Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
An Elida defender splashes into the soggy ground as Logan running back Haden Judd eludes him to score his third touchdown of the game Saturday during the six-man football semifinals at Logan. Judd scored four TDs during a 48-2 Logan victory.
Logan made a splashdown to the six-man football championship.
Despite torrential rains and wet snow that made their home football field resemble a swamp, the top-seeded and undefeated Longhorns continued their season-long rampage with a 48-2 home victory Friday over fourth-seeded Elida in the semifinals.
Logan (11-0) will host Grady in the championship game at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Second-seeded Grady (10-1) defeated third-seeded Mountainair 36-18 in the other semifinal on Saturday.
The title game will be a rematch of a district clash in early September – a nailbiter that Logan won 32-26 in overtime.
On Friday, Logan senior running back Haden Judd ran for 162 yards and four touchdowns on 11 carries. Junior quarterback Aydin Kotara threw for two touchdowns.
The Tigers ended the season with a 7-4 record. Logan previously conquered Elida 50-0 during a district matchup on Sept. 20.
The Longhorns defense continued to shine, allowing just over 100 yards of total offense by the Tigers and making nine tackles for a loss. Logan's D also scored a touchdown on a blocked punt.
"It was the best the kids played this season," Logan coach Dwayne Roberts said. "There was a lot of passion, a lot of fire on the field."
Despite that fire, several days' worth of precipitation turned Logan's field into a wetlands despite hours of efforts by the school district to remove the water. Large puddles could be seen on the field before kickoff, and tackles often resulted in large splashes of water.
Despite the wet and cold conditions, the Longhorns wasted little time in scoring. Kotara threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Payson Nials less than two minutes into the game. Placekicker Mason Wallin's points-after kick was blocked, keeping the score 6-0.
Midway through the quarter, Wallin charged into the backfield and blocked an Elida punt, then recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown. Wallin's points-after kick was blocked again, keeping the score at 12-0.
Early in the second period at Logan's 10-yard line, a high shotgun snap to Kotara sailed over his head. It rolled into the end zone, and Kotara fell on it there to keep the Tigers from scoring a defensive touchdown. Elida scored a safety to make it a 12-2 game.
It would be the only points Elida would score all night.
Judd scored on a 54-yard scamper down the right side with 6:46 left in the half. Wallin kicked the PAT to make it a 20-2 game.
Logan set up its next touchdown after a turnover. Elida fumbled a high snap, and Jace Jackson recovered the ball at the Longhorns 30.
Two plays later, Kotara connected with older brother Devin Kotara on a 36-yard touchdown pass. Wallin converted the kick for a 28-2 lead.
On Logan's next possession, Judd broke through Elida's defense for a 29-yard TD run. Wallin kicked the PAT again for a 36-2 Longhorns advantage.
Late in the third quarter, Judd scored again, this time on a 40-yard touchdown run. The kick was no good, but Logan sported a 42-2 lead.
Set up by Bill DeLuca's 17-yard punt return to Elida's 19-yard line, Judd scored his fourth TD midway through the fourth quarter for a 48-2 lead to conclude the night's scoring.
Looking ahead to Grady, Roberts said playing a cleaner game would be a key to victory.
"We've got to clean up our penalties and play with the same fire we played last week," he said. "We had four touchdowns called back because of penalties last time."
Roberts admitted his Longhorns still were adjusting to the nuances of six-man football when they played Grady early in the season.
"We're a better team than what we were in Week 3," he said.
