From Deseret News archives:
High school football: Hunter notches narrow win in homecoming thriller
"We needed a win," said Hunter head coach Dustin Pearce, fresh after a Gatorade bath. "It was a hard week of practice. I challenged the kids to step it up and they did."
Copper Hills turned the ball over three times, while the Wolverines gave it away five times. The biggest turnover of the evening came on the opening kickoff of the third quarter. Grizzlies return man Clay Ramone fumbled a handoff on an attempted reverse, and Hunter's Rico Montoya picked up the ball and returned it nine yards for a touchdown and a 13-7 Hunter lead.
Wolverines quarterback Brett Lunceford rushed for two touchdowns, while Rustin Tautioli racked up 32 yards on seven carries and Mone Moungaloa ran for 27 yards on 12 carries.
Copper Hills quarterback Josh Soler got off to a rough start, but finished 15-of-32 for 138 yards. He also threw for a touchdown and an interception. This included 7 completions on 15 attempts in the second half for 108 yards, a 23-yard touchdown pass to Chris Martinez, and a near miss on a drive that would have been the game-winner.
The frustration was evident in Soler's eyes as he shook hands with the Hunter players after the game.
Trailing 20-14 with 2:55 to play, the Grizzlies took over at the Hunter 35, thanks to a fumble recovery by Braxton Magalogo.
Soler moved the ball by drawing a five-yard facemask penalty and then quickly tossing a 17-yard completion to Kory Pimper. Two plays later, he moved the ball to the 15 on a four-yard keeper. On fourth-and-four from the 15, Soler looked to his left and threw, only to watch the Wolverines bat the ball to the ground as he fell to the turf in disbelief.
"Copper Hills is a good football team," Pearce said. "They really did some things tonight."
The Hunter touchdown that proved the difference came on a tough decision for the Wolverines. On fourth-and-goal from the 4, nursing a 13-7 lead, Pearce opted to try for the touchdown instead of a field goal.
"We wanted to go for the field goal, but we didn't like the angle," Pearce said.
His decision paid off as Lunceford faked a handoff up the middle, then ran for the touchdown with 8:04 to play.
