When running back Pete Smith broke a 96-yard touchdown run in the first quarter against the Logan Grizzlies, Tooele looked like it was going to be the undisputed leader in the 3AA North region.
But after Logan answered with three touchdowns and shut the Buffs out of the end zone the rest of the game for a 21-7 home loss, that dream quickly dissipated.
“We’ve got to eliminate mistakes,” said Tooele head coach Kyle Brady. “It’s hard to beat teams when you make mistakes — penalties and missing the gaps and things like that, it’s just tough to win.”
Logan quarterback Hunter Horsley found senior receiver Spencer Corbett from eight yards out with 4:26 left in the first half to tie the game at 7-7, cappping an 11-play drive that spanned four and a half minutes. The Grizzlies forced Tooele to go three and out on the next possession, later scoring on a 9-yard fade pass to receiver Hartman Rector with 35 seconds left to take a 14-7 lead.
Tooele kick returner Ryan Brady gave the Buffaloes hope with a 76-yard kickoff return after the scoring play, but Tooele was stuffed at the goal line as time expired during the fourth-down dive play from the 2-yard line.
“Our defense held them to a good amount, but our offense, we just needed to get more stuff working,” Smith said. “Even in the second half, we drove it down there and we still couldn’t score in the red zone. We’ve just got to get better in the red zone and get touchdowns.”
The Buffs moved the ball well to start the second half, running the ball 51 yards before quarterback Carver Jaramillo threw an interception to Logan cornerback Eric Laub in the end zone with six minutes left in the third quarter.
Later, with about six minutes left in the game, Horsely found a gap and took the ball 56 yards on a designed run through the middle to make it 21-7 after a Josh Young point-after attempt.
Laub intercepted a twice-tipped pass on the 43-yard line with a minute left, and Horsely knelt on the ball twice to end the game.
“They’re a tough defense,” Horsley said of Tooele. “They’re probably one of the better teams in our region. … It’s awesome going 3-0.”
Smith led Tooele in rushing with 106 yards while Ryan Brady added another 68 rushing in his 151 all-purpose yardage total.
Horsley ran for 105 yards and a touchdown, and completed 22 of 43 passes for 271 yards and two more scores.
Logan improves to 3-0 in the region while Tooele drops to 1-1 and 3-3 overall. The Buffs will next face Ben Lomond on the road next Friday at 7 p.m.