This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Herriman • American Fork's Jacob Cluff was Ray Finkle, the infamous Super Bowl-missing kicker in the movie "Ace Ventura," for a fleeting moment.
But with an opportunity to clinch the final playoff spot from Region 4 and also avenging a regular-season shellacking by Herriman, the senior channeled his inner Adam Vinatieri and split the uprights from 38 yards, after previously missing a PAT, to keep the Cavemen's season alive with a 17-14 play-in game victory on Tuesday.
"It happens. You miss," Cluff said when asked if he had any jitters attempting the kick with 2:37 remaining. "… Everybody misses. You have another chance. … It feels good to hit one when it counts."
Added American Fork coach Aaron Behm: "He's been pretty solid all season long. I was hoping he had confidence in himself, and thankfully he did. … At halftime I said, 'This is a close game, it's going to come down to kicks. We need you.' He said, 'I got ya.' "
American Fork (8-4, 4-3), which spent large chunks of the season ranked in The Tribune top 10, will travel to Roy (7-2), the top-seed from Region 1, at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Herriman (5-6, 3-4), meanwhile, became the first defending champion in Class 5A not to qualify for the playoffs in the next season following the title run since Davis won in 2004 and missed the playoffs in 2005.
"We felt like that was the worst game we played in our first 10 games," Behm said, referring to a 30-10 loss to the Mustangs earlier this season. "Watching films, we could see our mistakes. We built on that. They did a great job responding. Coming back up here, where we lost by 20, shows the character of these kids and how bad they want to keep playing."
Before the game-winning kick, Farrell Dean escaped a swarm of Herriman defenders on a screen and raced deep into field goal range to set up the attempt. Dean had earlier caught a 63-yard touchdown from quarterback Bronson Barron to tie the score at 14.
"I saw a big guy coming at me and got scared. I don't know, he must have given me some adrenaline or something," Dean quipped about the screen play.
Ashton Coleman redeemed himself by hauling in the two-point conversion on the touchdown after previously dropping a potential TD.
"That really swung the huge momentum after being down eight," Behm said.
The Mustangs certainly had opportunities, however. After Barron's 19-yard TD run furnished a 6-0 lead, Herriman responded with a drive that culminated with a 9-yard scamper by Noah Vaea for a 7-6 lead at the break.
Vaea's second touchdown, a 1-yard run, extended the Mustangs cushion to 14-6 midway through the third.
After American Fork evened the score, the Cavemen recorded two fourth-down stops deep in their own territory, including on Herriman's final drive, which ended with an incomplete pass on AF's 18.
"My kicker that usually kicks for us is at soccer club finals and [our second-string kicker] rolled his ankle," said Herriman coach Dustin Pearce about not attempting the game-tying field goal. "It's just one of those things."
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Playoff schedule
Class 5A
First round, at home sites
Friday, all games at 4 p.m., except where indicated
Viewmont at Jordan
Northridge at Lone Peak
American Fork at Roy, 1 p.m. Saturday
West Jordan at Syracuse
Pleasant Grove at Fremont
Taylorsville at Davis
Hunter at Bingham, 1 p.m. Saturday
Sky View at Lehi
Class 4A
First round, at home sites
Friday, all games at 4 p.m., except where indicated
Salem Hills at Timpview
Skyline at East
Box Elder at Olympus
Provo at Maple Mountain, 1 p.m. Saturday
Hillcrest at Highland
Wasatch at Alta
Orem at Springville, 1 p.m. Saturday
Woods Cross at Kearns, 5 p.m.
Class 3AA
First round, at home sites
Friday, all games at 4 p.m.
Park City at Cedar
Snow Canyon at Ridgeline
Hurricane at Bear River
Ben Lomond at Pine View
Class 3A
Quarterfinals, at home sites
Friday
Manti at Morgan, 5 p.m.
Grantsville at Delta, 4 p.m.
Emery at Juab, 5 p.m.
Canyon View at Juan Diego, 4 p.m.
Class 2A
Quarterfinals, at home sites
S. Sevier at Summit Academy, 5 p.m. Fri.
North Summit at Beaver, 5 p.m. Thursday
Grand at San Juan, 6 p.m. Thursday
Enterprise at South Summit, 2 p.m. Fri.
Class 1A
Quarterfinals, at home sites
Friday, all games at 4 p.m., except where indicated
Monticello at Duchesne
Layton Christian at Milford
Altamont at Kanab, 6 p.m.
Diamond Ranch at Rich