4A high school football semifinals: T-Birds turn back furious Mountain Crest comeback bid

Top-ranked Timpview survived.

Just barely.

Mountain Crest of Region 5 gave the two-time defending state football champs everything they could possibly handle — and then some — when those two teams collided in the semifinal round of the 4A tournament, but in the end, the T-Birds did just enough to extend their state-record winning streak to 35 games.

Timpview held Mountain Crest on 4th-and-8 from the Timpview 28-yard line with just over three minutes to go, and the T-Birds converted a pair of first downs on their subsequent possession to run out the clock and win, 37-35, Friday afternoon at Rice-Eccles Stadium.

Timpview will meet Cottonwood for the 4A championship next Friday.

Quarterback Casey Rumsey's 12-yard TD run gave the T-Birds a 31-13 lead with 6:17 left in the fourth quarter, and it appeared the Mustangs were left for dead.

But in reality, they were just getting started.

With gutsy sophomore QB Alex Kuresa at the controls, Mountain Crest traded shots with Timpview over the final quarter-and-a-half and nearly came up with a momentous upset.

Kuresa's TD pass to Matt Stewart with 6:24 left in the fourth quarter pulled Mountain Crest within two points, but that was as close as they got.

The Mustangs did force Timpview to punt on its ensuing possession, but Mountain Crest's drive broke down at Timpview's 28-yard line, and the T-Birds forced a turnover on downs.

Kuresa finished 26-of-40 for 344 yards and four touchdowns to pace Mountain Crest, while star receiver Travis Van Leeuwen scored two touchdowns and had 247 all-purpose yards for Timpview.

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