When No. 3 Springville (12-1) and No. 4 Orem (11-2) meet in Thursday’s 5A state championship game at Rice-Eccles Stadium, recent history suggests one thing is nearly certain — it will be close.
The Region 7 rivals have established a remarkable pattern in their recent matchups, with Orem edging Springville 17-14 earlier this season, winning 38-37 last year, and Springville claiming a 27-26 playoff victory in 2019. Three straight meetings decided by a single possession add intrigue to a championship battle between programs with vastly different title-game pedigrees.
Orem has been one of Utah’s most successful programs of the past decade, winning four consecutive state championships from 2017-2020 as part of their nine total titles. The Tigers are making their 17th championship game appearance, sporting a 9-7 all-time record in title games.
“We felt like we deserved the No. 1 seed, and so we wanted to come out for the rest of the state that we deserved it,” said Orem defensive end Juni Moala after the Tigers’ dominant 34-7 semifinal victory over top-ranked West. “All week we were talking about it, preaching about it. Let’s go out, let’s play physical, dominant football, and that’s what we did.”
Springville, meanwhile, is seeking just the second championship in school history. The Red Devils’ lone title came in 1985, and they’ve lost five championship games, most recently falling to Lehi 35-6 in 2021.
“We knew it was going to be a dogfight, but we stood our ground and ended up making the play,” Springville’s Siaosi Toki said after grabbing the game-sealing interception in the semifinal win over Brighton. “We stayed calm. Our coaches like to say, ‘Calm and collected,’ and we did our job.”
In their September meeting, Orem struck first with a 51-yard touchdown pass from Tayden Ka’awa to Kai Wesley and a 34-yard field goal by Ben Bradley to take a 10-7 first-quarter lead. Springville’s Zachary Henderson returned a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to keep the Red Devils close. Ka’awa connected with Kaue Akana for a 15-yard score in the third quarter before Henderson hauled in an 87-yard touchdown pass from Beau Halvorsen in the fourth, but it wasn’t enough as Orem held on.
Both teams feature dynamic offensive playmakers. Springville’s ground attack is led by Lisiate Valeti (1,101 yards, 10 TDs) and Tua Naufahu (901 yards, 14 TDs), forming one of the state’s most formidable rushing duos. Henderson has been a big-play threat all season with 20 receptions for 571 yards (28.6 per catch) and five touchdowns, plus two return scores.
Orem’s offense revolves around quarterback Ka’awa, who has thrown for 2,503 yards and 34 touchdowns while adding 254 rushing yards. His favorite target has been Akana (36 catches, 587 yards, 10 TDs), while Aisa Galea’i (520 rushing yards, eight TDs) and Beckham Curtis (514 yards, five TDs) provide balance on the ground.
Defensively, Orem’s front seven was dominant in their semifinal win, recording eight sacks and 15 tackles for loss against West. Moala’s push on the line was key as the Tigers held West to just 140 yards on 61 plays. Linebacker Easton Kojima (145 tackles) and safety Zeke Vaea (94 tackles) anchor a unit allowing just 15.4 points per game.
Springville counters with a defense led by Tuiono Valeti (122 tackles, four sacks), Tua Naufahu (112 tackles, 10 sacks), and Treyton Harris (77 tackles). The Red Devils have generated 16 turnovers during their 10-game winning streak.
This championship meeting is the latest chapter in a rivalry that dates back to 1934, with Orem holding a 32-15-3 all-time advantage in the series.
“We know how good they are, but we also know how good we are,” Dave Valeti said of Orem. “Our guys will be ready. We’ll prepare like every other week, and I’d like to say it’s like every other week, but we know it’s for all the marbles.”
The 5A championship kicks off at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 6:30 p.m.
This report was compiled with the assistance of ChatGPT.