Pioneers rock Davis enroute to Rice-Eccles Stadium

After falling behind No. 6 Davis for a short time at the end of the first quarter, the No. 3 Lehi High School football team scored six unanswered touchdowns in the middle two periods on the way to a 52-21 drubbing of the Darts in the final Pioneer home contest of the season on Friday (Nov. 3).

Lehi (10-2) now moves on to the 6A state semifinals at the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Pioneers will face No. 2 Corner Canyon (11-1) on Friday (Nov. 10) at 2:30 p.m.

Davis got the ball first to start the quarterfinal matchup and took a big gamble by going for it on fourth down near midfield, but Lehi held and took over possession at the Dart 46-yard line.

The drive stalled after a couple of chunk plays by senior tight end Grayson Brousseau and senior running back Kolose Latu, so the Pioneers elected to try a field goal and junior kicker Gavin Fenn split the uprights with room to spare for a 52-yard make with 5:45 left in the initial quarter and a 3-0 lead.

The Darts responded with a touchdown to finish their next drive and had a 7-3 advantage with 2:47 remaining in the period.

Their lead didn’t last long. Eight seconds into the second quarter, junior quarterback Jett Niu hit sophomore running back Devaughn Eka for an 18-yard touchdown to push Lehi aheadagain 10-7.

The Pioneers then combined an inspired defensive effort with an efficient offense to rack up five more touchdowns while keeping Davis out of the end zone.

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Junior wide receiver Mays Madsen scored at the 5:33 mark with a 19-yard toss from Niu. After a poor punt by the Darts, Lehi got the gift of a short field. Kolose Latu converted on the chance by taking the ball in from the 1-yard line with 2:29 left to the break to make it 24-7.

In the third period, Niu carried the ball across from the 2-yard line to finish the first Pioneer possession with just 1:31 gone off the clock. Brousseau scored on a 32-yard reception at the 5:29 mark and Niu added an 8-yard rushing touchdown with 2:15 left in the quarter.

Davis managed to score two later touchdowns with a lot of Lehi reserves on the field but it was the Pioneers who completed the tally when senior defensive back Boston Fabrizio picked off a Dart pass and returned it 23 yards for the final touchdown of the evening.

For more photos and details on this game, check out the Nov. 9 issue of the Lehi Free Press.