High school football: Wasps sting Templars with late touchdown

MANTI — Before the Juab Wasps and Manti Templars took the field Manti offensive coordinator Dave Stevens predicted that the team that won the turnover battle would win the game. With four minutes left to play those words proved prophetic. Manti's Zach Bown went high on defense and came up with what looked like an interception, but Juab's Tevan Valtinson reached over Bown's shoulder to take the ball away and fall into the end zone. The score proved to be the difference in Juab's 28-21 victory over the Templars.

Things started off rough for Manti when they fumbled the ball on their first play of the game. The Templar defense held and Manti got the ball back on their own two yard line. Manti used the trio of Devan Fowles, Jeremy Palmer and Bown to march 98 yards for the first score of the game when Bown went untouched into the end zone from the two.

Unable to get their running game going against the Templars, Juab quarterback Brock Orme used his scrambling ability to open up the passing game. A four yard TD pass to Taran Wright deadlocked the score at seven.

With 48 seconds left in the first half Orme found Brady Hansen for a 23 yard TD pass and the Wasps held a 14-7 lead at the intermission.

Juab went 79 yards on the opening drive of the third quarter capping it off with a seven yard pass to Ryan Worwood.

Another defensive stand Manti had the Wasps punting from their own 24. The Templars rush pushed Juab's blockers back and the punt bounced off a wasp helmet. Manti recovered the ball on the Juab 16 and, five plays later, scored on a two yard run by Bown.

The interception that wasn't for Valtinson's touchdown made the score 28-14 for the Wasps. With four minutes left to play Manti's Devan Fowles took the pitch from quarterback Brady Aste, slipped inside a block and went 76 yards to narrow the Juab lead to seven.

A Juab punt gave Manti the ball with just over a minute to play. A pair of pass completions to Allen Fowles got Manti to the Juab 43, but time ran out for the Templars and Juab handed them their first region loss of the year.

Manti finished the game with 246 yards rushing. Fowles carried for 111 yards, Bown had 93 and Palmer gained 46. Aste completed four of 13 passes, connecting with Allen Fowles for 16 yards and Braden Jackson for 24 yards.