Football playoffs roundup: Box Elder steadily puts away Woods Cross in 5A first round
In this Oct. 9, 2020, photo, Box Elder quarterback Parker Buchanan looks to pass against Bonneville during a game in Washington Terrace.
BRIGHAM CITY — Parker Buchanan ran for two scores and threw for one more as No. 13 seed Box Elder football eliminated region rival No. 20 Woods Cross in a 22-8 decision Friday night in the first round of the 5A state playoffs.
Box Elder (5-5) opened the scoring with a safety late in the first quarter. Buchanan scored on a 12-yard run with 11:05 left in the first half. The Bees went for two but were denied.
Canton Naegle hit Luke Hyde for an 89-yard, catch-and-run score to get Woods Cross on the board, and a two-point conversion tied the score at 8-8 with 8:16 left in the third quarter. The Wildcats end the season with a 2-9 record.
Buchanan tossed a 2-yard touchdown to Tallin Chappell for the go-ahead score with 14 seconds left in the third, then scored on a 6-yard run to seal the win with 3:05 left in the game.
Box Elder, who won a home playoff game for the first time since 2006, will go on the road next week to face 4-seed Salem Hills (7-2).
BOUNTIFUL 62, HILLCREST 7
BOUNTIFUL — No. 10 Bountiful scored five rushing touchdowns in the first half to take a 49-0 lead into the break, then Corbin Cottle returned the second half kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown to add insult to 23-seed Hillcrest’s injury in a 5A state playoffs first-round game.
Bountiful’s 62 points are its highest ever single-game total, according to prep football historian George Felt. Bountiful advances to play at No. 7 Skyline (7-1) on Oct. 30.
Mitch Moldre (15 yards and 1 yard) and Corbin DuBois (4 yards and 62 yards) each ran for two scores for Bountiful (7-4). Brooks Fornelius intercepted two Hillcrest (2-9) passes, returning one 36 yards for a score.
Bridger Morton caught an 11-yard Boston Malmrose scoring strike and Cottle capped the first-half scoring on a 5-yard scamper. All seven Bountiful drives in the first frame started in the Hillcrest half of the field and resulted in Bountiful touchdowns.
Micah Pettit kicked a 28-yard field goal and Isaac Jackson a 52-yarder in the fourth quarter to account for Bountiful’s final margin.
MORGAN 58, SOUTH SEVIER 0
MORGAN — Ryker Adams and Ty Wheeler each returned an interception for a touchdown in the first quarter and the rout was on as No. 2 Morgan blanked No. 15 South Sevier (2-9) in the 3A first round.
Tanner Belenski rushed for three scores while Ryder Lish ran for two touchdowns and passed for one. Belenski scored on runs of 4, 12, and 77 yards.
Lish scored on a 3-yard run, tossed a 30-yard scoring pass to Zach Millward, and capped the Trojan scoring on a 55-yard scamper in the third quarter. Morgan (6-2) added a safety to take a 51-0 lead with 7 seconds left in the first half.
The Trojans will host No. 7 Juan Diego (6-5) in the second round.
EAST 69, CLEARFIELD 20
SALT LAKE CITY — No. 21 seed Clearfield ended its season in a big loss at 12-seed East in the 6A playoffs first round.
Omari Zuniga scored on a 1-yard plunge with 7:30 left in the first quarter to pull Clearfield to within 21-7, then East (6-4) responded with five touchdowns and took a 63-13 lead into the break.
Bransen Simper tossed a 29-yard touchdown pass to Nixon Dayley and Zuniga added a 3-yard run to cap Cearfield’s scoring. The Falcons finish the year at 3-8.
RIVERTON 33, LAYTON 14
RIVERTON — Brigham Lawson caught two touchdown passes but No. 18 seed Layton fell at No. 15 Riverton in the 6A first round.
Lawson caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from Garrett Gifford midway through the second quarter to pull Layton to within 14-7.
Lawson caught a 28-yard scoring strike from Nick Sanders in the third quarter to make the score 21-14, but the Lancers would get no closer.
Layton ends the season with a 2-6 mark.
LEHI 52, VIEWMONT 14
LEHI — No. 12 seed Lehi blocked a punt deep in Viewmont’s end and returned it for a 2-yard touchdown, putting the Vikings in a hole they couldn’t climb out of in the 5A first-round playoff tilt.
No. 21 Viewmont (1-7) got on the board in the fourth quarter when Will Schultz threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Jessen Layton, then tossed a two-point try to Derek Riederer. Schultz connected with Riederer for a 13-yard TD in the final seconds.
Schultz threw for 180 yards, with 99 going to Riederer, but Viewmont was held to 11 net rushing yards.
Viewmont picked off Lehi’s Creyton Cooper twice. Cooper passed for 190 yards and three scores, and the Pioneers (6-4) added three scores on the ground, winning the yardage battle 412-191.
ALTA 42, FARMINGTON 23
SANDY — Cannon Toone returned an interception 73 yards for a score and Gavin Jensen kicked a 27-yard field goal to put 19-seed Farmington up 9-7 in the second quarter, then 14-seed Alta (5-5) responded with four straight touchdowns to take control in a 5A state playoffs first round game.
Drew Patterson tossed an 8-yard scoring pass to Spencer Hogge and ran for a 7-yard score in the fourth quarter. The Phoenix finished the year with a 2-9 record.
Alta advances to face No. 3 Bonneville in the second round.
ENTERPRISE def. LAYTON CHRISTIAN
COVID-19 ended the season of 13-seed Layton Christian before it could play its 2A first-round game. The Eagles were set to play at 4-seed Enterprise but the game was canceled Friday morning after LCA took on enough positives to warrant a cancellation and forfeit. LCA ends the season with a 1-8 record.
LCA was the second area team to experience such a cruel end after 6A Fremont forfeited its first-round game against Copper Hills due to positive tests, which Fremont learned of Monday.
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