Lehi Sports
Pioneer football team falls to Sentinels
Beky Beaton | Lehi Free Press
The Lehi High School football team visited Mountain Ridge on Friday (Aug. 22) and came out on the short end of a defensive struggle as the Sentinels prevailed 9-7.
The Pioneers were unable to move the ball much on the initial possession of the game and after the punt, Mountain Ridge got good field position at their own 43.
The Sentinels completed one 22-yard pass play which was key in helping them reach the red zone and they eventually scored after a penalty pushed the ball to the 3-yard line. However, senior defensive back Treyson Fabrizio blocked the PAT to keep the score at 6-0.
This initial lead by the home squad was not what Lehi was expecting, and the defensive unit responded by playing well the rest of the night. Mountain Ridge was held to 34 yards total rushing and the Sentinels were not able to convert any more big plays.
On the other hand, they were also pretty effective against the Lehi rush, and the Pioneer passing game was stymied by several drops, untimely penalties and other miscues.
Senior quarterback Wyatt Bingham led the drive that resulted in Lehi’s only score. It included a couple of runs by him for first downs and a surprise ending as the ball was handed to senior Briggs Love, normally a defensive lineman, who rumbled up the middle for a 3-yard score.
Senior kicker Bode Hammond converted on the point-after attempt so the Pioneers got a 7-6 advantage with 23 seconds left in the half.
The game might have ended that way except for an unlucky play late in the third quarter, when Lehi tipped a pass attempt and a Sentinel just happened to be in the right place to catch it. Mountain Ridge went on to score a 45-yard field goal with 7:55 remaining which gave them the winning edge.
“In the long scheme of things, I think we were a little overconfident,” said Coach Andy Hadfield. “We didn’t fix things in practice that needed to be fixed.
“On offense we need all 11 guys to execute their assignments or the whole unit looks bad,” he continued. “In this game, there was one guy almost every play that missed an assignment and that threw us off rhythm.
“It was a different guy every time too, not just one, which makes it hard to correct at game speed,” the coach added. “They made plays and we didn’t. Mountain Ridge came out with more fire and more energy, and we can expect that from every team. We’ll get everybody’s best shot.
“We didn’t respond the way we were supposed to,” Hadfield said. “They were able to do enough to keep the ball moving and out of our hands, which was part of their strategy. We also hurt ourselves with silly penalties. It’s tough to win when you’re in third-and-long a lot.
“Having the players trust each other is the ultimate goal, and we had too many kids in this game trying to play by themselves,” he said. “We all have to do a better job, coaches and players. If we win the next one, this loss goes away. Our goal is to win a championship and that hasn’t changed.
“Hopefully this loss helps us to be able to teach better and humbles the boys a bit and helps them to be more teachable,” the coach said. “They need to play for their brothers and trust each other. If they take it that way and stay hungry, we’ll be fine.”
The blocked kick was just one aspect of Fabrizio’s outstanding performance in the contest. He finished with four solo and eight combined tackles plus four pass deflections. Senior linebacker Vince Evans was also a force, with four solo and 15 combined tackles.
“Fabrizio had a heck of a game,” Hadfield said. “He competed on every play and was assignment-sound all night. Vince was a wrecking ball in there.”
Love added three solo and 10 combined tackles to his TD score. “Briggs does everything he’s supposed to do. He fills the gaps and is always there. He stood out on the defensive side a ton,” the coach added.
Senior defensive back Murph Madsen had three solo and six combined tackles plus an interception returned 41 yards. Senior defensive tackle Penisimani Takitaki had six hurries to go with his four tackles.
The Pioneers are on the road for the third consecutive week as they head to Boise, Idaho to take on the Kuna High School Kavemen on Friday (Aug. 29) at 7 p.m.
