Bishop Manogue set the tone for the playoff game Nov. 9 with Spanish Springs by scoring on the first play from scrimmage and rolling to a 44-7 win in the Class 4A North Region playoff semifinals.
In the other semifinal, top-ranked Damonte Ranch bested McQueen 34-7.
Spanish Springs kicked off to Manogue at the start of the game and the Miners took the ball at the Cougars 45-yard line.
On the first play thereafter, running back Drew Scolari raced 45 yards for a score in the first minute. Gonzalo Martinez kicked the PAT for a 7-0 lead for Manogue.
After a couple of exchanges of punts, the Miners get the ball at the Cougars 21-yard line, still in the first quarter. However, they failed to score and turned the ball over.
Later, Bishop Manogue converted a fourth down play to put the ball on the 1-yard line with about three minutes to go, and Peyton Dixon punched the ball in for the score and a 14-0 lead.
After a punt, Spanish Springs had the Miners deep in their own territory, did get a sack, but again couldn’t capitalize before the first quarter ended.
Very early in the second quarter though, a long pass to by Springs Tristan Szabo to Jordan Dudick moved the ball to the Bishop Manogue 15-yard line and eventually to the 8-yard line.
But Manogue’s Dontell Jackson intercepted a pass and the Miners took over at their own 20-yard line.
Neither team could do much with the ball the rest of the way and the half ended with Bishop Manogue leading 14-0.
Spanish Springs cut the lead to 14-7 at about the 10 minute mark in the third quarter on a 14-yard pass from Szabo to Dudick. It would be the their only score of the game.
But Bishop Manogue was active too, adding two more scores in each of the third and fourth quarters, including two from Dixon, highlighted by an 83-yard run.
Spanish Springs finished the season at 9-4.
It marked Bishop Manogue’s first win over Spanish Springs after six straight losses since 2007.
Bishop Manogue (10-2) will face top-ranked and unbeaten Damonte Ranch (12-0) Nov. 16 in the North Region finals at Damonte Ranch High School.
The Class 4A state championship will be Dec. 1 at Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas at noon. Bishop Gorman (8-3), if they advance to the finals, is the nine-time defending state champion.
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