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Draper • Paraphrasing the movie "Remember the Titans," Timpview receiver Samson Nacua is like Novocain: Throw him the ball, and it always works.
The widely underrated and under-recruited senior showcased his ability as one of the top receivers in the state of Utah with his two-touchdown performance to help Class 4A's top-ranked Thunderbirds earn sole custody of first place in Region 7 with their 28-20 win at Corner Canyon on Friday.
"He's been that way for us all season," Timpview coach Cary Whittingham said of Nacua. "We expect that out of him, and we need that out of him."
Nacua's first touchdown put the Thunderbirds (7-1) ahead 7-0 in the midway through the first quarter. The speedster made Corner Canyon (3-4) look silly on a simple crossing route when he slammed on the brakes to avoid one would-be defender before re-accelerating and outracing the pursuit down the barrier for a 66-yard score.
"I was like, 'You got to throw me the ball right here and I'll make a play out of it. We got to get our momentum going, so give me the ball,' " Nacua said of the play.
His second score occurred with 1:44 remaining in regulation after the Chargers had narrowed the once three-touchdown deficit to seven points. Timpview quarterback Kahi Neves lofted a 22-yard jumpball to the back pylon, which Nacua high-pointed above his defender to inflate the cushion back to 28-14.
"This win was important," Whittingham said. "It put us in first place. That's what we were hoping for."
Timpview extended its advantage early in the second quarter on Asten Aspinall's 1-yard plunge before Fielding Wallace's 58-yard touchdown reception furnished a 21-0 lead.
The old adage proclaims: "Don't count your chickens," but the three-touchdown separation felt insurmountable considering Corner Canyon's first-half woes on offense, which included chunking a 26-yard field goal well short of its destination and another 27-yard field goal blocked by Timpview.
The Chargers have struggled to generate points the entire season, mainly with the lack of threat in the passing game. But the entire identity on offense changed with sophomore quarterback Zach Wilson, who orchestrated three scoring drives in the second half with his ability to stretch the defense vertically. Several go-routes ended in either deep completions or pass interference calls as Timpview's secondary wrestled with coverage lapses.
"Our defense hung in there — some long balls, we didn't play very well. That was a big difference there," Whittingham said. "...There are some things, obviously, that we need to take care of. We've got to address penalty issues. We've got to address coverage issues."
Corner Canyon's Jason Adams' 10-yard rush and Wilson's 12-yard slant to Chase Meyer pulled the Chargers to within 21-14, and following Nacua's score, Wilson hit Braxton Coon for his second touchdown pass of the evening with less than one minute remaining.
"We got too comfortable and they started coming back," Nacua said. "We can't let that happen."
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Storylines
R Timpview wins the battle of Region 7 teams to take sole possession of first place.
• Samson Nacua grabs two touchdown receptions for Timpview.