Spanish Fork knocks out Pine View

Spanish Fork » Behind a potent passing attack, the Spanish Fork Dons defeated the Pine View Panthers 33-25 Friday to advance in the Class 4A football playoffs.

Spanish Fork quarterback Hayden Nielsen threw for four touchdowns (three to Chase Loftin) and 327 yards en route to the victory. The sophomore's most important touchdown pass came as time expired in the first half.

Pine View scored with two minutes left in the half to make the score 20-9 in favor of the Dons. Not content with running the clock out to take the 11-point lead into the locker room, Spanish Fork coach Matt Christensen told his quarterback to be aggressive and lead the team to a score.

"We knew Pine View was a good team, so I told him to just keep going, and he came through," Christensen said. "That score turned out to be the difference in the game."

Running the two-minute drill to perfection, Nielsen marched the Dons 81 yards and topped the drive off with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Travis Still. The score gave Spanish Fork a 26-9 lead and the Dons never looked back, although the Panthers didn't go quietly.

Facing the same deficit in the fourth quarter, Pine View inserted Alec Mecham at quarterback, and he passed for two touchdowns and successfully converted both two-point conversions. However, Spanish Fork recovered an onside kick and Nielsen ran for a key first down on fourth-and-long to ensure the victory.

"My hat is off to the way these kids played," said Christensen. "We have a few things to polish up for next week but we are glad to still be playing."