This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

The end of Tuesday night's play-in prep football game between Maple Mountain and Spanish Fork proved to be so memorable that video of it has gone viral, with fans watching in Utah and throughout the country.

With four seconds left and Spanish Fork clinging to a 14-11 lead, the Dons' quarterback Jason Money ran in the backfield to run out the clock. When time expired, he relaxed a bit. Realizing the game did not end until either the quarterback put his knee down or ran out of bounds, Maple Mountain's Jason Blanthorne knocked the ball loose and the Golden Eagles' Bradon Beebe picked it up and took it into for a touchdown and an improbable state tournament berth.

Maple Mountain coach Brad Burtenshaw said there was no way to prepare his players for what happened. He told his team to make sure the quarterback was down and to continue to play hard. Since it was a fourth-down play, Burtenshaw had hoped there would be a second or two left on the clock so his team could get a final shot at the end zone on offense. He said odd end-of-game plays usually involve a Hail Mary or a fumbled snap or pass.

"I'm so happy for our kids," said the Golden Eagle coach. "That was an amazing play. But my heart goes out to Jason Money. He is a fantastic player who tore us up every time we played."

Devastated Spanish Fork coach Kirk Chambers took the blame for the play Wednesday and for not giving his quarterback better instruction. He said he found distasteful some of the comments on sports comment boards about his team's 17-year-old quarterback.

"That play was on me," Chambers said. "It is the last play of his senior year. He is a tough kid who is mentally strong, but he is embarrassed. He is a young man who has been thrust into the public light for a split-second blunder. This could potentially change the kid's life. For someone with less character than Jason Money, I'd be worried. I am concerned about him. Imagine if it were your son or brother. It's tough. In today's media, things go viral in less than 10 hours."

Chambers would prefer people remember Money for all the things he did as a three-year starter. The academic all-stater and 4.0 student took his team to the state title game as a sophomore. Every one of his three seasons, he has pushed 3,000 yards in total offense with a balance of rushing and passing. This year, ironically against Maple Mountain, he set a state single-game rushing record of 527 yards.

"He is everything that any parent would want a young child to emulate," Chambers said about his star quarterback.

Maple Mountain coach Brad Burtenshaw also used the ending of the game as a learning experience. Posting on the football team's website, he wrote "please continue to do everything you can to prepare. The team that wants to be there and keep playing football will always win these types of games."

Maple Mountain earned the right to play at Region Six champion Woods Cross on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Golden Eagles opened the season by losing at Woods Cross 19-7.

– Tom Wharton