Friday Night Spotlight: Battle for Cedar headlines Week 3 prep football action

In this file photo, Canyon View senior quarterback Jaxon Jensen celebrates a touchdown in Cedar City, Aug. 18, 2023 | Photo by Jeff Richards, Cedar City News / St. George News

ST. GEORGE — In the Region 9 football spotlight this week is The Battle for Cedar City as the Cedar Reds and Canyon View Falcons square off Friday at 7 p.m.

Offense has been the name of Canyon View’s game in the early going. The Falcons (2-0), who will play host if their home field survives the recent monsoons, have amassed 112 points in wins over Pine View and Mountain View, but the defense has surrendered 70 points.

Meanwhile, Cedar (1-1) has split its first two games and has found the end zone a total of four times in a 28-7 loss to Richfield and a 21-10 win over Juab.

Keep your eyes on … Falcons QB Jaxon Jensen, who was 20 for 26 passing for 327 yards and three scores in the win over Pine View, Reds receiver Jonathan Jeter, who broke free for two TD receptions in the win against Juab. 

And the edge goes to … Canyon View, according to one prep sports media outlet.

What’s streaming on The Fan?

When you click here to access The Fan website, you can live stream the following games, all of which begin at 7 p.m. Friday:

  • Springville (2-0) at Crimson Cliffs (1-1)
  • Green Valley, Nev. (0-1) at Snow Canyon (1-1)
  • Tooele (1-1) at Pine View (1-1)

Click here for the Week 2 Region 9 recap.

On the road again

Hurricane (0-2) at Hillcrest (1-1), 7 p.m. – The Tiger offense came to life in a 34-18 loss to Moapa Valley, Nev., last week. They’ll need all that and more, playing in front of the rowdy Manti faithful.

Dixie (0-2) at Park City (2-0), 7 p.m. – It’s South vs. North in the Beehive State version of the Gridiron Civil War. The Flyers need momentum going into Region 9 play next week.

Desert Hills (0-2) at Minico, Idaho (1-0) – Snow Canyon will have its hands full against a 4A Southern Idaho foe that defeated 5A Thunder Ridge in Week 1. Not to mention it’s about a 10-hour drive to Rupert, Idaho, and game time is 2 p.m.

(L-R) Devin Dixon, Mark Musgrave and Kaden Foremaster talk  high school football at the 2022 Media Day, St. George, Utah, Aug. 10, 2022 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Our teams cover your teams

From prep to the pros, the Canyon Media sports team has you covered.

Southern Utah sports authority Devin Dixon hosts The Drive in the morning and provides insights about each Region 9 matchup (see below).

Longtime on-air sports gurus Kaden Foremaster and Mark Musgrave’s afternoon radio show From the Bleachers airs at 4 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Then they head to the booth for the best play-by-play and color commentary in the region. Dixon and Connor Collins will call Green Valley vs. Snow Canyon, Foremaster and Musgrave will call Springville-Crimson Cliffs and Paul Ratliff and Keith Curtis will handle Tooele vs. Pine View.

Once the games are in the books, be sure to visit the St. George News website for full coverage of Southern Utah teams. Sports writers Eric Goold and Jeff Richards, along with videographer Aaron Crane, combine to bring you the most complete reports in the region. Crane’s Region 9 recap video will keep you fully informed on who won, who lost and who shined under the lights.

And if you’re looking for more than football, see the related stories links below.

See more on Dixon’s X feed (formerly known as Twitter) and on Facebook at The Devin Dixon Show as well as the From the Bleachers podcast.

Devin Dixon during The Drive, his weekly sports talk radio show on The Fan Sports Network, St. George, Utah, Oct. 24, 2022 | Photo by E. George Goold, St. George News

Devin’s Tale of the Tape

Desert Hills: The defending state champions will look for a little better quarterback play and wide receiver separation to balance out the Tytan Mason running game … Plus they need to win the turnover battle to win this showcase game in Rupert, Idaho and earn their first win of the season.

Snow Canyon: If the Warriors plan to win against Green Valley, they need good line play on both sides and have to keep a dual-threat QB in check … Teagan Whitehead will be the key from his backer position on defense.

Dixie: The Flyers showed huge improvement between weeks one and two, but they need to give QB Wyatt Truman more time to throw and for skill players to get into the open space … The front seven need to up their game against a strong Park City team.

Hurricane: The Tigers are relying on youth to develop fast to compete … Coach Ashby wants these young guys to set the tone, and a win on the road means everyone is contributing.

Pine View: The Panthers need to keep the offense humming, a feasible task with Adam Moore at QB … On defense, they need to improve tackling and limit big plays to beat Tooele. 

Cedar: Koden Lunt is now playing linebacker and sophomore Everett Kelling is the starting QB, which could lead to more offense and more scoring … The defense will need to keep the ball out of Canyon View QB Jaxon Jensen’s hands and make sure and capitalize in the red zone.

Crimson Cliffs: The Mustangs will have their hands full with Springville who is loaded with next-level talent … Big plays and good decisions from QB Steele Barben will make it tough on the defense in this one.

For the latest on all things Region 9 and beyond, stay connected to Southern Utah sports at the following links:

 

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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