High school football: Springville survives with tough D to get road win

PAYSON — After suffering a wake-up-call loss to Judge Memorial a week ago, the Springville Red Devils needed a win, on the road, against a Region 8 foe, to recover. Behind a staunch defense and a superior first quarter offensively, that's exactly what Springville got as it survived at Payson 14-0 on Friday night.

"Our defense just played exceptional," Springville head coach Scott Mitchell said following the game. "To get a shutout is a great thing. It was a tough physical game."

It wasn't just the offense that came to play for Springville (1-0, 4-1) in the first half; the defense also did its part to hold Payson (0-1, 3-2) scoreless for the first two quarters. The Red Devils jumped on top early after a short punt by the Lions set Springville up with favorable field position. It was an Aaron Gray pass to a diving Jordan Sumsion from 14 yards out that put Springville up 7-0 early in the first quarter.

Payson was unable to strike back on its next possession, and as the Lions went to punt on a fourth and long in their own territory, a host of Devils raised up to block the kick, again giving Springville a short field. Two plays later running back Marcus Case broke through on a 21-yard touchdown run to give Springville a 14-0 advantage heading into the break.

"It's always a big difference," Mitchell said of his team's field possession in the first half. "Especially when your offense is really struggling to find its rhythm."

The second half was a struggle for both teams offensively as the defenses dominated. It wasn't until early in the fourth quarter that Payson found itself in Devil territory with a fourth-and-five staring it in the face from the 34-yard line. Lion quarterback Colton Cannon found his receiver, Cris Robbins, on a 32-yard pass that gave Payson a first and goal on the one-yard line.

Unfortunately for Payson, it was all about the Springville defensive front seven as the Devils held tough, forcing a turnover on downs as Payson failed to score on four consecutive plays inside the one-yard line.

In a last-ditch effort, Payson mustered a drive into Springville territory on its next possession. With just over five minutes remaining in the game, the Lions needed a touchdown to stay alive. Cannon led his team down the field, until Sumsion, came up with a big interception to seal the victory.

"The thing that just really stood out to me was our defense," Mitchell added. "They really put us in a position to win the game. They are really the strength of our team right now."