NEPHI — Behind the running of Trevor Jones, Juab held off a late Manti charge to earn a 22-14 victory on a rainy night in Nephi to secure sole possession of second place in the 2A North Division.
The Wasps opened the second half on their own 10-yard line and subsequently drove the length of the field, killing over 11 minutes off the clock.
Jones ran 10 times on the 20-play drive for 52 yards, eventually scoring on a one-yard plunge.
Juab coach Mike Bowring said he talked to his offensive line at halftime and told them if they were able to get off the ball quickly they would be able to run the ball successfully.
And run the ball they did. The Wasps didn't attempt a single pass the entire second half.
Following the touchdown run by Jones, Manti took over on its own 35-yard line. The Templars were able to drive the ball to the Juab 26 behind the running and passing of quarterback Taylor Salanoa.
But the Juab defense stiffened. After a run by Dexter Rowley was stuffed for a two-yard loss, setting up second and 12 from the 28 yard line, Juab then forced three straight incomplete passes by Salanoa, with the last two being deflected by Matt Howard, to end the drive.
The Wasps took over on their own 28 with 8:34 remaining in the game. Juab jumped on Jones's back again driving to the Manti 15-yard line, chewing up valuable time along the way. Jones rushed for 52 yards on seven carries on the drive.
But Juab wasn't able to score and put the game away. The Templars forced a turnover on downs, taking over on their own 19.
On first down, Salanoa busted through the Juab defense, gaining eight yards, but he failed to get out of bounds, forcing the Templars to spike the ball to stop the clock.
Salanoa then hit a wide-open Devin Frischknecht for a 47-yard gain to set up a first and 10 on the Juab 35-yard line.
Following a spike by Salanoa, Juab defensive linemen Jordan Guillory and Kyle Calloway teamed up for a sack.
Manti spiked the ball again, setting up the game's final play. With 10 seconds left, Salanoa dropped back to pass and threw up a prayer, which was picked off by Kellen Nielsen to end the game.
The Wasps picked off three passes in the game. Besides Nielsen, Tyler Olsen and Zac. Barr intercepted Templar passes.
Manti opened the game with a touchdown on its opening drive, a one-yard run by Salanoa, who also scored the two-point conversion.
Juab quickly countered with a one-yard scoring run by Jade Greenhalgh and a two-point conversion pass from Shane Blackett to Howard.
The Templars retook the lead on a 15-yard pass from Salanoa to Frischknecht, but failed to convert the two-point try.
Trailing 14-8, the Wasps took the lead for good on an 11-yard run by Greenhalgh.