Lehi Sports
Pioneer football perseveres against private-school power
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The Lehi High School football team took on the St. James Performance Academy team from Springfield, Virginia, in the inaugural Panther Classic at West High School on August 29.
This school specializes in preparing athletes for collegiate competition and has facilities that would be the envy of many such institutions. Head Coach Darryl Overton has 20 assistants and said that virtually every starter on his team has Division I offers; some have as many as 50 bids.
The inexperienced Pioneers struggled against this program’s elite athletes and fell to the visitors from the Washington D.C. area 66-0. However, Lehi played hard to the final whistle and competed better in the second half after making some adjustments during the break.
“The biggest thing in a game like that is to not have too many injuries,” said Coach Andy Hadfield. “Other teams refused to play them, but we said we would play anyone. You learn a lot more from playing the best than you do from running over teams everyone expects you to beat.
“Of course, we try to win every game, and the boys don’t like to lose, but as long as we’re getting better, it’s worth it to test ourselves in a contest like this,” the coach said.
“That’s as good of an offensive line as I’ve ever seen at the high school level,” Hadfield went on. “They were not just big but moved really well. Their skill players had outstanding speed and were uncatchable if they got a step or two ahead. Despite that, our guys were still able to make some plays.
“Our defensive line did a good job holding their own against a really good opponent,” the coach continued. “Trey Nelson was double-teamed a lot but still did his job. Tautai Meredith, Sterling Fillmore, Carter Smith and Brody Mellor all held up well despite the pressure.”
Senior linebacker Brody Downs played with his hair on fire as he always does and racked up four solo and 10 total tackles plus a sack for a loss of 14 yards. Nelson had the other sack for a 10-yard loss as well as four tackles. Fillmore had three solo among four tackles including one for a loss.
Senior linebacker Colt Kelley and sophomore defensive back Hendrix Cluff each added six tackles while senior defensive back Porter Hobbs had five tackles and an interception. Senior linebacker Paul Unga and sophomore cornerback Li’i Unga also had five tackles apiece.
“We had a tough time gaining any yards on the ground, but our running backs Sam Verbecky and Cam Bryce still hung in there,” Hadfield said. “Cam Wren has been pretty consistent on offense and isn’t scared to compete against anyone.”
Wren was the top offensive producer in the contest with nine receptions for 71 yards and also had a kickoff return for 24 yards. Verbecky posted a net 19 yards on three catches and two rushes. Senior wide receiver Kyson Butterfield managed two catches for 12 yards.
“Our second half was much better,” Hadfield said. “We did move the ball and did compete a bit more. We got to the red zone twice even though we didn’t get in. These boys showed some real resilience and determination despite the challenges of the situation.
“We’re going to move on past this game pretty quickly,” he said. “We’ll work on fixing a few things and look forward to what’s coming next.”
This week the Pioneers will take on another out-of-state team, the Patriots of American Leadership Academy out of Queen Creek, Arizona. Lehi will host this contest on Friday (Sept. 4) at 7 p.m.
“I really believe in this team and their character,” Hadfield said. “They will lean on each other as we go forward. We’re excited about this game; they’ve been really good to work with and we’ll have a chance to go back next year and play them at their place.”
Photos by Jim Ballard.
