This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
On a team with many heroes Friday, Herriman's Noah Vaea stood out.
The junior not only gave his team the lead and the momentum with a pick-six early in the third quarter but he recovered a key fumble, did the punting and even successfully completed a halfback pass.
The result was an impressive 23-7 victory over Sky View that gave Herriman its first-ever berth in the Class 5A football championship game next week.
The Mustangs mixed the running of quick Jake Jutkins and bruising Kaden Strasters with enough passing from Hayden Reynolds to keep Sky View off guard.
What's more, they did a fine job of keeping previously unbeaten Sky View and star quarterback Garrison Beach off the field for long periods of time. Perhaps the key stat of the game was time of possession. Herriman had the ball for a whopping 35:42 compared to just 12:18 for the Bobcats.
That was in large part due to Jutkins, who rushed 32 times for 171 yards and a touchdown, and Strasters, who carried the ball 18 times for 92 yards.
Still, it was a boom-boom sequence of events in the third quarter that turned this game for good.
First, Vaea took an interception 21 yards for a score. On the ensuing kickoff, Peniamina Mobley forced a fumble and Vaea pounced on it. Seconds later, Reynolds hit big Leki Fotu for a 24-yard touchdown pass.
What had been a 7-3 Sky View lead quickly turned into a 16-7 advantage for Herriman.
Vaea, who recorded his 12th interception of the year, credited coach Dustin Pearce for hours of work watching film to find any advantage.
"We wanted to bait them to think we were in different places," he said. "I try my best to get in the right place and make a play."
As for the interception, he said it created "a lot of momentum going our way. We got pumped up, went on a roll and didn't stop."
That was an understatement.
The Herriman defense kept battering Sky View, sending the gritty Beach to the bench several times after injuries. The Bobcats rushed for minus-22 yards — the fewest rushing yards in a state playoff game since Highland held Timpview to minus-36 in the 2000 semifinals.
Asked to describe his feelings, Pearce broke down in tears for a moment, trying to gather himself.
"I am so happy for these kids," he said. "It's a great feeling. I'm numb. I'm emotional. What a wonderful feeling. It's about all the work these kids put in. It's not about the coaches. It is about how hard these kids work and what they are willing to put forth."
It was just three weeks ago in the final regular season game when Lone Peak blanked Herriman 30-0, the Mustangs' third loss of the season.
"That was a wake-up call for us," said Fotu, one of the top defenders in the state. "After that game, we stayed humble and just started to work."
And, in knocking off Sky View, Herriman might just have the momentum and quiet confidence to complete its historic season by winning a title.
Twitter: @tribtomwharton —
Storylines
R Herriman's Jake Jutkins and Kaden Strasters combine to rush for 363 yards.
• Sky View takes an early lead on an 18-yard pass from Garrison Beach to Breygan Holbrook, but two quick third-quarter turnovers doom the Bobcats.
• Herriman, which opened in 2010, will play next Friday for its first state football title.