High school football: 5 intriguing flashback results from Week 7

Beaver boasted a 15-game win streak heading into Week 7 and it took five overtime periods for North Summit to finish off the Beavers in a 16-14 win.
It was a defense-heavy game, with regulation ending in a 12-12 tie. North Summit held a slim lead for most of the game with two field goals from Sean Whitaker in the second and fourth quarters. Meanwhile, the Braves’ defense held Beaver scoreless until the fourth quarter.
Beaver finally scored with a quick succession of touchdowns from Deegan Blackner and Bodie Wheatley to take the 12-6 lead. However, North Summit scored its first and only touchdown of the game late in the fourth quarter behind a monster 54-yard run from Jake Smith.
Neither team could score on any of the two-point conversions in the first or second overtime periods, but Beaver took the 14-12 lead in triple overtime which North Summit had to match or lose the game.
The Braves’ Smith found McKade Nelson to match Beaver 14-14 and pushed the game into a fourth overtime period. After its defense held on yet again in the fifth overtime, North Summit’s Smith once again came through with a two-yard run on the conversion to defeat Beaver 16-14.
“Both teams had opportunities to end the game both in regulation and in the overtimes, but I was proud of our kids for their resilience through the rough patches of the game,” said North Summit head coach Jerre Holmes. “It was a classic because of the five overtimes, but also because every kid on both teams played his heart out to the final play.”
Since 1972 the Beavers and Braves have played 25 times, with Beaver winning 18 times which includes its last seven matchups. The last time North Summit defeated Beaver was a 12-0 victory in 2011.
The win also marks the first time North Summit has had a 7-0 record since 2007, which was the first year of back-to-back state titles for the Braves.
The once-dominant titan of Utah high school football, Bingham, struggled in its first five games of the season. The Miners certainly had a difficult non-region schedule which included Region 3 powerhouses Lone Peak, Lehi and Skyridge, along with defending 4A champion Crimson Cliffs. The Miners only managed a 1-4 record, averaging just 11.4 points per game.
Bingham is starting to look better in Region 2 play with a 35-14 win over Copper Hills and a dominant 21-0 shutout win over Herriman in Week 7.
The Miners’ offense struggled for the first three quarters, only scoring one touchdown in the second quarter on a run from Filisi Filipe. Bingham’s offense broke through again early in the fourth on a touchdown pass from Tyson Dunn to John Kulimushi.
The lead was extended even further with an 80-yard interception return from Charger Doty to keep Herriman scoreless and secure the 21-0 win.
While its offense has struggled, Bingham’s defense has been among the best in 6A. The Miners have only allowed 123 points this season, for an average of 17.57 points allowed per game. The only team who has allowed less is Lehi, who is dominating defensively with only 74 points allowed for an average of 10.57 points per game.
Bingham’s defense has also caused season lows for four of its seven opponents, those being Lone Peak, Crimson Cliffs, Copper Hills and Herriman. Bingham will face Riverton in Week 8, and will face a big test in Week 9 against Corner Canyon.
Hurricane was voted to finish last in Region 9 in this year’s preseason coaches’ poll. The reasoning is understandable when you look at the Tigers’ recent history where they have only nine wins in the past five seasons.
It’s also been over a decade since Hurricane won a region title, the last time being in 2012 when it shared the region title with Desert Hills.
First year head coach Jerry Cowan already has his team in a better spot with a 2-2 region record after a convincing 35-7 road win over Snow Canyon in Week 7. Hurricane lost its last seven matchups against Snow Canyon, with its last win being 2016. It is also the fewest points Hurricane has held Snow Canyon to since 2012.
The Tigers jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first half on Friday behind a 47-yard touchdown pass from Dylan Gabriel to Austyn McRoberts and a touchdown run from Gabriel. Snow Canyon scored early in the third quarter, but Hurricane’s defense completely shut out the Warriors for the rest of the game.
Hurricane flexed with a 75-yard touchdown reception from Gabriel to McRoberts, and a 63-yard interception return from Kulani Matsuoka early in the fourth quarter to secure its first win over Snow Canyon in eight years.
Davis has had the most productive offense in 6A with a 40.43 point per game average while running a pass heavy offense. Darts’ quarterback Tradon Bessinger has been among the best in the state with 2055 yards so far this season, averaging 293.6 passing yards per game for 28 touchdowns and only four interceptions.
Despite the Darts’ hot offense, Fremont held them to just 10 points and the Silverwolves impressed yet again with a 19-10 win over Davis to take sole possession of the top spot in Region 1.
Fremont has not won a Region title since it shared one with Roy in 2016 and if Fremont holds onto its top spot it would be the first outright region title since 2014.
The Silverwolves were first to strike with a 7-0 lead after a touchdown reception from Manase Tuatagaloa to Zach Masters in the first quarter. Davis was quick to match as Bessinger connected with Jaxton Itaaheau in the end zone.
From there the Fremont defense was unrelenting and gave up only a field goal late in the third. The Silverwolves’ offense capitalized with Tuatagaloa connecting with Masters again, and Tuatagaloa ran into the end zone late in the fourth for the 19-10 win.
After starting its season 0-2, Fremont has won five in a row for a 5-2 record and holds a 2-0 record in Region 1.
Ridgeline has been one of the best teams in 4A, with the RiverHawks sitting second in the current 4A RPI rankings. They are also tied at the top of a competitive Region 11 with Sky View, as both teams hold a 3-0 region record.
The RiverHawks continued to roll in Week 7 as they broke the school record for largest margin of victory and most points scored in a single game in a 68-0 rout over Logan.
“We seem to be hitting our stride right now playing pretty good on both sides of the ball.” said Ridgeline head coach Travis Cox. “Offensively speaking, we’ve been able to run the ball effectively all year and I think our passing game is starting to come along.”
RiverHawks’ junior quarterback Nate Dahle got his offense going with two touchdown passes in the first quarter. Dahle ended the game with four passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown.
The Ridgeline offense ended the night with 10 total touchdowns, with Kaden Wiser and JT White each scoring two rushing touchdowns.
“You build a bunch of momentum throughout the year, you start adding stuff and I think it’s kind of all clicked that night,” said Cox. “Logan’s playing a bunch of young guys, they’re just trying to build a program there, and so I think we just kind of caught them at a time where they also had a few injuries. I think the timing of it all helped us score as much as we did.”
Ridgeline improved to 3-0 in Region 11 and looks to take sole possession in this week’s Thursday night matchup with Sky View. The winner of Thursday’s game will remain as the sole undefeated team in Region 11.