This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Ogden • After failing to bring home their first state title since 2007 last year against Diamond Ranch, the Kanab Cowboys feel like they have some unfinished business in 2016.

That was very apparent Friday afternoon at Weber State's Stewart Stadium, as Kanab passed for 163 yards and two touchdowns in the second half on its way to an impressive 21-0 victory over Rich in the second 1A semifinal.

"I was glad our kids were able to come out and put it together," said Kanab coach Bucky Orton. "We had some of our leaders step up and make some big plays in the second half. Our defense also came out with a whole different level of tenacity in the second half; they really controlled the line of scrimmage. They did whatever they had to do to find a way to win."

The Cowboys put the first points up on the board early thanks to a heads-up play from senior receiver Layne Anderson. After quarterback Tavin Ott was initially picked off by Rich's Nik Wallentine inside the 10-yard line, Anderson caught Wallentine from behind and stripped the ball away to reclaim possession for the Cowboys. Anderson would make the Rebels pay two plays later when he punched it in from a yard out for the opening touchdown.

"It's just kind of a philosophy I have — if I'm not going to catch the ball, then no one's going to catch the ball," Anderson said. "As soon as [Wallentine] had it, I knew I had to try and strip it. I knew he wasn't going anywhere, I just had to hope I could get in there before the whistle blew."

With the Kanab offense struggling to put points on the board for the remainder of the first half, the defense was paramount in making sure that the early lead would hold up throughout the rest of the game. In the end, the Cowboys' defense proved successful, forcing two turnovers, four sacks and nine tackles for loss before the clock struck zero.

"We haven't had very many great first possessions to open the second half," Anderson said. "We've been trying [on defense] to get three-and-outs on the first possession to give us some momentum, and that's what we did today. We came out, got our three-and-out to open the half, and that was huge. It just gave us momentum for the rest of the game."

With the defense taking control in the third quarter, that's when Ott and receiver Monte Glover started to go to work.

After Glover hauled in a pass from Ott and broke a tackle on his way to a 42-yard touchdown scamper, the two found each other again early in the fourth quarter as Ott dropped a 28-yard floater into Glover's hands in the corner of the end zone.

"You've got to like it when the quarterback makes it easy on you and drops a dime to you," Glover said. "We've been planning all week on throwing the ball down the field. We were struggling up front, and in a game like this, you've got to have some big plays or you're not going to get a W." —

Storylines

• Kanab uses a pass-happy second-half performance to down Rich 21-0 and advance to its second straight 1A title game.

• The Cowboys gain 303 yards of total offense while holding Rich to only 99 yards.

• Kanab advances to play Duchesne in the 1A state final next Saturday.