Logan Longhorns lose state championship to Melrose

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MELROSE — The Melrose Buffaloes put Logan in a situation the Longhorns hadn’t been in all season on Saturday — playing from behind.

Freshman Cade Barnard ran for three touchdowns, passed for two and caught one and the Buffs were in control from the start in a 76-37 victory over Logan for the 8-man state football championship.

Melrose (11-1) won its first title since finishing off a three-peat in 2010, piling up 531 total yards — 401 on the ground — and keeping Logan senior standout Wyatt Strand in check for the most part while avenging the Buffs’ only loss of the season.

Despite the score, Barnard said defense was the key to the victory.

“We had a really good defensive scheme because we knew that Wyatt Strand is a great athlete,” said Barnard, who alternates between fullback and quarterback on offense and plays linebacker on defense. “We dedicated ourselves to the defensive end (of the field), and the offense just came.”

Barnard scored three times in the first quarter, which ended with the Buffs leading 20-6.

Logan (11-1) got close a couple of times in the second quarter and, trailing 34-21 at halftime, had a chance after Strand intercepted junior Wyatt Williams’ pass on the first series of the second half. But Melrose kept the Longhorns pinned in their own end and eventually broke the game open with three touchdowns in a four-minute span, including a 73-yard interception return by freshman defensive back Sterling Sena.

“Our kids came out wanting to play,” said Melrose coach Dickie Roybal, who got a Gatorade shower late in the game and won his sixth state championship (fourth in 8-man) in 18 years at the school. “I have to credit my defensive coaches, Brad Lee and Call Barnard. They had a tremendous game plan.”

Williams (11 carries for 131 yards) and Barnard (17 for 120) each rushed for more than 100 yards. Meantime, the defense made life relatively miserable for Strand, who still managed to return a kickoff for a touchdown and complete 26-of-47 passes for 262 yards and three scores.

“Melrose played very well all the way through,” Logan coach Kene Terry said. “We just kind of came out flat in both halves and never really got anything going.”

It was the first state championship appearance for Logan, which had reached the semifinal round several times in its 15-year football history.

“The kids kept playing hard all the way through, and that’s all you can ask for,” Terry said. “I’m proud of our team.”

The Melrose defense held the Longhorns to 65 yards rushing, with Strand gaining 37 on nine carries and having just one tote of more than seven yards.

Melrose running back Boone Roberts, who finished with 73 yards on the ground, said the Buffs thought they might be able to wear down the Longhorns.

“They hadn’t played a full second half in a long time,” he said. “We just figured we be able to go out and get them tired.

“We practiced hard all week. We worked hard on defense to be able to stop Wyatt Strand, and it worked out for us.”

Things are looking pretty good for the Buffs in the near future. They lose two players to graduation — Roberts and Payson Moore — and Barnard is one of nine freshmen on the 18-player roster.

link Courtesy Photo: Joshua Lucero.

Longhorn juniors Michael Estrada, left, and Kohl Ciemny, right, take down Melrose freshman Cade Barnard during the Longhorns championship game against the Melrose Buffaloes Saturday afternoon at Melrose High School.

“The thing is the kids believe in the system,” Roybal said. “When you believe in the system, you can do about anything.”