5A football playoffs: From script to screen, Cooper powers Fremont over West Field in postseason rematch
5A playoffs: Fremont 43, West Field 23
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- Fremont High’s Calvin Cooper pulls back to throw a pass against West Field during a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Fremont High’s Kyran Majors (11) runs in the open field as West Field defenders Logan Hadley (24) and Trevyn Thomas (1) pursue during a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- West Field’s Andrew Combe (3) carries the football as Fremont’s Ty Allen (43) reaches for a tackle attempt during a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- A pass goes just past the reach of Fremont High’s Kyran Majors during a 5A first-round playoff game against West Field on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- West Field’s Xander Crawford, left, grabs on to Fremont’s Kyran Majors during a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Fremont High’s Calvin Cooper carries the football against West Field during a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- West Field’s Wyatt Cook carries the football against Fremont during a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Fremont High’s Aisa Tuatagaloa, left, and West Field quarterback Easton Eilertson (6) tangle during a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- West Field’s Brenen Buckway (23) carries the football and fights off Fremont’s Kyran Majors during a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Fremont High’s Carter Gallegos (17) carries the football against West Field during a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
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- Fremont High’s Kyran Majors (11) reaches the ball to score a touchdown past West Field’s Logan Hadley during a 5A first-round playoff game Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, in Plain City. (BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner)
PLAIN CITY — Like a seasoned actor, Fremont quarterback Calvin Cooper hit his marks for five touchdown passes and another on the ground as the senior guided the No. 8 Silverwolves past No. 9 West Field 43-23 in a rehashing of their region rivalry to claim victory in a 5A first-round playoff game Friday night.
The win for Fremont (7-4), now preparing for the tall task of knocking off unbeaten No. 1 West High (11-0) in the quarterfinals, rectifies its 35-16 regular-season loss at West Field (7-4) just two weeks ago.
The quarterfinal is slated for Friday, Nov. 6, at Gean Plaga Stadium in Salt Lake City.
Silverwolves coach Nate Tuatagaloa planned extensively for Friday’s postseason matchup with the Longhorns in just the third all-time meeting between the schools on the gridiron.
Cooper delivered a terrific third act, leading his Silverwolves on two critical scoring drives — including a 38-yard touchdown pass to Wyatt Bennett (his second of the night) — after West Field cut a 29-7 deficit to six points before the end of the third quarter.
This, too, coming with the midgame loss of Porter Hales, who already missed much of the campaign recovering from a collarbone injury suffered in Week 3. Tuatagaloa, understandably, wanted everybody on the same page this week for West Field, Cooper being chief among them.
“In practice (and) preparation, we gave (Cooper) everything possible that he could see,” Tuatagaloa said. “Keep it simple. Keep it one-sided, you’ve got depth, eyes, leverage apex — things like that are where he did a really good job, especially running the ball. … The fact that we practiced it over and over again, it was second nature.”
Like the cunning and convincing John Wayne or Gary Cooper, the young Fremont quarterback released his football team from the opposition in Friday’s contest, but not without West Field mounting an impressive return from a bitter start.
Fremont squandered its opening drives (including a bad snap preventing a Daxton Shupe field goal attempt), but Easton Eilertson and the Longhorns neglected to seize the moment.
The Silverwolves answered two early punts with a safety and built a 22-0 lead with 4:44 to go in the first half. West Field turned the ball over on downs twice in the first half, and punted five different times before Eilertson finally landed a 13-yard touchdown pass in the hands of senior Kolt Abbott before halftime.
West Field settles in
An impassioned Eric Jones seemingly got through to his team at halftime, and the Longhorns successfully recovered an onside kick attempt to begin the third quarter — only to try and fail on a fourth-down, fake-punt run play.
Trailing 29-7 after seeding Cooper’s third touchdown pass to Breckon Phillips after the stop, West Field got another shot in the arm via Andrew Combe, taking a 90-yard kickoff return home for more juice.
Something changed on the sideline, senior receiver Phoenix Sandoval recalled, and it certainly moved the tide in the middle-third of a do-or-die football game at their rival’s house.
“I really think that halftime speech by Jones just really set, like, this might be our last two quarters ever to play, and you’ve got nothing to lose, and I think that’s what we did,” Sandoval said. “I think that’s all we can reflect on.”
Eilertson, overthrowing many of his targets in the first half, suddenly clicked with Abbott and fellow senior Sandoval for multiple first downs and brought the offense into a rhythm. Braxton Pratt came up with a big-time sack on third down, and Fremont missed Abbott again on a 38-yard dime from Eilertson for a one-score contest late in the third quarter.
Senior linebacker Trevyn Thomas recorded a timely third-down pass breakup, forcing Fremont’s punt unit back onto the field. Another West Field score wouldn’t just swipe the lead, but entering the fourth quarter, it could’ve toppled everything.
But Eilertson, guiding his Longhorns into enemy territory, put the game’s only interception into the hands of senior safety Noah Doutre just inbounds near Fremont’s 10-yard line — a disaster for the rallying road team.
West Field’s defense recorded a safety of its own shortly after the pick, but another lengthy drive, bleeding well into the fourth quarter, saw linebacker Kenden Green sack Eilertson on third down and pressure him again on fourth down when the Longhorns put it all out there with roughly 10 minutes to go.
“That was a big momentum swing,” Jones said. “They took advantage, went down and scored, and then we had to go for it on another fourth down just because I was looking at the clock and timeouts, and I just didn’t think we had time to punt it away and play another series on defense and lose all our timeouts.
“I took a gamble, and it didn’t pay off, but that’s how these games go sometimes.”
The gamble ended as the final blow. Fremont scored its next two times out and walked off with a 43-23 home win to begin the playoffs on a high note.
A Longhorn goodbye
Eliminated from the playoffs, Jones said his outgoing batch of seniors made a conscious decision to pitch in and help build his program at West Field over proven winners at Fremont and Roy in 2024.
“This senior class was phenomenal to work with from the start because they had a tough decision,” Jones said. “Both Roy and Fremont had really, really good programs when our school opened, and a lot of kids could’ve chosen to stay at those places, but I’m super appreciative of the boys that chose West Field. They wanted to be Longhorns, and went through some really hard times, but they got to experience some really cool highs at the same time.
“It just means a lot to know that people are willing to sacrifice and give up what they could’ve done at other places to be part of our experience.”
“It’s always a dogfight,” Tuatagaloa said. “We started changing our coverages more often than what we’d normally be doing. (Eilertson) did a good job at reading what we’re doing and taking what he could take.”
Tuatagaloa, too, saved some praise for West Field’s head coach amid a season-ending loss.
“Jones is doing a great job out there,” Tuatagaloa said. “It’s always great to see both of our teams doing well, especially for our community, but it feels good to continue our season.”
Up next
The Silverwolves, now the lone Region 5 representative left in the state playoffs, need a major boost out of the gate if they’re going to challenge West next week, Tuatagaloa said.
“They’re No. 1 for a reason,” Tuatgaloa said. “Our job is to make sure we can jump out early, and I think they haven’t played that yet. … We’re excited to have a crack at them.”
Connect with Standard-Examiner sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net, X @ctbecker and Instagram @standardexaminersports.
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5A football playoffs: From script to screen, Cooper powers Fremont over West Field in postseason rematch
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