4A high school football: Mustangs dominant in opener

HYRUM — Mountain Crest showed why they are the top-ranked team in the state as they throttled Salem Hills 55-6 in the opening round of the 4A state playoffs.

Mountain Crest quarterback Alex Kuresa finished the game 12-18 with 320 yards passing. The Mustanges led 48-0 going into the half and had racked up 409 total yards.

"One thing we have been emphasizing all week in practice to our kids is to start real fast," said Mountain Crest coach Mark Wootton. "I thought the kids came out with great intensity."

It only took Mountain crest three plays to get their first points. Kuresa connected with Alex Knowles on a 15-yard pass to put the Mustangs up 7-0. Knowles suffering from an injured hip finished the game with three touchdowns, 80 yards receiving and 21 yards rushing.

After holding Salem Hills to a quick three-and-out, the Mustangs wasted no time getting their second score as Kuresa ran it in from one-yard out with just over four-minutes remaining in the first quarter.

Mountain Crest scored again two minutes later. They scored once more with 34 seconds remaining in the first quarter on a 65-yard pass from Kuresa to Knowles to make the score 28-0. Salem looked as though they might have some life in them as they stopped Mountain Crest on a 4th and 3. However, on the next play Mustang defensive back Taylor Root intercepted Josh Adams pass to give the Mustangs the ball back.

The Mustangs took advantage of the turnover and marched down the field and scored on an eight-yard run by Knowles. The touchdown put Mountain Crest up 35-0 with just over seven minutes to play in the half.

Salem Hills responded by putting together a decent drive and getting inside Mustang teritory. It wasn't enough, though, as Mountain Crest put a stop to the drive with an interception by Troy Pickett.

On the next play the Mustangs scored on a 37-yard pass from Kuresa to Tyler Weese, making the score 42-0.

"Any time we see people lining up man-to-man on us, especially on Knowles and Weese and those guys, these are kids we know people can't defend," Wootton said. "We felt like we could get the ball down field pretty quickly."

Salem Hills opened the second half with some defensive intensity as they forced the Mustangs into a third-and-10 situations. Three dead ball penalties against Salem Hills moved the Mustangs from their own 31-yard line to the Salem Hills 36-yard line. Mountain Crest took advantage once again as they capped their drive off with a two-yard run by Root, putting them up 55-0.

Salem Hills scored their only touchdown of the game on a two yard run by Kolapa Wolfgramm.

An official coin flip on Monday at 11 a.m. will determine where Mountain Crest will play its second-round opponent, Highland High.