Provo made it look easy Friday evening in a dominant victory over Salem Hills, topping the Skyhawks 35-0 in both teams’ initial region contest.
The Bulldogs had a big first half, scoring touchdowns on their first four drives and keeping Salem Hills in check to all but put the game away before halftime.
“It was a complete effort,” Provo head coach Kirk Chambers said. “This is just one of those teams where the boys are very receptive and they’re working really hard and they’re making progress week to week, so we’re just proud of them … This week we showed that we’re going to be pretty good this year and we’re starting to prove that and do it week in and week out. We’re excited about it.”
The Bulldogs were coming off their first loss of the season a week ago, a tough one-score setback against neighboring rival Timpview. Chambers emphasized staying focused on the task at hand despite the difficult defeat.
“I challenged my team this week to stay hungry,” he said. “The boys answered the call. We’ve had a theme every week. This week was ‘Stay hungry,’ and they’ve just stepped up to what we’ve asked them to do.”
If Provo can do what it did Friday on a consistent basis, it will be a team to be reckoned with in the newly realigned Region 8.
The contest marked the second time this season that the school held an opponent scoreless. Salem Hills made it inside the Bulldogs’ 5-yard line on two different occasions during the first half, but was turned back both times by Provo’s stout defense.
The first time ended with a blocked field goal and the second an interception.
“Defensively … being the more physical team is a good indication of what we’re capable (of) on the defensive side,” Chambers said, “especially against a good Salem Hills offense that does some things that are a little tricky.”
Provo did not fall for the Skyhawks’ tricks, coupling its strong defense with a potent offensive attack that saw senior running back Tagai Lesa rush for a pair of touchdowns and junior quarterback Soakai Aston find senior wide receiver Kyle Larsen for two scores as well.
“It really builds the team and keeps the momentum,” Larsen said of the big plays on defense getting cashed in on offense.
“(It) gets us started so that we can keep going and making those plays further into the game.”
The Bulldogs made plays all night on both sides of the ball. Lesa got things started for Provo, scoring on a 5-yard run less than five minutes into the contest, and the Bulldogs were off to the races from there, as Lesa and Larsen traded off scoring plays to give Provo a 28-0 lead heading into halftime.
Provo did score just one touchdown in the second half, a 1-yard pass from Aston to senior wide receiver Drew Deucher that put the finishing touch on the Bulldogs’ blowout victory and added to their cushion.
“It’s nice when all phases of the game are clicking,” Chambers said. “35-0 is kind of an indication of that.”
Next week, Provo will try to replicate its well-balanced approach when it travels to California to face Clovis East in a Saturday matchup. Salem Hills, meanwhile, will return home next Friday for another Region 8 contest, this time against Payson.