71st Iron Horse Game: Fast facts, players to watch and more as Ben Lomond hosts Ogden
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- Ben Lomond quarterback Austin Herbert, center, dives forward as Ogden defenders Adam Wilson (3) and Rylan Olivieri (41) make a tackle Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2021, in the 69th Iron Horse Game at Ben Lomond High School in Ogden.
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- Adam Wilson, center, celebrates a later-overturned interception with Zach Richards (21) and Stockton Marriott (4) in the 70th Iron Horse Game on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022, at Ogden High School.
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- Ben Lomond’s Hunter Christensen (1) raises his arms as teammates John Suka (14) and Charlie Thornblad (6) celebrate his touchdown against Ogden in the 70th Iron Horse Game on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 2022, at Ogden High School.
The 71st Iron Horse prep football game between Ben Lomond (5-4, 2-2 3A North) and Ogden (4-5, 1-3) kicks off at 5 p.m. Thursday at Ben Lomond High School. Here are some keys to the game, players to watch, fast facts and ticket information.
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Ogden has to keep Ben Lomond’s offense off the field as much as possible, whether that’s through defense or sustaining long drives on offense. The Scots score marginally more points per game than the Tigers, 26.4 compared to 25, but BL is a bit more dangerous offensively.
2. Ben Lomond has to win the first quarter and score first. The Scots are 5-0 when they outscore their opponents in the first quarter, and they hold a 59-14 scoring advantage in those five first quarters.
3. In winning the last five Iron Horse (regular-season) meetings, Ogden has led at halftime in each. Whoever leads at halftime has generally had the inside track in this game going further back as well. The last time the team trailing at halftime won an Iron Horse game was Ogden in 2010.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
BEN LOMOND
Jake East, DL/OL, Sr.: East has team-highs of 16 tackles for loss and nine sacks, and controls the middle of the defensive line. He had a season-high three sacks last week against Juan Diego.
Manase Tuatagaloa, QB/LB/DE, So.: With 2,344 passing yards and 27 touchdowns against 14 interceptions, Tuatagaloa has the keys to an offense featuring a handful of good skill players. Tuatagaloa also has a team-high 323 rushing yards to go with 32 tackles and nine tackles for loss.
Miguel Santos, OL/DL, Sr.: On defense, Santos has 14 tackles for loss and they’ve all come in the last six games. He’s an important part of the line on both sides.
Cadence Hayman, OLB, Sr.: Hayman leads the team with 60 tackles from the outside linebacker spot, and sometimes plays in a position resembling a nickleback. He also has three forced fumbles, two interceptions and made a season-high 13 tackles last week.
OGDEN
Max Trujillo, RB, Sr.: Trujillo leads the team with 687 rushing yards and, with his 289 receiving yards, he’s 24 away from reaching 1,000 yards of total offense for the season.
Kire Thompson, WR/RB/DB, Sr.: Thompson has 933 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on offense. Ogden’s last 1,000-yard receiver was Irving Gastelum in 2018.
Kale Adams, QB, Sr.: Adams was inserted as the starting quarterback four weeks ago against Union. He has six touchdown passes and four interceptions in four games along with three rushing TDs.
Carter Rasmussen, OL/DL, Jr.: Rasmussen leads the team in sacks with eight and is an important two-way player for the Tigers.
FAST FACTS
Ben Lomond has its first .500 or better record since 2000 and, with a win, can clinch its first winning season since that year. Ogden is looking for its first .500 or better season since 2020.
Ogden leads the all-time series 53-22. The Tigers are 3-2 in postseason games against the Scots.
Ogden has a seven-game winning streak in the series, including a 2020 playoff win. The Scots’ last win over Ogden came in 2016.
Ogden’s longest winning streak over Ben Lomond is eight straight from 1957-64. Ben Lomond’s longest win streak in the series is three games, which it did twice from 2005-07 and 2014-16.
The most common final scores in the series are 27-6, 14-0 and 7-0, all of which have happened three times.
The biggest win in series history is Ogden’s 56-0 win in 2009. BL’s biggest win in the series is 42-10 in 2015.
The two teams have a combined record of 9-9 coming in, better than last year’s combined mark of 8-10. The recent watermark for the two teams having a good combined record this late in the year appears to be 1997, when the teams were a combined 8-6 ahead of their regular-season meeting and then met in the state semifinals later that fall with a combined record of 13-8.
GAME AND TICKET INFO
Kickoff: 5 p.m. at Ben Lomond. Gates open at 3:30 p.m.
Tickets: $7 general admission, $5 for visiting students.
Ticket website: BLSCOTS.org, and click on “Tickets.”
Bag policy: Only clear bags are allowed for fans.
Connect with reporter Patrick Carr via email at pcarr@standard.net, Twitter @patrickcarr_ and Instagram @standardexaminersports.