Crimson Cliffs Aims To Repeat Last Year’s Championship Magic
With Region 9 football season right around the corner, let’s take a quick peak into what we can look forward to this upcoming year by understanding where these teams were a season ago.
Today we look at the Crimson Cliffs Mustangs.
Last Year’s Record:
Overall: 12-2
Region 9: 6-0
Wins:
At Springville 34-27
Vs Cedar 36-14
At Desert Hills 28-17
Vs Snow Canyon 35-6
At Stansbury 24-21
Vs Hurricane 55-20
At Pine View 56-21
At Dixie 21-20
Vs Snow Canyon 35-20 (First Round of Playoffs)
Vs Green Canyon 28-25 (2nd Round of Playoffs)
Vs Sky View 38-29 (Playoffs Semifinals)
Vs Spanish Fork 57-55 (3 OT) (Utah 4A State Championship)
Last year’s Biggest run:
Crimson Cliffs didn’t have a big run here or there, but rather the whole season was a massive run en route to claiming the 4A state title.
After a rocky 0-2 start in out of region play, Crimson dialed in to win their last 8 games of the regular season for a perfect Region 9 record.
This momentum would carry into the postseason where the unstoppable force that was the Mustangs would continually find ways to win games on the biggest stage, being capped off perfectly by one of the most thrilling state championship games the state of Utah has ever witnessed.
Tally it all up and that’s a 12 game winning streak and counting going into next season for the stang gang.
Last year’s end result:
As mentioned, Crimson’s ending to their 2024 season was a storybook finale.
The Mustangs claimed the 4A title in dramatic fashion overcoming a 21 point deficit to Spanish Fork with 8 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter to force overtime.
In overtime both Crimson Cliffs and the Dons would exchange blows, resulting in 3 total extra periods of football that Crimson would eventually prevail in.
If you somehow missed this game last year, it’s well worth revisiting.
With multiple twists, turns and surges of momentum it was unpredictable and a top tier viewing experience.
Points Per Game:
Season: 33.4
Region 9: 38.5
Points Allowed Per Game:
Season: 23.8
Region 9: 16.3
Offensive Yards Per Game:
406.4
205.2 rush yards per game, 201.2 passing yards per game.
The Mustangs averaged 27.2 pass attempts a game compared to 33.4 rush attempts last year.
Returning Offensive Yards From Last Year (Expected Returner Contribution):
1,234 yards of 8,507 total yards supposedly returning via last years passing, rushing and receiving production combined.
14.5 % of offensive production is anticipated to return.
This does not take into consideration any move-outs or transfers, but rather the amount of last years roster that graduated.
Returning Defensive Contribution Measured By Total Tackles:
313 of 985 total tackles returning.
31.8 % of tackling production is estimated to be back.
Last Region 9 Title:
2024 (12-2, 6-0)
Last HS Football State Championship:
2024
As documented above, Crimson Cliffs ended the season as the #3 seed and won the 4A State Championship Game over the #4 seed Spanish Fork Dons in 3 overtimes.
Crimson Cliffs has only existed for six seasons, their first year coming back in 2019.
In those six years Crimson has appeared in the championship game 3 years, or half of their program’s existence, and are currently the reigning back to back state champions with titles in 2023 and 2024.
Out of Region Record (Last 3 seasons, including playoffs):
14-4
Region Record (last 3 seasons, including playoffs):
21-2
The Mustangs Have not lost to a Region 9 team since the 2022 season when Desert Hills beat them in the state championship.
Wins as Underdog last season, based on Noland Parry’s Power Guide of the Deseret News:
Other teams were given the edge at times last year, but out of the Mustangs 12 victories only 1 win came as an underdog.
Crimson Cliffs was cited as the underdog only two times in their 14 games, once in their week 2 loss to 6A Bingham and lastly in their week 3 win over 5A Springville, the win that began the 12 game streak to the end.
Consecutive Streak:
Crimson Cliffs displayed mental fortitude in their last 5 games of the season ,4 of which, were all one possession games.
They had to gut out wins on their way to the title and that was certainly helped by the fact that Crimson Cliffs had 30 tackles for loss in that stretch, good for 6 tackles for loss a game.
During their 12 wins, Crimson Cliffs only ran for less than 150 yards, one time, and that was in the state championship game.
7 times they ran for 200 or more yards.
1st game of the 2025 season:
At Lone Peak Knights on August 15th.
This will be the first ever meeting between the 6A Knights and Crimson Cliffs.
Lone Peak is the 6A runner-up from the 2024 season only behind Corner Canyon.
The standard of excellence has been established out in Washington Fields, can the Mustangs continue to live up to the ever growing expectations that come with such success?
There will be big shoes to fill after losing so many stalwart seniors, but the Mustangs pipeline is constantly deep, and will need to be so again to retain the crown.