Box Elder did everything a team is supposed to do when its season is slipping away. Woods Cross just had the ball last.
The No. 14 seed Wildcats led the No. 3 seed Bees 16-0 in Brigham City with under seven minutes to play. Judd Howells scored on a 3-yard run and the two-point try made it 16-8. Teiyon Halbasch answered with a 56-yard touchdown run, and at 23-8 with 2:13 left, that should have been the game.
It wasn't. Josh Pugsley took the next kickoff 94 yards. Box Elder got the ball back, Kadyn Reyes scored from a yard out with one second on the clock, and Howells ran in the two-point conversion. Twenty-three all.
That's 15 points in the final two minutes of a playoff game. I'm not sure there's a better comeback that didn't end in a win.
Because it didn't. Box Elder kicked a 32-yard field goal in overtime to go up 26-23, and Woods Cross gave the ball to Sam Bahr, who had already scored twice. He went in from 2 yards out. Woods Cross 29, Box Elder 26.
That was one of four upsets on the first night of Utah's 6A, 5A and 4A tournaments, and it might not have been the wildest finish.
The top of the bracket didn't blink
Before the chaos, the chalk. All six No. 1 and No. 2 seeds won, and the three No. 1 seeds, Skyridge, West and Ridgeline, won by a combined 153-0.
Mountain Ridge beat Cedar Valley 50-6 and is 11-0. West beat Roy 63-0 and is 11-0 too, and so is Ridgeline, the defending 4A champion, after a 45-0 win over Mountain View of Orem. Orem, the defending 5A champion, beat Timpview 55-7, five weeks after beating the same team 17-14.
Herriman beat Weber 55-6. Hurricane handled Park City 45-7. Corner Canyon, the three-time defending 6A champion, beat Bingham 35-7 and won like a team that has been here before, because it has.
Provo needed 40 seconds
Stansbury, the No. 3 seed in 4A, thought it had this one. Brighton Reutzel hit Kegan Morris for a 6-yard touchdown with 1:23 left, and the Stallions led 23-20 with 83 seconds to play.
Provo needed 40 of them. Kaleo Teriipaia found Brexton Hunter for a 71-yard touchdown with 43 seconds on the clock. The extra point missed, and it didn't matter. Liam Schoenrock had caught two touchdown passes in the first half to get Provo there.
Two No. 14 seeds beat No. 3 seeds on the same night. Provo goes to No. 6 Skyline next, and Skyline is coming off a 49-19 win over Pine View in which Jonah Mailei scored five touchdowns, according to the Deseret News.
Pleasant Grove went back to Spanish Fork
On Sept. 19, Pleasant Grove lost 28-24 at Spanish Fork. Six weeks later the No. 10 seed Vikings went back to the same field as the road team and won by 24.
Pleasant Grove took control before halftime. Ben Lyman kicked two field goals, Corbin Robbins scored twice, the second on an 8-yard catch from Cannon Jacobson with 10 seconds left in the half, and Pleasant Grove led 20-3 at the break. Davian Akwenye put a bow on it with a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown with 1:23 to go. Final: Pleasant Grove 34, Spanish Fork 10.
The reward is a trip to Orem, which beat Pleasant Grove 35-10 on Oct. 2. Revenge worked once this week. We'll see if the Vikings have a second one in them.
Syracuse had an answer every time
Westlake scored first, and Ashton Taylor ran for three touchdowns. It didn't matter, because the No. 11 seed Titans had an answer for every one of them.
Bo Metcalfe broke a 68-yard touchdown run, and Ledger Wight hit Parker Moffat for a 55-yard score. When Westlake pulled within 14-13 late in the second quarter, Moffat took the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown 14 seconds later. Westlake never got that close again. Syracuse led 21-13 at the half, Wight ran for a 28-yard score after the break, and the Titans won 35-19.
Next up for Syracuse is Corner Canyon. It's the hardest road in the 6A bracket, and the Titans already proved they don't mind traveling.
Two more that went to the wire
Salem Hills and Mountain Crest needed two overtimes. Salem Hills went first in the second extra period, Cash Hollingshead hit Gordon Wilson for an 11-yard touchdown, and the two-point conversion made it 29-21. Mountain Crest scored right back and went for two to tie it. The run came up short. Salem Hills 29, Mountain Crest 27.
Snow Canyon trailed Sky View 13-2 at halftime and scored the last 14 points of the game, winning 16-13. Sky View didn't score after the break.
The rest of the night
Highland of Salt Lake City beat Bear River 70-42. That's 112 points, the most in any 6A, 5A or 4A game Friday, and both defenses would probably like to forget it.
I was at Lone Peak for its 20-8 win over Lehi, and it was the opposite kind of game: rain all night, the ball on the ground, defense winning it. Lone Peak's reward is a trip to unbeaten Mountain Ridge.
American Fork beat Copper Hills 32-21 after leading 15-0 at the half. Davis beat Farmington 37-18. In 5A, Fremont beat West Field 43-23, Bountiful shut out Granger 47-0, Springville beat Olympus 27-10 and Alta beat Hillcrest 37-7. Crimson Cliffs beat Murray 17-10 in 4A.
Every first-round result
| 6A | Final |
|---|---|
| No. 1 Skyridge vs. No. 16 Riverton | Skyridge 45, Riverton 0 |
| No. 8 American Fork vs. No. 9 Copper Hills | American Fork 32, Copper Hills 21 |
| No. 4 Herriman vs. No. 13 Weber | Herriman 55, Weber 6 |
| No. 5 Davis vs. No. 12 Farmington | Davis 37, Farmington 18 |
| No. 2 Mountain Ridge vs. No. 15 Cedar Valley | Mountain Ridge 50, Cedar Valley 6 |
| No. 7 Lone Peak vs. No. 10 Lehi | Lone Peak 20, Lehi 8 |
| No. 3 Corner Canyon vs. No. 14 Bingham | Corner Canyon 35, Bingham 7 |
| No. 6 Westlake vs. No. 11 Syracuse | Syracuse 35, Westlake 19 |
| 5A | Final |
|---|---|
| No. 1 West vs. No. 16 Roy | West 63, Roy 0 |
| No. 8 Fremont vs. No. 9 West Field | Fremont 43, West Field 23 |
| No. 4 Bountiful vs. No. 13 Granger | Bountiful 47, Granger 0 |
| No. 5 Springville vs. No. 12 Olympus | Springville 27, Olympus 10 |
| No. 2 Orem vs. No. 15 Timpview | Orem 55, Timpview 7 |
| No. 7 Spanish Fork vs. No. 10 Pleasant Grove | Pleasant Grove 34, Spanish Fork 10 |
| No. 3 Box Elder vs. No. 14 Woods Cross | Woods Cross 29, Box Elder 26 (OT) |
| No. 6 Alta vs. No. 11 Hillcrest | Alta 37, Hillcrest 7 |
| 4A | Final |
|---|---|
| No. 1 Ridgeline vs. No. 16 Mountain View | Ridgeline 45, Mountain View 0 |
| No. 8 Highland vs. No. 9 Bear River | Highland 70, Bear River 42 |
| No. 4 Snow Canyon vs. No. 13 Sky View | Snow Canyon 16, Sky View 13 |
| No. 5 Crimson Cliffs vs. No. 12 Murray | Crimson Cliffs 17, Murray 10 |
| No. 2 Hurricane vs. No. 15 Park City | Hurricane 45, Park City 7 |
| No. 7 Salem Hills vs. No. 10 Mountain Crest | Salem Hills 29, Mountain Crest 27 (2OT) |
| No. 3 Stansbury vs. No. 14 Provo | Provo 26, Stansbury 23 |
| No. 6 Skyline vs. No. 11 Pine View | Skyline 49, Pine View 19 |
Quarterfinals: Friday, Nov. 6
Every game kicks off at 6 p.m. at the higher seed. The numbers are UHSAA seeds.
6A
- No. 8 American Fork at No. 1 Skyridge. A rematch of Oct. 14, when Skyridge won 21-15 on a fourth-down interception with 2:02 left.
- No. 5 Davis at No. 4 Herriman. Both lost to Mountain Ridge this season, Davis 42-7 in August and Herriman 45-7 in October. The winner likely gets Skyridge in the semifinals.
- No. 7 Lone Peak at No. 2 Mountain Ridge. Lone Peak knocked off Skyridge in last year's semifinals. Mountain Ridge hasn't lost a game this year.
- No. 11 Syracuse at No. 3 Corner Canyon. The hottest road team left in 6A against the team that has won the last three titles.
5A
- No. 8 Fremont at No. 1 West. West held all 10 regular-season opponents to 14 points or fewer, according to the Deseret News, then shut out Roy.
- No. 5 Springville at No. 4 Bountiful. On paper, the closest quarterfinal in 5A.
- No. 10 Pleasant Grove at No. 2 Orem. Orem won the first meeting 35-10 on Oct. 2.
- No. 14 Woods Cross at No. 6 Alta. Alta won 27-21 at Woods Cross on Sept. 25. The Wildcats get their rematch coming off the best night of their season.
4A
- No. 8 Highland at No. 1 Ridgeline. Highland just scored 70. Ridgeline just shut out a playoff team.
- No. 5 Crimson Cliffs at No. 4 Snow Canyon. Crimson Cliffs won 38-16 on Sept. 25. Snow Canyon gets it at home this time.
- No. 7 Salem Hills at No. 2 Hurricane. Salem Hills is coming off two overtimes. Hurricane is 10-1 and won its opener by 38.
- No. 14 Provo at No. 6 Skyline. Skyline just scored 49. Provo gave up 10 points in the fourth quarter at Stansbury and can't afford that again.
The 6A semifinals are Thursday, Nov. 12, the 5A semifinals are Friday, Nov. 13, and the 4A semifinals are split across both days, all at Rice-Eccles Stadium. All three state finals are Friday, Nov. 20.
Twenty-four seasons in 6A, 5A and 4A ended Friday night. Box Elder's ended the hardest way there is: 15 points in two minutes, and a loss anyway.
Twelve games next Friday. Somebody else is about to find out how long two minutes can be.
