Logan pulls off another improbable win

LOGAN — If it had happened in a movie, one could be forgiven for thinking that the writers were too far-fetched to conjure up such a finish.

Improbable. Ridiculous. Unbelievable.

Pick any similar adjective, and it would likely work well to describe Logan's 21-20 come-from-behind victory over Delta in the 3A quarterfinals Friday afternoon.

It's not just that the top-ranked Grizzles won. Or how they did it.

Instead, what made Logan's miraculous, you-would-really-only-believe-it-if-you-saw-it win so epic is the fact that the Grizzlies took the exact same route to victory just seven days earlier.

To borrow from the oft-repeated phrase, preparation met opportunity for Logan junior Jordan Ballam — again. Ballam's 14-yard scoop-and-score after Delta mishandled an attempted punt with 1:04 remaining handed Logan its second improbable comeback win in as many playoff rounds.

A week earlier, Logan beat Park City, 24-23, after Ballam recovered a blocked punt in the end zone with 18 seconds to go.

"I'm just a lucky kid, I guess," Ballam said, grinning. "I was just at the right place at the right time."

Logan will meet No. 2 Wasatch in the semifinals at Rice-Eccles Stadium at 11 a.m. Thursday.

Coach Mike Favero labeled the Park City win a "miracle." What about this one?

"Somebody hit the rewind button and played the same script all over again," said Favero, who heaped praise on Delta for its gutty performance.

For the better part of four quarters, Delta did everything it needed to topple the top-ranked Grizzlies. Behind the stellar play of running back Curtis Eliason, who scored two TDs, the Rabbits built up a 20-14 lead at halftime and maintained that advantage late into the game.

After forcing Logan to use all three of its timeouts inside the final two minutes, Eliason lined up to punt on fourth-and-4 from Delta's own 43-yard line.

That's when disaster struck for the Rabbits. The snap sailed high over Eliason, who swung around to retrieve it. He got to the ball but, as he attempted to pick it up, Logan's Ian Haderlie jarred it out of his hands.

The ball fell into the path of Ballam, who scooped it up and sprinted 14 yards to the end zone.

Logan's fans erupted in celebration, and Josh Thompson's subsequent PAT conversion proved to be the difference.