and the No. 1 seed for the 3A state playoffs.
Both teams finished tied with 5-1 records in Region 9 and 9-1 overall.
"I couldn't believe it when my friend said I threw four touchdowns," said Ludlow, who nearly matched his season total of five on a memorable night. "That's not us, but we got some good breaks along the way.
"Watching film, we knew Hurricane wasn't a strong first-half team. We had to go all-out the entire game."
Cedar went all-out from the outset in a classic display of ball-control offense.
After the Tigers went three-and-out on the game's opening series, Ludlow went to work, directing the Reds on a 10-play, 54-yard drive. He completed a 21-yard pass to Chance Bearnson on fourth down to keep the chains moving, then found Jon Jones three plays later on a 10-yard touchdown over the middle for a 7-0 lead.
Cedar's defense stiffened on the next Hurricane possession, but an offside penalty on fourth-and-4 gave the Tigers the ball back with a first down at their own 31. Trann Smith followed with a 52-yard burst down the sideline, then quarterback Adam Long found McCrae Viafanua for a 17-yard touchdown that tied the game.
Instead of wilting, Ludlow and the Reds passed the pressure test with flying colors.
"It's just Cedar football. That's all," said Reds coach Todd Peacock. "I told the team to play loose and do whatever it takes to win."
Ludlow's arm more than did the job.
Aided by another fourth-down conversion, Cedar answered and drove 65 yards in 10 plays, with Ludlow finding Nick Burns on a 24-yard touchdown pass for a 14-7 lead with 10:20 remaining in the first half.
It was the beginning of the end for the Tigers, who were never the same the rest of the way.
After another three-and-out, Cedar went on a 15-play, 86-yard drive that Ludlow finished off with a 24-yard pass to Treyson Fullmer that pushed the lead to 21-7 with 1:16 left before halftime.
Then the defense got in on the act as Jones intercepted a Long pass and returned it to the Hurricane 33. On the final play of the half, Trevin Hansen nailed a 42-yard field goal, and it was only a matter of time before the celebration began.
"This is an amazing team and I'm proud to be a part of it," said senior running back Matt Grover.
Ludlow threw his last touchdown pass to Burns from 14 yards out in the third quarter, and Burns returned an interception 50 yards for another score that peaked the Cedar lead at 38-7 early in the fourth.
Hurricane managed to make Cedar sweat, if only a little bit, on a 54-yard run by Long and a 4-yard run by Jarom Healy to close the gap to 38-22 with 6:57 left. The Reds then recovered the Tigers' last onside kick attempt and drove 54 yards in 13 plays, with Grover scoring on a 1-yard run with 51 seconds to play.
Cedar will open the 3A playoffs against the No. 4 seed from Region 11 - the loser of tonight's Judge Memorial-Morgan matchup - next Friday or Saturday.
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