High school football: Lone Peak rolls over American Fork

AMERICAN FORK — One of the most ferocious rivalries in Utah high school football was renewed when the Lone Peak Knights traveled to American Fork on Friday night. The Knights, after suffering a down season last year, were focused on revenge after the Cavemen defeated them last season in a game rife with stressors.

But this year it was all Knights, who rolled to a 23-0 victory and moved to 2-1 in conference play and 5-3 overall. The rivalry was made even more intense this season as first-year Lone Peak coach Tony McGeary spent 11 season at American Fork as an assistant to Davis Knight before making the move to the Knights' sideline.

It all started with a pair of American Fork turnovers on its first two possessions and went downhill from there for the Cavemen. They gave up another interception later in the game and suffered from bouts with several yellow flags as the penalties added up.

After fumbling the ball on their possession, the Cavemen defense held strong with a goal-line stand, stopping the Knights on the one-yard line. But though their next possession took plenty of time off the clock and lasted for 11 plays, the final play ended with an interception by Joey Haws.

That turnover was key as just three plays later Quade Chappuis took off from 49 yards out, running down the left sideline and taking the ball in for the Knights' first score of the game midway through the second quarter.

The rest of the first half passed without incident, but only four minutes into the third quarter the Knights drove the ball from the American Fork 46 to the two-yard line. On first and goal quarterback Tannon Pederson hooked up with Chandler Allphin, giving the Knights a 14-0 lead after the Ryne MacPherson kick.

After two possessions by each of the teams, American Fork again had the ball and after suffering a penalty and putting itself into a third-and-20 hole, American Fork quarterback Jordan Lusk threw the second interception of the game to Lone Peak's Johnny Curl, who then fell on the 26-yard line. Just three plays and an American Fork personal foul later, the Knights found themselves on the 38-yard line in the perfect position for Chappuis to make another break for it. In his second huge run of the contest, Chappuis broke free and ran the entire 38 yards for his second touchdown of the game and a 20-0 score. A 26-yard field goal by MacPherson ended the scoring on both sides.

The ice-cold wind threw a wrench into both sides' passing attacks as neither team could build up any momentum in the air until late in the fourth quarter.

The loss to Lone Peak has put American Fork into a hole in Region 4 competition after a loss to Spanish Fork two weeks ago, and the Cavemen now find themselves at 1-2 with a game next Wednesday at Pleasant Grove.

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