Our goal is to be a championship team, and we are not there yet. We have a lot of things to clean up. Don't take anything away from Pleasant Grove, they fought hard, we just made a couple more plays than they did. – Jordan head coach Eric Kjar
In a tale of two games, Jordan outlasted Pleasant Grove 28-21 on a 9-yard run with 24.4 seconds remaining in this non-region game.
The Jordan Beetdiggers came out strong in the first half and controlled the ball and the clock, ending the first half with a score of 21-0 over the Pleasant Grove Vikings.
Drew Lisk, the Diggers' quarterback, scored twice in the first half, once in the first quarter and once in the second quarter, both on quarterback draws up the middle. The first one was at the 3:30 mark in the opening quarter and again at the 5:49 mark in the second quarter. But the most impressive score was on a 90-yard pick-six by defensive linebacker Jeffrey Timothy, who grabbed an errant pass from Viking quarterback Bub Wilde and raced untouched to the house.
By the end of the first half, Jordan had a 21-0 lead against a Viking team with no momentum. Viking head coach Les Hamilton said, "We struggled to run the ball in the first half."
In the third quarter, the Diggers controlled the ball and gathered five first downs before turning the ball over on downs to the Vikings. On the third play of the Vikings' first possession of the second half, senior running back Koy Wilkinson took the handoff from Viking junior quarterback Issac Hamilton and broke through the Digger line into the backfield and scored at the 4:35 mark of the third quarter.
The Vikings, after stopping Jordan on their second possession of the third quarter, passed the ball from Hamilton to junior wide receiver Braxton Rapp, who took the ball 44 yards to the end zone and a second score in less than two minutes. The ensuing hike for the point after was mishandled, but the score at the 2:51 mark in the third was Jordan 21, Pleasant Grove 13. The score remained there as time ran out for the third quarter.
The Vikings stopped Jordan on their first possession of the final quarter, and on the fifth play of the Vikings' possession, Hamilton connected with sophomore wide receiver Johnny Fanaika for a 25-yard touchdown. On the ensuing play, Hamilton hit senior tight end Brock Winterton to complete a two point conversion, locking the game at 21-21 with 10:02 to play.
Appearing to have found their rhythm and timing back, the Diggers got the ball for the third possession of the last quarter with under a minute remaining in the game. Jordan quarterback Drew Lisk found his main target, wide receiver Spencer Curtis, for a 30-yard gain, which put the ball on the 9-yard line. With 24.4 seconds remaining in the game, running back Alec Evans ran the ball into the end zone from the 9-yard line, saving the game for the Diggers.
Pleasant Grove got the ball back but could not get past the Diggers' defense in the short time remaining. The final score was 28-21 for Jordan.
Viking coach Hamilton said this was a game of first half vs. second half. "We need to put a full game effort together like we played in the third quarter. With Lone Peak coming next week, our guys will step up and be ready to play. Lone Peak may be the best team we play this season, but we'll be ready."
Jordan head coach Eric Kjar said, "Our goal is to be a championship team, and we are not there yet. We have a lot of things to clean up. Don't take anything away from Pleasant Grove, they fought hard, we just made a couple more plays than they did. Lisk is a great player and he doesn't get rattled. But we have to improve with region games starting next week."
Kent Allen lives in Pleasant Grove and reports on Pleasant Grove High School varsity sports for Deseret Connect.