Lehi Sports
Pioneer football dominates Cavemen in weather-shortened contest
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The Lehi High School football team controlled the action on both sides of the ball as the Pioneers overwhelmed American Fork 26-3 on Friday (Oct. 3).
A lightning delay was called with 9:40 left to play in the fourth quarter. After the required 30-minute waiting period, officials determined that it was still unsafe to return to the field, and the game was called at that point with the consent of both coaches.
Neither team was able to move the ball very far on their initial possessions, but Lehi made quick work of it on their second try.
A completed pass from senior quarterback Wyatt Bingham to senior wide receiver Jaxton Laddimore for a 10-yard pickup brought on a third-and-two for the Pioneers.
On the next play, Bingham made the handoff to senior running back Devaughn Eka, who powered through a giant hole opened by the offensive line and continued 72 yards to the endzone. Senior kicker Bode Hammond tacked on the PAT to give Lehi the 7-0 lead with 5:48 left in the initial period.
As it turned out, that was all the scoring the Pioneers would need, but no one knew that at the time. The home squad quickly got the ball back after forcing the Cavemen into a three-and-out on their next possession, but the punt pinned Lehi deep at their own 8-yard line.
Bingham skippered the Pioneers down the field, although American Fork’s defense and their own penalties sometimes dropped them behind the chains.
However, Bingham’s personal efforts combined with key plays by Eka, senior wide receiver Legend Glasker and senior tight end Bryton Niu kept the rock moving despite those hiccups and eventually it paid off as Eka crossed the line after juking a defender for the 6-yard score.
The PAT was blocked, so the margin remained at 13-0. The Cavemen completed one long pass on their next drive to get near the red zone, but an 8-yard sack by junior linebacker Brody Downs helped prevent the conversion of the next first down.
American Fork had to settle for a 47-yard field goal instead, reducing the deficit temporarily to 3-13 with 3:04 to play. That was more than enough time for Lehi to get another shot at putting points on the board.
Key catches by junior wide receiver Cam Wren and Niu plus runs from Eka and Bingham advanced the ball to the Caveman 25. After two American Fork pauses, Hammond split the uprights from 42 yards out to return the advantage to 13 points as time expired.
The Cavemen got the ball to start the second half. On the third play of the first series, the pass was intercepted by Laddimore in his defensive role and returned 32 yards to the AF 18.
“Jaxton is a really big piece of our team even though the stats may not show it,” said Coach Andy Hadfield. “He blocks well, he moves in space, and he has great hands. We’re also using him on defense.
“We have complicated schemes for both offense and defense, which makes it challenging for a player to learn both,” the coach said. “Jaxton is a smart, smart kid who can do both. For him to get this interception was just a cherry on top.”
Three plays later, Eka waltzed into the endzone for the third time for a 12-yard score and the Pioneers extended the lead to 23-3.
American Fork moved the ball well on the next drive with the help of a couple of penalties, but the Caveman starting quarterback fell awkwardly after scrambling for a short gain and had to leave the contest.
His team subsequently turned the ball over on downs at the Lehi 16-yard line. That possession ended in a punt, but the Pioneers soon got the ball back when it was snagged by senior defensive back Max Jenkins for the second pick of the night.
The teams made a couple of fruitless exchanges before Glasker broke a big punt return to set Lehi up at the AF 37.
On first down, Eka made some great moves on his way to a 16-yard gain. Niu picked up five more yards with a quick catch, but the drive stalled there and Hammond tacked on a 31-yard field goal to make it 26-3 with 11:51 remaining on the clock. The game was halted soon after that.
Bingham finished the night going 17-of-27 (63%) for 152 yards and one touchdown. He also carried nine times for 39 yards.
Eka rushed 15 times for 143 yards and two scores with five receptions for 40 yards and another touchdown. Glasker picked up 85 combined yards.
On the other side of the ball, senior linebacker Vince Evans continued his sterling season with four solo and eight total tackles, while Downs had three solo and seven overall tackles, including the sack and another one for a loss.
Senior defensive back Trey Fabrizio had five solo and six total tackles with two pass deflections and defensive lineman Briggs Love added seven combined tackles with two hurries.
“I first want to say how great our coaches did in preparing for this game,” Hadfield said. “My assistants did a great job putting a special game plan together and teaching it.
“We put in some new wrinkles, and the players executed their assignments. AF has some really good receivers, and for the most part our defensive secondary kept them in check. Getting a 20-point-plus win in this region is huge.
“We weren’t perfect; we still got unnecessary penalties and made a few misses here and there,” the coach continued. “But one thing I love about this team is that they will continue to play hard. As long as we stay assignment-sound, we’ll be all right.
“Wyatt’s leadership brings energy back to the team,” Hadfield went on. “We’re building the offense around him and what he does well. He’s getting the ball out quickly and keeping everyone involved, including more of our talented players.
“He’s doing a great job of facilitating getting the ball into our playmakers’ hands, and then they’re doing what we expect them to do,” the coach said. “Our O-line is still really, really good, and they are giving us the time we need.
“We’ve been able to quickly change from a high-powered passing game to a more balanced approach to take advantage of our various strengths.
“We’re still going to have to have explosive plays but our developing ability to sustain drives lets us move the chains, and when we move the chains, now we can take a shot sometimes,” Hadfield said. “That makes us a really dangerous offense.
“As I go through more of these games in this region, it goes up and down and at the end of the day, everybody’s good,” the coach said. “Any of these teams can win on any given night. It often comes down to the team that makes the fewest mistakes.
“If we minimize mistakes, we always have a real chance to win,” Hadfield said. “One of our main focuses now is to practice like you play and they’re buying into that and digging in.
“I feel like the team is responding to that and I’m growing up as a coach. We expect to continue to improve and compete every week,” Hadfield concluded.
The Pioneers (5-3, 1-1) will get their next chance on Thursday (Oct. 9), when they will visit Lone Peak (5-3, 1-2) to take on the Knights at 7 p.m.
