Two Returns Too Much for JUAB

The Payson Lions came out with a roar on Friday night returning the opening kickoff for a score. They then intercepted JUAB and scored for the second time on a short field. It looked a route in the making when the Lions scored on this touchdown pass to go up 20-0 with less then ten minutes off the game clock.

This is when JUAB showed that it was a team of great character as it marched down the field and scored. They added a two point conversion to cut the lead to 20-8. The JUAB defense tightened up at this point but was still victimized by a long pass play that would set up the final scoring play of the first half.

Payson looked to add more points before the half but JUAB came up with an interception to keep the score 27-8 at the half.

A 19 point deficit is what faced the Wasps as they took the field in the second half. They continued to grind out tough yards on the ground when they hit pay dirt from 6 yards out.

They failed on their two point attempt, leaving the score at 27-14. That score didn't last long though because the Lions returned the ensuing Kickoff for another touchdown, recapturing a 20 point lead after the PAT.

When the 4th quarter rolled around it seemed as though Payson had the game put away 34-14 but the fireworks were just beginning.

Showing a great amount of guts and determination the Wasps drove down the field and scored on a long pass, making the score 34-20.

Payson responded with a score of its own to make it 41-20 ball game. So for the third time JUAB trailed by 20 points. There was not an ounce of quit in the Wasps though as they bullied down the field and punched it in from a yard out.

Trailing 41-27 the Wasps then recovered the onside kick and scored another touchdown and added a 2 point conversion.

Payson found itself in a dog fight, three times up by 20 points now only up 41-36. The Lions pulled it together and managed to score once again jumping ahead 47-36. The only problem is the left too much time on the clock for the never say die Wasps. (Sadly at this point the batteries in my camera had died.) JUAB pulled out all the stops and tried some trickeration. A double pass worked for another 4th quarter touchdown. They again succeeded on the two point attempt and the game was 47-44. With a little under 3 minutes remaining and all 3 timeouts JUAB kicked it deep depending on their defense to hold. It did. The Wasps got the ball with about 2 minutes left and drove into Lion territory. This is were the improbable come back was stopped when a Lions safety intercepted a pass allowing Payson to finally run out the clock. (I feel the corner back on the play got away with some serious holding, but alas my camera was dead no video proof.) Final score Payson 47, JUAB 44

Honorable mention for player of the game: The referees. I'm not saying they gave this game to one team or took from another but there were way too many flags in this game when there shouldn't have been and not enough when there should. I can recall at least 5 personal fouls called. 3 against JUAB in one drive that aided the Lions to a touchdown. And 2 against the Lions in one drive which helped the Wasps to a score. Defensive holding and illegal contact were never called against Payson and they took advantage of this through out roughing up JUAB receivers. Meanwhile JUAB offensive lineman were pretty grabby but few calls were made. This game was incredible to watch but would have been even better with a better set of refs.

Play of the Game: Either Payson kick return for a touchdown. Given how well the Wasps defense played when Payson was forced to travel the entire distance of the field and that the game was decided by 3 points; it had to be these plays. You take one of them away you could safely assume JUAB would have been able to complete the comeback when they scored 30 fourth quarter points. I would lean toward the first as I feel the Lions rode that momentum to the quick 20 point lead which they barely held on to.

Player of the game: Devan Judd, QB, Payson Lions.

The kid threw 4 touchdown passes. I don't know what else to say really. He made plays when they really needed them allowing his team to hold on for a much needed win.

Random thoughts: I know most of the kids wearing pink gear are doing it because there favorite pro does, but at least we know some of that money is going to a great cause.... I liked how much music Payson played over the loud speakers at the game, but they need a greater variety. One can only listen to Gangnam Style so many times.... Speaking of Gangnam Syle if I were Payson's coach I would ban it from games from now on. Several times his players broke out into the signature dance. I feel it lead to a loss of focus which may, or may not, have lead to a massive let down that almost cost them the game. If I were in his shoes no more dancing on the sideline no matter how many points we are winning by.... With that being said I am not the coach and it was freaking hilarious to watch these kids dance on the sideline so here are some videos for your viewing enjoyment.

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BYU Picks Up First Win

Something clicked for the Cougars in week 3 of the season. They passed and ran the ball at will; moving with ease against the Falcons defense. Scoring on the only time they had the ball in the first half. The defense also played well with a bend but don't brake mentality shutting out the opposition in the first half.

The second half started out much the same as the first with Ryan Flake throwing his second touchdown pass of the game and putting the Cougars out front 12-0. The Falcons didn't quit though as they finally broke through part way into the second half cutting the lead in half 12-6. The Cougar offense had been bit by the turnover bug having two passes picked off and the defense was tiring. The Falcons were looking to tie they game up with the ball deep in Cougar territory and just under two minutes left. That is when the turnover bug struck the Falcons when BYU intercepted a pass in the end zone. The Falcons were left with no timeouts and the Cougars ran out the clock successfully to seal their first win of the season.

This week BYU will meet UVU for the first time ever on the football field. The game will start at 10 am at Lakeridge Jr High in Orem, UT come check it out.

Red Devils Pick Up First Win. Spoiling Homecoming Festivities.

Finally got to see a good game again after a few stinkers in a row. We traveled down the road to see Salem Hills host its homecoming game against the Springville Red Devils. I was shocked to learn that Springville had yet to win a game going into this contest. I had seen them play twice before, against Spanish Fork and Maple Mountain, in which they lost in close fashion. Payton Thorpe, the Springville QB, had really impressed me in those games and I thought they would have captured a victory by this point in the season. Salem Hills, on the other hand, had managed to secure a couple of victories. So this game looked to be a pretty good match up. I was not disappointed.

I don't know if Salem Hills were rocking alternate jerseys or if those are there normal digs but I loved the powder blue look they sported.

The reason why I ask if they are alternate is that they look nothing like the ones featured in the team photos in the program.

Back on track here the Sky Hawks would strike first part way through the first quarter on this pass play.

Nice little plays but guys if your gonna chest bump make sure you land on you feet afterward.

It looked like it might be another rough night for the Red Devil faithful but the offense responed in the second quarter with a bruising run play into the end zone to tie the game up.

After that score the defenses would tighten up for the rest of the first half and much of the third quarter.

 

Late in the third quarter the Red Devils finally broke through on this amazing pass and catch in the corner of the end zone to take a lead they would never relinquish.

The Red Devils defense pinned its ears back at this point and did not let the Sky Hawks score again and the offense added an insurance touchdown in the 4th to bring the final score to 21-7. Allowing Springville to get its first win of the season and put a damper on the Salem Hills homecoming celebration.

Honorable Mention for Player(s) of the Game: The Springville defense was lights out in this ball game. They allowed the one touchdown in the first quarter and then shut out the Sky Hawks the rest of the way. They provided constant pressure and stuffed the run consistently. Turning this game into a field position battle and then and outright up hill climb for the Sky Hawks.

Play of the Game: Is the above touchdown catch. The game had become a defensive slug fest at this point with plenty of 3 and outs and punts galore. When Springville finally broke through on this play they forced Salem Hills to have to do more than play field position ball and they were not up to the task. The type of catch made also woke up the entire Red Devil squad and put momentum squarely on their side.

Player of the Game: Payton Thorpe, QB, Springville.

 This young man has impressed me with his play and leadership in all three games I have seen him play in. He kept his team executing even when down and carried the load in the air and on the ground. I respect him and his coaches for not having folded after falling behind especially with a win less record going in. He had two touchdown passes on the game as well witch accounted for two thirds of the scoring.

Random Thoughts: Is homecoming not that big of a deal out here in Utah? Back home their are not just royalty chosen but each class makes a float and the town has a parade. Does anyone out here do that?... Still no play clock at a field I have been to.... We now have a Facebook page come check it out. It is where I will post all of the pictures I take at the games. All of the videos will be posted on YouTube as well.

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BYU's slow start leads to another close loss

Week 2 of the UTFL saw us Cougars draw the 9 am game against the Black Knights. (I don't know why they where yellow jersey's either.) I think the earliness had an impact on both teams as the first four possessions ended with turnovers.

After that the game settled down considerably and turned into a defensive battle. The score was tied at zero when half-time was reached. Both offenses would find rhythm in the second half though with the Black Knights scoring first and taking a 7-0 lead.

The Black Knight quarterback became a big difference maker at this point. He kept the Cougars guessing mixing up runs and pass plays and keeping plays alive with his feet.

The Cougars were able to respond late in the game scoring a touchdown to bring the score to 7-6. BYU decided to go for two and got called for a false start and then were victimized by a bad snap. The Black Knights would score another TD as time expired to bring the final score to 13-6.

Please subscribe to the blog, and follow me on twitter @bigward77. Also check out the youtube page http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAOgUl6H3SvnJRoT6YY25_A?feature=guide for more videos from our games and the high school games I attend. For more pics check out the BYU 9 man face book page https://www.facebook.com/groups/401286106592032/ . Come check us out this Saturday morning at Lakeridge Jr High as we take on the Falcons at 9 am. Thanks for reading.

Spanish Fork Dominates

The lights shined bright this past Friday night as Spanish Fork hosted Carbon for their homecoming contest. I use the term contest loosely because the game did not stay competitive for very long. Spanish Fork jumped out to quick 12-0 lead and never looked back.

I don't know how Utah decides what schools are what class but it was very clear to me that Carbon was in over there head. They have a couple of solid athletes, number 13 and 7 had some solid plays, but those two were running for the life all night long.

The game was out of hand by half time with the score 33-0.

 Shortly into the second half the back-ups entered the game for the duration but they were still able to run all over the field and dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

 

This dominance was displayed throughout the second half concluding the game with this scoring drive and a 56-0 victory.

 

 

Player of the game: In games like this there isn't really a play that swings the momentum and no one players contribution is irreplaceable. That being said I give the player of the game award to Spanish Fork's athletic director for scheduling Carbon for homecoming.

Random Thoughts: The common practice of scheduling "cupcakes" for homecoming is interesting to me. I get that you want to have a win before the big dance and making sure returning alumni go home happy, but 56-0 game is boring. I am not saying to schedule the state powerhouse and hope for a huge upset or even your schools arch rival, losing to them would be a huge downer for all of the home crowd, but why not schedule somebody who will at least make you keep your starters in the game. Coaches know the games on there schedule that are games they "should" win pick one of those and have a way more interesting game.... Speaking of blow out wins. I feel for Carbon. 56-0 is disheartening and the players are kids for crying out loud. On the other hand I don't know what else Spanish Fork could have done. They put in the back ups and they still scored.... I really hope the game I go to this week is more competitive. Any suggestions would be welcome. Thanks for reading.

BYU 9-Man Football club Vs. Utah Warriors

This past Saturday was the first week of the fall football season for the UTFL, Utah Tackle Football League. This is my second season playing in the league. I played last spring for the Ibex. That's right there is spring ball too.

This season I am playing with the BYU 9-man club team. That is me in the Orange helmet, don't worry I will have a black one this week. Our first game was against the Utah Warriors. I don't know if they are affiliated with the University of Utah or not.

The first half saw some jitters and our inexperience showed through. We have two guys on the team that have never played before and I am the only player that has played offensive line before. I however have never played center before witch is the position I am playing. We drove down early but were stop on a goal line stand. We scored a safety when the opposing QB committed intentional
grounding in his own end zone. They scored a TD however and it was 7-2 at the half.

The second half saw our offense come alive. We scored a touchdown early to take a 8-7 lead. The Warriors answered scoring another TD through the air and added a two point conversion to take a 15-8 lead. This is when we showed our metal and drove methodically down to field to score again with only 1:30 left in the game. We converted on the two point conversion taking a 16-15 lead.

Sadly for us the Warriors proved themselves again scoring a TD as time expired to win 21-16.

This game has me really excited for the season. Last spring the team I was on was not very good but we have tremendous speed and talented skill position players.

We are still looking for some more players, especially lineman, if you are interested let me know here. I am working on facebook and youtube pages for this team and remember to follow me on twitter @bigward77.

I will be doing a blog soon on the UTFL but for now check out their website www.hitsomeone.com. Thanks for reading.

Westlake falls at home to Olympus

Westlake High School played host to Olympus. I chose this game because the teams had the same record going in, 1-3, and it was a school near to some friends of mine in Saratoga Springs. I am going to be up front about this game. We arrived late with Olympus up 7-0 and my son was fighting a bit of a cold so we left at half time with Olympus up17-0. According to the Deseret News Olympus went on to win 26-6. This has been the second least exciting game I have watched this season. Before I started the blog I went to the Spanish Fork against Park City game and left at half as well. The Don's were up 20-0 at the half and went on to win 49-0 if I remember right.

I am not surprised after watching that these teams had 1-3 records going in. They seemed very inexperienced and the game was sloppy with plenty of turnovers and penalties as I was watching. The one positive I saw in this game is that Olympus took advantage of the turnovers they created and scored points.

Seeing I don't have much to say about the game I will post some of the better pics I got from the game.

Please let me know if there is a game you want me to cover and follow me on twitter @bigward77