Davis had the ball on fourth down in double overtime Friday and it just needed to get two yards to reach the end zone to force Lone Peak to match.
It felt like an easy call to go for it. After all, Lone Peak didn’t show it could consistently stop Davis after it scored on all of its drives of the night except one.
With fears of its season being cut short, Lone Peak freshman Kingston Stroshine made the play by tackling Davis’ Jaxton Itaaheau for loss.
In a game without a lot of defense, it was Stroshine’s defensive play that allowed Lone Peak to win the game 41-38 on a field goal.
“I thought King did a really good job coming up on those receiver screens,” Lone Peak head coach Bart Brockbank said. “I think we kind of felt like we saw that they were going to do that the way they lined up, because that was our alignment for the game when they would throw to that kid out of the backfield.
“I think (defensive coordinator Ryan Denney) just sent him and hoped for the best.”
Well before overtime, it was the Darts who put Lone Peak on its back foot while the two elite offenses were battling it out.
After taking a 10-3 lead, Darts star Bode Sparrow fought for a pass breakup on fourth-and-short to give his team its first defensive stop of the night. And as Davis did all night, it marched right down field and took a 17-3 lead.
But a similar trend started, with Lone Peak immediately answering with a touchdown of its own. Still, the Knights trailed 17-10 at halftime.
Brockbank made a small offensive adjustment that made a world of difference out of the half. Lone Peak simply just ran the ball more often.
“I think the goal always was to run the ball once we kind of wore them down,” Brockbank said. “We felt like we could wear them down up front.
“We’re bigger than them, and then I think once we got out in the second half, you started seeing that they were kind of getting a little worn down.”
Whether it was kick returns or its offensive drive, the size difference started to become a problem for Davis. Still, the Darts didn’t back down. Lone Peak was difficult to stop offensively in the second half, but Davis kept matching every point and never trailed.
The Darts were even in a good position after they scored with just over four minutes left in regulation for a 31-24 lead. But once again, Lone Peak got its drive started in decent field positon because of a kick return.
The Knights then marched down and tied it up 31-31 with only 30 seconds left in regulation.
“I feel like our boys stepped up and performed, especially late,” Brockbank said. “We got down early. I think (Davis is) a great team. I think they were well-prepared. I think they had a great game plan, but in the second half we settled in. We hit punch for punch the second half.”
Davis had the ball with less than 30 seconds left in regulation to try to make a miracle happen to win in regulation. Instead, it gifted Lone Peak that opportunity instead.
Star Darts quarterback Tradon Bessinger was surgical all night, and bailed Davis out on many scrambles, though his biggest mistake of the night came as he threw the ball into the hands of Lone Peak’s Toatele Afu.
Suddenly, Lone Peak was at Davis’ 35 yard line with 18 seconds left. But, instead of winning the game there, Knights placekicker Jake Barker was just short on a field goal attempt to send his team to the semifinals.
After trading touchdowns in overtime, Davis had the ball and got down to the 2 yard line. That’s when Stroshine made the play on fourth down to keep Davis out of the end zone and gave his team a chance to win Friday’s quarterfinal.
“It was awesome,” Stroshine said. “We had a perfect play call for that and I just trust my coaches and trust my players. We came through and we were able to beat a really good team tonight, and now we’re going to Rice-Eccles (Stadium).”
After the defensive stop, Lone Peak was in a position where it just needed the field goal, and it wanted to focus on getting Barker the best spot possible.
However, Davis didn’t allow that and forced the Knights into fourth down in a position where Barker would have to hit a 38-yard field goal to win the game.
It was about the same position he missed one in regulation to win. Barker knew it wasn’t a situation he could miss out on, so he went out and nailed it to send his team to the semifinals.
“It hurt. I was like, ‘We’re going to lose the game,’” Barker said of missing the field goal in regulation. “That’s just the situation that mentally gets in your head.
“My brother, he told me to keep my head up and my whole team was out there for me. They were lifting me up and then I just knew I was going to make it that second time. I’m happy I did that.”
It’s been a strong bounce back for Lone Peak in the postseason after it struggled in region play. The Knights opened region with an impressive win over powerhouse Corner Canyon, but then proceeded to lose to every other Region 3 opponent.
But now, Lone Peak back in the 6A semifinals and has a chance to get redemption against Region 3 foe Skyridge next week.