High school football: Provo wins battle of Cinderellas

PROVO — Provo and Ogden took a break from region play to find out just how good each team really is this season. Both teams came into Friday night's matchup with just one loss, and both have been considered Cinderella teams after struggling in years past. Nevertheless, it was the Bulldogs that proved to be the contenders as they escaped with a 27-21 win over the Tigers to make a statement in 4A.

"It was a heck of a win for our boys," said Provo coach Saia Pope. "To come out and get this victory is a big confidence booster for us."

Despite an interception on the Tigers first possession of the game, Ogden (1-1, 5-2) quarterback Nik Allred regained his composure, and after the Tiger defense forced the Bulldogs into a missed field goal attempt, led his team methodically down the field. Allred made plays with his arm and his legs, as he capped the drive himself with a 17-yard touchdown run to give Ogden an early lead 6-0.

Eventually, the turnovers caught up to Ogden as Allred threw another interception early in the second quarter. This time the Tigers were threatening to take a two-touchdown lead over the Bulldogs when Provo (3-0, 6-1) defensive back Maka Unufe made the pick and returned the ball near midfield. The all-everything standout from Provo would later score for the Bulldogs from the wide receiver position. His double move froze the defensive back from Ogden and allowed Unufe to get the step he needed to catch quarterback Matt Griner's pass for a 32-yard touchdown to give Provo a 7-6 lead.

Unufe wasn't finished yet. After the defense held, the Bulldogs made their way into Tiger territory before Unufe struck again. A misdirection sweep to Unufe resulted in a 43-yard touchdown run, his second of the game, putting Provo ahead at the half 14-6.

Fortunately for Ogden, Allred wasn't finished either. He led his offense on a time-consuming drive early in the third quarter by finding his big receiver Eric Porter and by making plays with his legs when the Provo containment broke down. A four-yard pass from Allred to Kel Robbins capped the drive, and after Allred found Porter for the two-point conversion, the score was knotted 14-14.

The Tigers began to control the momentum, and the game, as Ogden again used a long drive to take the lead 21-14 as Allred pranced into the end zone from a yard out. Not to be out done, the Bulldogs mounted a scoring drive of their own after a big return on the kickoff set Provo up on the Tiger 23-yard line. The Bulldogs scored several plays later when Kyler Hamilton trudged into the end zone to tie the score again 21-21.