No. 11 Lehi (9-3) at No. 3 Farmington (9-1)
- 5A state tournament quarterfinal
- Friday, 4 p.m.
- Parry’s Power Guide: Lehi by 8
- All-time series: First meeting
- Coach vs. coach: First meeting between Lehi’s Ed Larson and Farmington’s Daniel Coats
FARMINGTON — A competitive regular season finale.
It was something Ed Larson had hoped for throughout his tenure as head coach of the Lehi Pioneers, yet never seemed to get.
Whether it be blowout losses to Lone Peak and Westlake in 2014 and 2015 or runaway wins over the Thunder, Provo and Skyline each of the next three years, Lehi’s regular season finale had always proved rather underwhelming.
That finally changed this year.
In their last game of the regular season on Oct. 17, the Pioneers found themselves pitted against none other than the Orem Tigers, the back-to-back 4A state champions turned 5A championship contender.
Lehi upset Orem 24-21, by far the most competitive regular season finale for Pioneer football under Larson, and he took notice.
“I loved how we finished (the regular season) by playing a game that meant something,” Larson told the Deseret News following the victory. “In the past years, we haven’t had that.”
Why care?
“This will help us prepare for the playoffs,” Larson said.
Has it ever.
Following their victory over Orem, the Pioneers have been as “on their game” as any team in the 5A state tournament.
In the first round, Lehi, the No. 11 seed, pummeled No. 22 Payson 42-0.
Last weekend the Pioneers went on the road and took down No. 6 Woods Cross 21-14.
Powered by the second-best scoring offense in the classification (37.0 points per game), an attack headlined by quarterback Creyton Cooper (2,424 yards passing with 33 touchdowns and 14 interceptions) and running back Carsen Manookin (1,118 yards rushing and 11 TDs), Lehi is playing as well as it has since the 2017 postseason, when the team took home the state title.
The Pioneers are more than just offense, too.
The team is allowing only 14 ppg this season, thanks to tackling machines in Christian Wren (100 tackles) and Tyler Ehat (79).
Harrington Ray (7 sacks) and Ryder Hatch (6) have been terrors in opposing team’s backfields and Maoputasi Young and Kadiyon Sweat (5 INTs each) ballhawks in the secondary.
The latest team to stand in the Pioneers’ way is unconcerned, however, simply because they are playing just as well, if not better.
That team is Farmington, and the Phoenix are hitting on all cylinders entering Friday’s quarterfinal showdown.
“I think we are playing great, just hitting on all cylinders,” said Farmington head coach Daniel Coats.
That was last seen in the team’s 30-0 win over Bonneville last Friday, a win that showcased Farmington’s excellence on both sides of the ball.
As evidenced by the shutout, defense has been the team’s greatest strength this year.
Led by Brayden Wilson (101 tackles and 11 sacks), Farmington has held its opponents to only 13.6 ppg, the third-lowest mark in 5A.
More than that, the Phoenix defense has been a “magic eraser.”
“Our defense has taken a lot of the brunt of things by getting off the field at key moments and saving mistakes that have happened by the offense,” said Coats. “They’ve been that magic eraser to keep us right.”
That isn’t to say the Farmington offense has struggled.
Led by quarterback Wyatt Evertsen (2,417 yards passing with 23 TDs and 7 INTs) and running back Hayden Toone (747 yards rushing and 7 TDs), the Phoenix averaged 30.6 ppg.
When they are having fun, the Farmington offense is elite.
“When they aren’t stressed out, when they aren’t overthinking stuff and just literally going out and playing, like kids having fun, it is going great,” said Coats. “When they are going out and attacking and having fun, we have fired on all cylinders.”
And while Coats understands the challenge presented by Lehi — “They are going to be coached well and that has definitely been on our mind and been something we want to be ready for,” he said — he isn’t worried.
“There is no mystique coming with them,” he said. “We can just go out and play our game.”
Lehi statistical breakdown
- Scoring offense: 37.0 ppg (2nd in 5A)
- Scoring defense: 14.0 ppg (4th in 5A)
- Passing leader: Creyton Cooper (189-351, 53.8%, 2,424 yards, 33 TDs, 14 INTs)
- Rushing leaders: Carsen Manookin (157 carries, 1,118 yards 11 TDs)
- Receiving leaders: McKay Wall (37 rec., 735 yards, 13 TDs), Isaiah Tauai (53 rec., 525 yards, 5 TDs)
- Tackles leaders: Christian Wren (100 tackles), Tyler Ehat (79 tackles)
- Sack leaders: Harrington Ray (7 sacks), Ryder Hatch (6 sacks)
- Interception leaders: Maoputasi Young (5 INTs), Kadiyon Sweat (5 INTs)
Farmington statistical breakdown
- Scoring offense: 30.8 ppg (6th in 5A)
- Scoring defense: 13.6 ppg (3rd in 5A)
- Passing leader: Wyatt Evertsen (173-336, 51.5%, 2,417 yards, 23 TDs, 7 INTs)
- Rushing leaders: Hayden Toone (130 carries, 747 yards, 7 TDs)
- Receiving leaders: Jeremy Wilcox (46 rec., 777 yards 8 TDs) Andrew Quinton (37 rec., 487 yards, 3 TDs)
- Tackles leaders: Brayden Wilson (101 tackles), Chandler Williams (99 tackles)
- Sack leaders: Brayden Wilson (11 sacks), Bradley Lawson (9 sacks)
- Interception leaders: Hayden Wilcox, Nick Shirley (4 INTs)
Felt’s Facts for Lehi High School
- All-time record: 382-453-22 (98 years)
- Region championships: 13 (1940, 1944, 1950, 1963, 1990, 1992, 1996 co, 1997, 1999 co, 2000 co, 2003 co, 2004 co, 2017)
- Playoff appearances: 35
- All-time playoff record: 26-31
- State championships: 3 (1980, 2000, 2017)
- State championship record: 3-2
Felts Facts for Farmington High School
- All-time record: 11-10 (2 years)
- Region championships: 1 (2019)
- Playoff appearances: 2
- All-time playoff record: 1-1
- State championships: 0
- State championship record: 0-0