High school football: Lone Peak holds off T-Wolves

OREM — A shortened week after a big win can make a team fall flat in its next outing, and that's exactly what happened to the Lone Peak Knights as they battled through a tie score midway through the fourth quarter to come away with an intense 19-13 victory that cemented them a spot on the playoffs.

The Knights are now 3-1 in Region 4 play, but the game wasn't as easy as they'd have liked. Combine a sloppy outing by a team sporting several key injuries with an intense and solid performance from the home team, and the game was much closer than many had predicted.

The Knights drew first blood in the first quarter, but it was the special teams that found themselves in the end zone. The Timberwolves were backed onto the 16-yard line, and the snap flew over the punter's head. He then ran back and attempted to punt out of the back of the end zone, but the punt was blocked and Zane Mendenhall fell on top of the ball in the end zone for the touchdown. Ryne MacPherson added a successful point after to give Lone Peak a 7-0 lead.

But that was the only time either team sniffed points in the first half.

It was a different story as the third quarter started, and the Knights took the ball 80 yards on their first drive of the second half with short to midrange gains, ending in a five-yard touchdown run by Quade Chappuis. They appeared to have a solid advantage with the 13-0 lead.

"We came out flat and banged up. Our offense sputtered, and at halftime we decided to make a statement, and then we quickly drove down and scored," said Lone Peak coach Tony McGeary, who noted that his team has overcome some serious injuries this season, most notably to Kade Andrus, and is still playing well.

The Knights' 13-0 lead was to be short lived, however, as their defense, which was on the field much of the night and looked solid, gave up a couple of quick scores before the third quarter ended.

The Timberwolves and quarterback Parker Brown drove 65 yards down the field with 2:54 remaining in the quarter and scored on a five-yard run by Jordan Pili.

Just over a minute later Lone Peak fumbled on the 26-yard line and Jordan Pettis picked it up, giving the T-Wolves possession. Just one play later Brown was the recipient of a 26-yard touchdown pass from Brooks Fowler to tie the game with 1:42 left in the third quarter.

The Knights finally got their offense working again on their first possession of the fourth quarter, going 82 yards downfield, culminating in a one-yard touchdown run by Jared Fenton, which proved to be the game-winner.

The Knights survived an interception late in the fourth as the T-Wolves couldn't come up with a first down in Lone Peak territory.

Justin Nickle and Joe Kruger each had powerful outings for the T-Wolves on both sides of the ball.

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