This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Either team could have taken it.
One did.
The ball spiraled a course toward the Lone Peak receiver.
The 5A semifinal game between Fremont and Lone Peak hiccupped along with an absence of consistency.
One play took care of both.
Fremont linebacker Bryan Thompson dove, cradling the pass that had just glanced off the fingers of the player standing there, looking down at him with his hands on his helmet and chin pressed against his chest.
With 1:30 left, the game was over. Fremont recorded its fourth turnover recovery of the game and — despite committing four turnovers of their own — the Wolves escaped Rice-Eccles Stadium and Lone Peak's final threat with a 20-14 win. Fremont plays Bingham next Friday in the 5A title game.
After looking moments away from a dramatic last-minute drive to win, Lone Peak trudged off the turf after quarterback Chase Hansen's pass that had been intended for Talon Shumway instead ended up in the hands of Thompson.
"Once he tipped it, I'm just going through my head, 'I've got to catch it,'" Thompson said.
His interception was the final punctuation on a relentless defensive performance by the Wolves, who also got 124 rushing yards from star Nick Vigil.
Quarterback Aaron Van Woerkem threw three interceptions to Kyle Hannemann, but none of them led to touchdowns, and a fourth to Micah Hannemann.
"Oh, man, I'm so lucky," Van Woerkem said, letting out a long sigh. "I screwed up a lot this game. They bailed me out."
Fremont scored on its first drive of the game, after Vigil rushed six times for 43 yards, including a 6-yard touchdown plunge.
After that, though, Lone Peak took charge. The Wolves' next seven possessions ended either with punts or turnovers. And Hansen started to take over in the third quarter, engineering a three-play touchdown drive after halftime.
But Fremont, known for Vigil and its running attack, turned to the air. Van Woerkem completed a 39-yard touchdown pass to 6-foot-7 receiver Tate Lewis with 5:50 remaining in the third.
After Hansen fumbled deep in Fremont territory, Van Woerkem again threw to Lewis, this time for 18 yards to the 1-yard line. Vigil ran it in a play later for the go-ahead and winning score.
boram@sltrib.comTwitter: @oramb —
5A semifinals Fremont 20, Lone Peak 14
Fremont and Lone Peak combine for eight turnovers.
Kyle Hannemann has three interceptions for the Knights.
Lone Peak quarterback Chase Hansen finishes 26 of 41 with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Fremont's last title game appearance was in 1995 against Skyline, which the Wolves' lost in overtime.