Lehi Sports
Pioneer football uses speed and skill to top Thunder
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The gridiron stars were out under a spectacular near-full moon Friday night (Sept. 5) as the Lehi High School football team rode chunk plays and domination in the trenches to a 42-14 victory over scrappy Desert Hills in the home opener for the Pioneers, who pushed their record to 3-1 on the season.
The atmosphere in the stadium was electric for Coach Andy Hadfield’s first home game since the hometown hero took over the program.
In their new black and purple uniforms, the team was led onto the field by the youth league players amidst a shower of sparks. The junior cheerleaders entertained the crammed stands on both sides of the field along with the high school drill team and cheer squads during the halftime break.
The band gave vigorous accompaniment to the action on the field throughout the night, and there was plenty to celebrate. The game was an even bigger blowout than the score makes it look because the Thunder didn’t score until late in the game.
It didn’t take long for the fireworks on the field to get started. The Pioneers won the toss and deferred, so Desert Hills got the ball first but didn’t get very far. The Thunder punted after two series and Lehi’s troops took over on their own 44-yard line.
On the very first play from scrimmage, junior quarterback Cash Hollingshead got his impressive night started with a toss to junior wide receiver Cam Wren, who took off for a 56-yard touchdown.
Senior kicker Bode Hammond converted the PAT for a 7-0 lead at the 8:14 mark of the first quarter.
During the next Desert Hills series, senior defensive lineman Briggs Love made a sack for an eight-yard loss when it was third-and-5, forcing the Thunder to punt once more. This Pioneer drive started with even better field position at the Desert Hills 45-yard line.
It took Lehi all of three plays to reach the endzone again. Senior running back Devaughn Eka carried 12 yards for a first down, then senior wide receiver Legend Glasker made a catch for the next one at the 15-yard line.
Finally, senior tight end Bryton Niu finished the drive with a reception near the left edge to push the advantage to 14-0 with 5:27 still to play in the period.
Not even a punt was required for the next change of possession. After a run for no gain and an incomplete pass, on third down senior defensive back Treyson Fabrizio stepped in front of a Thunder receiver and returned the pick 28 yards.
Hollingshead then converted the turnover into points by connecting with Glasker for a 25-yard score to bring the tally to 21-0 at the 2:58 mark. The Pioneers had scored three times in a few ticks beyond five minutes.
Desert Hills finally mounted a decent drive in the middle part of the second quarter and approached the redzone. The Thunder decided to go for it on a fourth-and-11 at the 23-yard line, but they were stopped there for no gain by junior defensive lineman Vahafolau Esikia.
On the next play, Hollingshead tossed a screen pass to Eka on the right sideline, and he sprinted to the endzone for a 77-yard score, hurdling a would-be tackler along the way. Hammond’s kick made it 28-0 with 7:29 left to the half.
Glasker got his second touchdown of the evening 12.5 seconds before the break, this one from nine yards out, to send Lehi to the locker room with a 35-0 advantage.
The Pioneers got the ball to start the second half. On the second play of the first series, Eka took off with it and ran 74 yards for his second touchdown to finish the team total for the evening at 42-0 just 1:25 into the third period.
The reserves took over at that point. Desert Hills played hard throughout the game and managed to earn two rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter to avoid a complete shutout.
Behind great protection from his offensive line, Hollingshead completed 10-of-12 (83%) passes for 239 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions for a sterling QB rating of 163.2.
Eka accounted for a combined 192 yards. Glasker finished with 84 all-purpose yards. Wren garnered four catches for 82 yards.
Junior linebacker Brody Downs led the defense with four solo and 12 total tackles and senior linebacker Vince Evans added three solo and 10 total tackles.
Senior defensive end Penisimani Takitaki, senior defensive back Murphy Madsen, Love and senior linebacker Noah Waite also posted standout defensive performances in the contest.
“The players were excited to be playing at home,” said Coach Andy Hadfield. “They came out with a little more energy and were also fired up about the new black uniforms. It was fun to see them go out and feed off the momentum and do what makes them special.
“Desert Hills is a really well-coached team,” he continued. “Even though we’re a big team, they had a lot of size too and were able to use it. This was a good test for us, and we took a step forward tonight.”
Hadfield reiterated that the defense has been a big key to the success the team has enjoyed to this point. “Our defensive front seven are just animals; they run to the ball, fly around and plug holes, everything you want from a defense.
“Brody Downs played lights out,” he went on. “Evans was unbelievable while Takitaki is a man among boys. It’s fun as a fan to watch them. Kacyn Page is our only junior lineman and it’s remarkable that a kid his size is able to run down and make blocks.”
Hadfield also gave props to the offensive linemen, who helped create opportunities for the high-profile skill players to do what they do.
“When Devaughn gets out in open space, it’s like he was shot out of a cannon,” the coach said. “No one can catch him. He’s a special, talented kid and one we’re going to lean on and expect big things from along with Legend, who ran just a beautiful route on his first touchdown.
“As for our quarterback, the ball came out quicker and came out with decisiveness and there was some of the progress we’re looking for,” Hadfield said. “As a team we’ve come closer, and we played better.
“Of course, there were a few errors going both ways that we have to fix,” the coach said. “Just winning a game isn’t good enough here. Our players, the coaches and the community expect more. Our opponents are going to get better so we must keep working and improving.
“We also challenged the players to always remember that we’re having fun playing a game that we love,” Hadfield added. “When things go well, let’s get excited. When things go wrong, remember it’s just one play.”
This week Lehi hosts Weber on Friday (Sept. 12) at 7 p.m.
