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West Field receiver Gavin Ortegon (88) fights for yards against Viewmont defenders, including Ryder Taukiuvea (6), in a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Taylor.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Viewmont receiver Jayson Dunroe (2) wins a ball over West Field defender Drew Combe (19) in a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Taylor.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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West Field defensive back Cooper Yoder (3) stands up a Viewmont receiver in a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Taylor.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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West Field players Jaden Fowers (36) and Gavin Ortegon (88) celebrate an Ortegon touchdown reception in a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Taylor.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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West Field receiver Gavin Ortegon (88) tries to make a cut against Viewmont defender Austin Cannon in a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Taylor.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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West Field quarterback Easton Eilertson rears back for what became a touchdown pass against Viewmont in a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Taylor.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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West Field running back Elijah Woods (22) runs the football against a diving Ryder Taukiuvea of Viewmont in a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Taylor.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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West Field receiver Kolt Abbott (13) tries to escape the grasp of Viewmont's Kole Ingram in a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Taylor.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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West Field running back Elijah Woods carries the football against Viewmont in a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Taylor.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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West Field quarterback Easton Eilertson surveys the field in a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Taylor.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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West Field player Bridger Hart, center, smiles as he prepares with teammates to take the field in a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, in Taylor.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

❮ ❯

TAYLOR — Who gets credit for No. 11 West Field’s first-round win in the 5A state football playoffs is up for debate.

Was it junior receiver Gavin Ortegon with three first-quarter touchdown receptions (four total)? Was it freshman defensive back Drew Combe who grabbed his second interception to pull momentum away from the Vikings and set up a go-ahead touchdown drive in the second half? Or junior defensive lineman Logan McClure with a 50-yard, pick-six touchdown return to open the fourth quarter?

Or how about junior running back Caden Judy who, with the West Field ground game almost a distant memory, toted the rock in a clock-milking, game-winning touchdown drive?

It’s game balls all around after the Longhorns won a 41-34 thriller over No. 22 Viewmont on Friday night for the first playoff win in program history.

“It’s exhilarating to win a playoff game, the way that went down,” said a thoughtful West Field head coach Eric Jones. “My heart breaks for those guys (Viewmont); it’s always tough to watch kids play their last high school football game and to do it against one of my best friends (Viewmont head coach Dru Jones).

“But I’m really happy for our program. … When bad things happen, we tend to let it snowball and get out of control, we haven’t been able to fight back a lot of the times it does. To the boys’ credit, they found a way to come back, and punch back, and get it done.”

West Field (7-4) shot to a 14-0 lead thanks to its first two interceptions of Viewmont quarterback Jack Savage that set up a pair of 41-yard fields.

Combe opened the game with his first, leading to an Easton Eilertson touchdown throw of 14 yards on a slant to Ortegon. The second was a surprise pick: senior tackle Isaiah Rodrigues found his penetration was in the perfect place, ready to catch an attempted Savage shovel pass inside. That set up Eilertson and Ortegon to connect on a 23-yard post and another touchdown.

Things were far from over, though, largely because Viewmont (4-7) had senior Jayson Dunroe, who easily eclipsed the 200-yard mark as a receiver Friday night and unofficially flirted with 250. His first chunk came on a Savage to Brett Tovey double pass, sending Dunroe streaking down the field for a 75-yard touchdown. That made it 14-7 with 2:37 left in the first quarter.

That was enough for one more Ortegon score; set up by a 38-yard connection to Kolt Abbott, a 9-yarder to Ortegon made it 21-7 after the first quarter.

Ortegon said he and Eilertson have developed a good friendship as the season has progressed and it’s helped on the field.

“He looks for everyone pretty evenly but me and Easton have a really good connection,” Ortegon said. “He’s a really good quarterback and he can get the ball to anyone.”

Dunroe caught at least three non-scoring passes of 30 or more yards; one of those set up double-duty QB Tovey for a 9-yard, zone-read keeper, making it 21-14 with 8:34 left in the first half.

The game felt like it was turning there. West Field drove to the Viewmont 13 in response before three holding penalties preceded Jaden Fowers missing a 44-yard field goal. Another long-ball to Dunroe sparked a Viewmont drive before the half, eventually ending with Dunroe hauling in a 7-yard touchdown toss for a 21-21 halftime score.

“No. 2 (Dunroe) is a phenomenal player. That kid’s a nightmare to cover,” Jones said. “It’s always a decision as a defensive coach as to whether to double a kid and let a team’s running game take off, or try to be sound against the run. … I actually didn’t think we were doing a bad job covering him, he just made all the catches on 50-50 balls.”

Viewmont forced West Field into the first punt of the contest to open the second half, which the Longhorns snapped over Fowers’ head near the 10-yard line. Fowers did well to retrieve the ball and get off a rolling kick while being tackled, saving 20 yards for his team in the process.

Still, the Vikings soon punched in a 21-yard touchdown rush, courtesy of Benji Tolman, and suddenly the visitors were up 27-21.

The Longhorns answered with another drive into Viewmont territory, this one to the 14, but a snap infraction on fourth-and-1 made West Field settle for a 36-yard field goal, which the Vikings blocked.

Momentum was squarely with Viewmont there as it drove across the 50 and into West Field’s half. That’s when Combe found West Field’s lost spark, hustling to a sideline throw that glanced off a receiver’s hands and into Combe’s basket; he hauled his interception 30 yards the other way to give his team a 37-yard field.

“It feels good,” Combe said about coming up with the big play. “Being a new team, a new school, it feels great to get our first playoff win.”

Eilertson passed the Longhorns the rest of the way, ending with Ortegon’s fourth touchdown catch on a 2-yard rollout to restore West Field to a 28-27 lead with 1:28 left in the third.

The pendulum kept swinging as Viewmont drove near midfield to open the fourth quarter. Savage attempted an underneath bubble screen but the lineman McClure showed off his vertical, leaping high to snag the pass attempt.

His athleticism wasn’t done there. McClure got his feet moving upfield into contact, then rounded right to find open field — eventually beating everyone to the goal line for his touchdown interception.

West Field went for two to make it a two-score game and failed. So a 38-yard throw to Dunroe had Viewmont knocking again, this time at the West Field 8-yard line. The Longhorns appeared to be standing on their heads until Dunroe broke open on fourth down for an 8-yard touchdown catch. It was 34-34 with 6:35 left.

West Field hadn’t done much on the ground all night but would need to now to control the game’s finish. The Longhorns absorbed scores of yellow flags throughout the night but got one back in that drive; a Viewmont defensive pass interference got WF to the Vikings’ 36-yard line.

There, Judy rumbled for a 17-yard gain to the 19, but with a whopping 4:51 left. The drive continued on a third-and-7 slant to Abbott to the Viewmont 5, but still with 4:05 left.

Some clock-running fortune shone there; Judy rushed to the Viewmont 1, then West Field took a false start. So Judy rushed 4 more yards to the 2-yard line, where play stopped for a Viewmont injury with 2:01 left. The game clock resumed on the referee’s ready to play and Eilertson waited until the play clock neared zero.

What was originally a QB sneak call became a toss left to Judy. He found the goal line easily, and it was 41-34 with 1:18 left.

Savage and the Viewmont offense still weren’t done. Clipping down the field with completions, West Field’s secondary was tested again.

“We got it done when we needed to on the last drive,” Jones said.

From the WF 19, Combe broke up a ball to the end zone with 30 seconds left. Even a Brexton White sack out of bounds couldn’t stop the drive, though, as Savage then delivered a fourth-down ball to the West Field 10 with time nearly gone.

An incompletion gave Viewmont one last crack with 3.8 seconds left. The Vikings inexplicably threw an underneath pass, which West Field stormed at the sideline well short of the goal line, clinching a roller-coaster playoff victory.

The Longhorns get a second-round region rematch at No. 6 Box Elder (8-2) next week.

“We didn’t play to the best of our abilities last time we played them, but it’s going to be a good game,” Ortegon said. “I’m excited.”

The Bees throttled West Field in Taylor 39-12 to close the regular season.

“We’re playing with house money. The expectations aren’t on us to go on some big winning streak so to me, that should allow us to go out there and play with our hair down — except me,” quipped the once long-haired Weber State linebacker turned chrome-domed head coach. “It’s bonus football … you’ve got to enjoy every practice and every game you get.”