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Ben Lomond running back, Dashawn Gordon, evades a tackle from Ogden High defender in the 79th Iron Horse game at Ogden High School on Oct. 14, 2026. (TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Ben Lomond linebacker, Dashawn Gordon, tackles Ogden wide recievier, Jack Thompson, in the 79th Iron Horse game at Ogden High School on Oct. 14, 2026. (TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Ben Lomond running back, Kale Ha'o, dodges a tackle from Ogden High defender in the 79th Iron Horse game at Ogden High School on Oct. 14, 2026. (TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Ogden High fullback, Anderson Curry, sheds a tackle from Ben Lomond safety, Cory Johnson, in the 79th Iron Horse game at Ogden High School on Oct. 14, 2026. (TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Ogden High tailback, Ryker Rice, runs the ball in the 79th Iron Horse game at Ogden High School on Oct. 14, 2026. (TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Ben Lomond quarter back, Keenan Hayman, throws a pass in the 79th Iron Horse game at Ogden High School on Oct. 14, 2026. (TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Ogden High tight end, Nash Bockwoldt, catches a touchdown pass in the 79th Iron Horse game at Ogden High School on Oct. 14, 2026. (TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Ben Lomond running back, Dashawn Gordon, returns the kickoff in the 79th Iron Horse game at Ogden High School on Oct. 14, 2026. (TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Ogden High quarterback, Emmett Rector, hands off the ball to his running back in the 79th Iron Horse game at Ogden High School on Oct. 14, 2026. (TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Ben Lomond High School captains walk towards the coin toss in the 74th Iron Horse game at Ogden High School on Oct. 14, 2026. (TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Ogden High's Junior ROTC presents the flags in the 79th Iron Horse game at Ogden High School on Oct. 14, 2026. (TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Ben Lomond High School takes the field against Ogden High School in the 79th Iron Horse game at Ogden High School on Oct. 14, 2026. (TRE ASAY, Special to the Standard-Examiner)

TRE ASAY, Standard-Examiner

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OGDEN — Historically, Ogden High has maintained a tight grip on Ben Lomond in the recent history of the Iron Horse football rivalry, but 37 combined seniors –19 Scots and 18 Tigers — took the field for one last regular-season outing all the same when both programs clashed in the 79th annual meeting of the series Wednesday.

A dynamic Ogden offense, led by quarterback Emmett Rector’s four touchdown passes, jumped BL from the game’s opening drive with a three-play scoring drive (Anderson Curry carried in a 5-yard touchdown run) and never called its punting unit out once during a crushing, 62-0 win in the midweek regular-season finale.

Two second-quarter turnovers by the Scots (1-9, 0-5 3A-North) — including a 70-yard fumble return for touchdown by Tigers junior Kos Crowther — opened the nozzle 56-nil before halftime, as Ogden (6-4, 3-2) called its scout teams to finish the mercy-rule scenario and protect the scoreboard in doing so.

Senior defensive tackle Phineas Owens answered the call from the first whistle.

“I was there, it came out and I picked it up,” said Owens, who disrupted a handoff by BL quarterback Keenan Hayman for a first-snap takeaway coming out of the break. “… Linemen for sure just don’t get a lot of glory, but you know it’s great when something like this happens. It feels great.”

Owens, originally a track and field kid — later convinced to put his 6-foot-4, 200-pound presence to work on the football field — stood on the sideline eager for his number to be called, as Ogden’s “backups” proved their depth in Wednesday’s finish.

“It was just building and building,” said Owens, a member of Ogden’s defensive and offensive lines for two seasons. “I feel like that was one of the highlights: all the anticipation building up and getting a fumble recovery on the first drive of the second half.”

Hayman and the Scots, clamped down by Ogden’s defense on Wednesday, finally recorded a first down on a pass interference penalty in the second quarter. Strong carries by Dashawn Gordon and Jaylen Milton kept the drive, their longest of the day, alive until a Gordon fumble set up Crowther’s big-time fumble return.

Save for a late interception by Jude Devereux, effectively canceled out by a Hayman interception on the very next snap, BL left Wednesday with a ninth regular-season loss and a long road ahead to success as head coach Ty Smith enters his second postseason with the program since arriving in Ogden in 2025.

Gordon, a departing senior with aspirations to play college football anywhere he can, said the experience playing Scots football has changed his life.

“Because I didn’t really play sports, it changed me a lot,” said Gordon, who tried out for football in 2024 as a sophomore. “It made me a tougher man, a better person, and I feel like it makes me want to strive for things more.”

The 3A football state playoff bracket reveals Ben Lomond and Ogden’s first-round matchups on Saturday. As long as Gordon has breath in his lungs, BL’s senior running back is eager to give his teammates something to rally around.

“One of the main things was just motivation,” Gordon said. “Kids come out here and see the season we had this year didn’t go the way we wanted; everyone loses motivation and feels like they want to give up. I like having the feeling of raising the kids, letting them know we can’t give up; we’ve got to keep fighting.”

Ogden, rising to 56-23 all-time in the Iron Horse series (3-0 since 2024), trotted off with bragging rights once again, but this year’s game provided an opportunity for much-deserved recognition, Curry said.

“It’s nice getting everyone in, knowing how everyone works, even on scout team,” Curry said. “Everyone that puts in the work doesn’t always get credit.”

Curry finished the night with one rushing touchdown; junior Ryker Rice recorded two and sophomore Kael Thompson, the younger brother of Jack Thompson, checked his older brother, contributing a 15-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. The older Thompson reeled in a 7-yard touchdown pass from Rector in the first quarter.

Fellow seniors Nash Bockwoldt and Blake Weston also penciled in short touchdown receptions from Ogden’s starting quarterback.

Asked about his favorite performance, Rector pointed to his younger brother Luke Rector, a sophomore, who stepped in for the Kael Thompson scoring drive in the third quarter.

“I know it’s difficult, but I’m proud of him for sticking through it, playing scout team, and even though he didn’t pass the ball necessarily, I’m proud of him for getting in there and leading a (touchdown) drive.”

Bouncing back from a loss against Morgan, Ogden closes its third consecutive regular season with six or more games entering the postseason with a winning record. It’s the second winning regular season for head coach Terry Larsen, and his third as a member of the coaching staff under former head coach Erik Thompson.

Official football state championship information is available at uhsaa.org.

Connect with Standard-Examiner sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net, X @ctbecker and Instagram @standard.net.