SPANISH FORK — Bountiful running back Jared McCann had been building momentum with each game on the late season and then crested considerably, leading the Braves past Maple Mountain 28-18 in the first round of the 5A playoffs on Friday.
The senior running back ran through and around the Golden Eagle defense all afternoon to the tune of 277 yards on just 24 carries and three touchdowns. Oh yeah, he added an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for good measure in what was truly the game of his life.
“Absolutely. No question about it,” McCann said in response to the suggestion of just having just logged his best outing ever. “It all comes down to the film and the work there, and I’ve just gotten better and better, and I’m grateful for it.”
- Watch replay: Bountiful 28, Maple Mountain 18
McCann led off the scoring in the win on a 3-yard touchdown run to give the Braves an early 7-0 lead to cap off a time-consuming 81-yard drive in which McCann was featured throughout.
Operating with backup quarterback Bryson McQuivey under center, Maple Mountain responded midway through the second quarter with McQuivey tossing a 25-yard touchdown strike to Brian Bess on a fourth-and-long conversion to tie things up.
But before there was even enough time to note the game-tying touchdown, McCann responded by virtue of an 80-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to immediately take back the lead at 14-7.
“I just got through the hole, had some good blocks and then just trusted my speed to break it,” McCann said. “That was good run and my teammates really set me up well.”
Turns out McCann’s 80-yard scamper was a precursor of what was yet to play out on Friday, and indeed what has played out during the last half of the year.
“It seems over the past five or six weeks that he’s always had at least one of those big runs for us,” said Bountiful coach Tyler Hughes. “He’s just been playing fantastic and the guys up front have certainly been doing their part as well, opening up holes for him.”
Maple Mountain proved better defensively throughout the third quarter, holding the Braves scoreless to trail just 14-10 entering a fourth quarter where McCann and the Bountiful offense proved to be at their best.
McCann opened up the fourth quarter scoring with a 33-yard run to increase the lead to 21-10 in the early stages of the fourth quarter before Maple Mountain responded. Third-string quarterback Aliioaiga Ho Ching was able to drive the Golden Eagles down the field before hitting Kyson Hall with a 34-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 21-18 following a successful 2-point conversion with 5:45 left.
But that’s as close as Maple Mountain would come, as the Braves manufactured a brilliant time-chewing touchdown drive in response. Twice faced with critical third-down situations, Hughes and his staff sent in creative play calls which caught Maple Mountain off-guard and kept the drive going.
The initial third-down conversion came when Hughes called on sophomore defensive linemen Junior Kelemete and Isaac Vaivaka both lined up in the backfield to plow the way for a successful run by McCann on third-and-short. Three plays later saw Bountiful quarterback Peyton Beck hit Henry Harper with a screen to pick up a third-and-8 with time winding down.
“They’d been stacking the box, so we put that play call in and the kids executed it perfectly,” Hughes said.
Fittingly, it was McCann taking the next play 51-yards for a touchdown to put the Braves up 28-18 to effectively end things with just 2:05 remaining.
Like any good running back does, McCann was quick to credit his offensive line.
“Those guys have been amazing and were so again tonight,” McCann said. “I couldn’t do what I did without them and I definitely want to give them credit. They’re awesome. I love those guys.”
With the win, Bountiful advances to the second round to take on No. 1 seed Salem Hills, although at least one Brave player is confident his team can get it done.
“We have so much momentum going into next week and we’re going to beat Salem Hills,” McCann said.