SALT LAKE CITY — This was a week Bountiful players won’t forget anytime soon.
It started with insane wind that knocked out power across Davis County, including tipping over one of the large light poles at the football stadium. The punctuation mark though was beating rival Woods Cross 26-24 on the final play of the game in a good old-fashioned day varsity football day game. (Box Score)
“I was proud of our guys for believing and playing hard to the final whistle. When playing in a rivalry game you like to look back and know that you left it all on the field, win or lose, and both teams did that,” said Bountiful coach Jason Freckleton.
Bountiful led 14-7 at halftime on Friday, but Woods Cross came out in the second half and scored 17 straight points to take a 24-14 lead with 7:36 left in the third quarter.
The Braves cut into the deficit with 5:31 remaining as Max Barker hit Brooks Fornelius on a 47-yard TD pass, but they missed the extra point and still trailed 24-20.
When Bountiful got the ball back one more time, a game-tying field goal was no longer an option. It drove down field, and then on the final play of the game Barker again connected with Fornelius on a 14-yard TD pass near the corner of the end zone to cap a wild week and a great comeback.
“On that last play, we drew something up to give us the best opportunity to win. Fornelius is someone we can always count on and he made an incredible play for us. This is a game these players will always remember and it felt great coming out on top,” said Freckleton.
Down by 10 with under 6 minutes left, Bountiful turned to their play maker in Brooks Fornelius to get the Braves within a score.
— Game Night Live Rewind (@GNLRewind) September 12, 2020
Then Brooks decided to ingrain himself as a Bountiful Braves Legend catching the game winning TD with no time left!#DNRT5@coachboog @BravesBountiful pic.twitter.com/wIcpoGv3Qc
A week after losing a heartbreaker late to rival Bear River, Box Elder got a nice bounce-back win in a more important region game Friday night.
Trevin Johnson hauled in a 10-yard TD pass from Parker Buchanan with 6:23 remaining in the game as Box Elder edged Farmington 15-14 in a defensive Region 5 opener. (Box Score)
“Our guys kept playing tonight. We have lost two games on the last drive. After our offense scored to take the lead our defense stopped their drive. It takes a lot of focus to lose close games the same way and then get a huge stop,” said Box Elder coach Robbie Gunter. “Overall it was a great team win. Guys trusted each other and competed for each other.”
Your eyes aren't deceiving you, that number on the QB is in fact 84! And with the Bees down by 6 late in the 4th @ParkerBuchanan_ was unstoppable.
— Game Night Live Rewind (@GNLRewind) September 12, 2020
The Bees picked up a BIG win against the Phoenix!@boxelderhs_adm @ethanflem8 pic.twitter.com/1TlbR1cPSO
Bonneville also improved to 1-0 in Region 5 in a wild win in its own right.
Viewmont and Bonneville traded touchdowns the entire first half and were level 27-27 at the break in a game with one big play after another.
The biggest play was Kord Shaw’s 95-yard kickoff return for Bonneville which tied the game 7-7.
Despite all the first-half fireworks, Bonneville’s defense shut things down in the second half blanking the Vikings and pulling away for the 44-27 win. (Box Score)
The biggest game of the night in 5A took place at Olympus, a drama-filled game that didn’t disappoint either as Brighton prevailed 21-14 to improve to 5-0 this season. (Box Score)
Mason Young rushed for two touchdowns in the win, including the game-decider late in the third quarter.
“There were a lot of times that we were dealt blows and Olympus kept battling and battling and battling,” Brighton coach Justin Hemm told the Desert News after the game. “When it’s going down to the last drive and for our guys to respond and stay in the game, I thought they showed a lot of mental and emotional toughness.”
It’s been a tough preseason for Timpview.
Between losing to 6A juggernauts Lone Peak, American Fork and Bingham, and then having a game cancelled because of COVID-19, Timpview was desperate for a win heading into its Region 7 opener with Mountain Ridge.
It delivered in a big way scoring 28 points in the third quarter to pull away for the 43-3 win over Mountain Ridge. (Box Score)
Raider Damuni had a huge game with the T-Birds returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown and then returning an interception for a score later in the third quarter.
While Timpview was pulling away against Mountain Ridge in region play, two other Region 7 contenders fared well in losses.
Lehi took 6A undefeated Pleasant Grove to overtime before coming up just short 26-19. (Box Score)
Orem hung tough against Lone Peak, but struggled to keep up offensively in dropping its preseason finale. (Box Score)
Springville’s had a rough go of it lately, it but enjoyed a dominant first half against Provo to snap a three-game losing streak with an important 41-14 region win. (Box Score)
The Red Devils pulled away in the fourth quarter with 20 unanswered points.
“We overcame some early adversity with turnovers and penalties and came up with two interceptions by Will Udall and Masua Kanga in first half to keep Provo out of endzone. Brady Mortensen had big TD catch to end first half to give us lead,” said Springville coach Willy Child.
“Second half Seth Rigtrup went off behind our O-line and ran really well. Dellamas threw some nice passes to keep chains moving.”
Springville’s Region 8 foes Maple Mountain and Salem Hills both picked up easy nonregion wins over Region 6 teams, and Salem Hills’ 43-10 win over Highland was certainly an eye-opener. (Box Score)
Jarret Elmer passed for two touchdowns and rushed for two more on a night when Gov. Gary Herbert was on hand to pay tribute to the veterans before the game.
“Our guys played hard and physical. Highland is big and aggressive. We’re getting better each week, proud of the effort of our players. It was great having Governor Herbert there to help us pay tribute to our veterans. It was a great night,” said Salem Hills coach Jeff Higginson.
@hills_salem football pays tribute to veterans tonight! Thanks @GovHerbert for being there and to all the vets who came out! Special night! pic.twitter.com/UOKcNoCK0o
— Coach Jeff Higginson (@JeffHigginson) September 12, 2020
Salem Hills improved to 4-0 with the victory as it now heads into Region 8 play beginning with Spanish Fork next week.