Lehi Sports
Pioneer football tops Cavemen with late-game heroics
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
In an intense, back-and-forth rivalry contest, the Lehi High School football team overcame its own mistakes with heart and superlative effort to claim a hard-earned 20-19 victory at American Fork on Friday (Oct. 2) which wasn’t decided until the final minute.
The Pioneers took over the lead 14-13 after a rushing touchdown from junior running back Cam Bryce with 8:10 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Cavemen answered on their next possession with a drive that culminated in a spectacular catch in the end zone. They went for two to try to expand the advantage to seven points but weren’t able to convert, leaving the score at 19-14 in their favor with 5:21 left to play.
Starting from their own 24-yard line after a near-turnover on the kickoff, Lehi launched a drive that was full of heroics. Senior wide receiver Cam Wren got it started with a short catch turned into long yards by his shifty run.
Senior quarterback Briggs Jensen used his legs to convert on 3rd-and-long for the next first down. A facemask call moved the ball to the AF 30-yard line. On 4th-and-1 at the 21, Bryce bulled to the 19 with extra effort to give his team another shot at the end zone.
On the next play, Jensen connected with senior tight end Zeke Clements, who had managed to get himself open between two defenders and sprinted to the end zone untouched to get the lead back at 20-19 with 1:01 remaining. The Lehi two-point pass attempt was deflected.
The drama wasn’t over quite yet. American Fork busted a huge return on the subsequent kickoff and only Wren’s tackle at the Lehi 49 saved a touchdown.
However, a pass attempt on first down was intercepted by sophomore defensive back Eli Cole and the Pioneers finished off the win in the victory formation.
Check back later for the full story and more photos.
