Timpanogos easily marched past Salem Hills 35-14 Friday evening in a game that was more one-sided than it looked on the scoreboard.
The Timberwolves never trailed, taking a 35-0 lead in the fourth quarter before the Skyhawks got on the board in a game that was essentially over.
Fourth-year Timpanogos head coach Austin Heaps felt his team came into the contest with a good mindset.
“It was easy not to overlook a team like this,” he said of Salem Hills. “I was told we’re right there with them on RPI (rankings), there was all those things. … With the leadership that we have on this team, they just took it in stride.”
The Timberwolves strode to a 21-0 halftime lead, led by do-it-all senior wide receiver Luke Livingston who threw for a touchdown and caught another before adding a third score in the second half on a 13-yard catch.
Heaps has become accustomed to that kind of play from Livingston.
“More times than not he gets the trifecta and usually runs one as well,” the Timpanogos coach said. “We just didn’t have much in the game plan for him to run the ball tonight. But it’s not unique for Luke Livingston.”
Heaps also praised his senior quarterback Chase Riggs who finished the night with two passing touchdowns and one rushing.
“There’s so many moving parts,” Heaps said of his offense. “When it’s all put together and you have somebody like a Chase Riggs, a senior, that knows the ins and outs of why we’re doing each component, it makes it turn very lethal.”
The dangerous Timpanogos offense scored on both of its first two drives of each half, setting the tone early and keeping its momentum after intermission. The game was won on those four drives, the Timberwolves scoring all but one of their touchdowns on those possessions.
Salem Hills would not go away, though, scoring two touchdowns in the waning moments of the contest. But by that time, Timpanogos felt it had the game in hand and had begun bolstering its depth.
“We were trying to (play) second string, third string (players),” Heaps said.
The Timberwolves’ dominant victory snaps the Skyhawks’ four-game winning streak while giving the Orem school its third consecutive triumph. Both teams’ last defeat, prior to Friday night, came against Provo.
Timpanogos and Salem Hills came into the contest battling for sole control of second place in Region 8 behind Provo, who entered the night unbeaten in league play. Still, Heaps was just focused on winning Friday and not worrying about what’s going on in the standings.
“We kind of just look at each game and we don’t really look at standings,” he said. “We do a good job just (focusing) on that next opponent.”
Timpanogos’s next opponent will be Spanish Fork on the road next week, completing the Timberwolves’ region matchups as well as their regular season. Salem Hills, however, will end its 2023 schedule at home in a non-region contest when it faces Bear River. The two games are set for Friday at 7 p.m. MDT.