Lehi Sports
Pioneer football prevails over Arizona team
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The Lehi High School football team earned a solid 27-12 win at home on Friday (Sept. 4) over the Patriots of American Leadership Academy out of Queen Creek, Arizona.
ALA won the toss and elected to receive but the Patriots were held to a single yard on their initial possession, so they had to punt it away and Lehi started with great field position on the ALA 49.
On first down, senior quarterback Briggs Jensen connected with senior wide receiver Kyson Butterfield for 12 yards to begin the march. After a penalty backed up the ball to create a 2nd-and-28, the Pioneers opened the bag of tricks.
Butterfield caught a short pass and then pitched to junior running back Cam Bryce, who raced to the 22-yard line. Two plays later, sophomore wide receiver Hendrix Cluff caught a touchdown toss from there to get Lehi on the board. Senior kicker Finn McBride’s PAT made it 7-0 with 8:31 left in the first quarter.
On the subsequent Patriot drive, a throw on third down was intercepted by junior defensive back Matai Mama at the 41-yard line and the Pioneers quickly cashed in as Jensen hit Bryce for a 16-yard touchdown and the McBride PAT moved the advantage to 14-0 with 5:09 still to play in the period.
ALA was able to sustain a drive on the next possession and reached the Lehi 9, but a tackle-for-loss by senior defensive lineman Trey Nelson and a big sack by senior defensive lineman Tautai Meredith forced them to try a 36-yard field goal and the attempt was blocked by senior defensive back Porter Hobbs.
Starting on their own 28-yard line, the Pioneers moved quickly once again. On first down, junior tight end Jax Sweat picked up 44 yards with a catch-and-run. The next two Jensen throws went to Bryce for 15 yards and junior wide receiver Beckham Cluff for 12 yards to reach the 1-yard mark.
Bryce took it over from there, but the PAT hooked just right so the score stood at 20-0 with 8:37 remaining in the second quarter.
The Patriots got a nice return after the kickoff but only went backwards from there with the help of another big sack, this one from sophomore defensive lineman Brody Mellor. The punt on 4th-and-21 put Lehi back in business at the ALA 41.
The Pioneers hampered their progress with penalties during this drive, but they kept the ball moving with ground yards from senior running back Sam Verbecky and completions to senior Vince Ruelas, Beckham Cluff and senior Cam Wren to reach the red zone.
Beckham Cluff scored on the 8-yard snag to further the Lehi advantage to 27-0 after the PAT with 1:44 left in the half. A fourth-down deflection by sophomore defensive back Hendrix Cluff ended the final Patriot drive as the ball turned over on downs and Jensen took a knee to run out the clock.
ALA made some adjustments and moved the ball better in the second half. The Patriots finally got on the board late in the third period, but two other drives were ended by sophomore defensive back Eli Cole’s picks deep in the red zone. He also had six solo tackles in the game.
The Patriots made an interception late in the fourth quarter and returned it 95 yards to complete the tally for the night. Both of their PAT attempts failed, with one blocked by senior linebacker Brody Downs, who also had 12 tackles, two hurries and a fumble caused in the contest to lead the defense.
Jensen finished an effective outing completing 27-for-42 (64%) of his passes for 390 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. The seven receivers as a group had a great night, all but one of them averaging in double digits per catch.
Wren had seven receptions for 77 yards, Sweat picked up 72 yards on three catches and Ruelas snagged four for 57 yards. Bryce carried 10 times for 48 yards and added 60 yards on four receptions as well.
“We practiced well, refocused, locked in and came out playing really well at the start,” said Coach Andy Hadfield. “We didn’t finish the game the way we wanted but I’m happy with the result. As coaches we’re trying to help the kids stay focused on the next play and continuing to make progress.
“I really liked how the boys responded after the last game,” he continued. “The guys bought in to what we were trying to teach and were ready to go and they came out that way tonight.
“It was nice to put points on the board early. I thought Briggs looked as good as we’ve ever seen in his first half. The whole team played hard, moved the ball and we got a lot of first downs. This allowed us to give the defense some time off the field, which helps them to stay fresh,” Hadfield said.
“I was really impressed with how we brought physicality, especially on the offensive line. We had a few penalties, but our guys were dominating them in the trenches. Luke Lewis is a sophomore and he played well,” the coach went on.
“Brandon Tuuholoaki has been a defensive guy his whole life, but he’s adapted really well to his role. The offensive line gave Briggs time to throw, and so he was able to play the way we know he can. We had some good talks with the players this week and they came out on fire.
“It was fun to see receivers catch balls, and the momentum just steamrolled from there,” Hadfield said. “Jax Sweat stepped up and filled the tight end spot and looked good. He did his job. That’s a key position for us and we need someone solid in that spot. It’s good to have another option in the rotation.
“The defense also played well, as they have from the start,” the coach said. “Our young defensive secondary is figuring it out. Turnovers are a big help and set things up for our offense. This was a good matchup and a good opportunity to progress in our preparation for the region season.
“It’s so competitive now that the team that commits the fewest mistakes and makes the plays they have to have is going to come out on top,” Hadfield said. “Any team in our region can beat any other on any given night. We have to prepare to be at our best every game.”
This week the Pioneers will visit Weber on Friday (Sept. 11) at 7 p.m. for one last warmup before league play starts. “Weber returns a lot of guys off last year’s young team,” Hadfield said.
“They have a good coach who’s been doing it a while and they play their assignments. Their quarterback is a great player and we’re going to have to contain him,” the coach concluded.
