4A prep football: Dixie's comeback comes too late

For three quarters of Dixie's semifinal matchup against Springville at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, the Flyers didn't give their fans much reason to cheer.

The first-half stats were bleak: 51 yards total offense, three fumbles, eight failures to convert on third downs, zero points.

Meanwhile, Springville capitalized on all three of its marches into the red zone to take a three-touchdown lead at the half.

Down 29-0 late in the third quarter, the Flyers looked ready to start the bus.

Even Dixie quarterback Mike Sharp's 18 yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter seemed to be too little, too late.

But minutes later, that offensive spark would lead to two more unanswered touchdowns in

the span of just over a minute. When Sharp found Dalton Smith in the end zone to narrow the deficit 29-21 with 2:36 left in the game, Flyers fans suddenly had reason to stick around for the final buzzer.

"We gained some momentum, which gave us a boost of confidence," said Sharp. "I don't think anyone would have put us here, but we knew we were the better team. We knew we could go further."

Despite three quarters of inefficiency, the Flyers weren't going to let their late-game efforts be in vain.

When Springville quarterback Steven Bate was sacked on fourth down, Dixie found itself with one more chance -- and all of the momentum necessary to pull off the unlikely comeback.

But time was running out.

As Dixie marched to the 38-yard line with 51 seconds left in regulation, the Red Devils needed a stop to fend off the Flyers' charge -- and they got it when Zach Gardanier intercepted Sharp's final pass of the game to secure Springville's 29-21 win.

"It's a game of momentum. They had it four three quarters. We had it for one," said Dixie coach Blaine Monkres. "We just ran out of time."