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Sandy • It's difficult to claim a strong first half as the culprit for a lackadaisical second-half performance, but for Jordan — the quick start lulled the team to sleep.
The Beetdiggers were on cruise control after racing to a three-score lead at the break against Desert Hills, but their offense sputtered with fewer opportunities in the final 24 minutes as the Thunder started to establish the line of scrimmage.
But in the first week of the season, it's about surviving, and Jordan did enough to prevail with a 28-21 win on its home field.
"I think our kids did really well at times and, you know, there are some things we got to do better," said Jordan coach Eric Kjar. "[Desert Hills] has some big kids, and they're tough. We're going to learn a lot and get a lot better from the first to second game."
Quarterback Crew Wakley located Spencer Curtis on the opening series for a 46-yard touchdown — a connection expected to reoccur throughout the season as Curtis chases multiple individual career UHSAA receiving records.
Alec Evans' 2-yard plunge extended the Diggers' advantage to two scores before Wakley threw his second touchdown pass to Isaiah Jackson at the pylon on fourth-and-13 to give Jordan a commanding 21-0 lead with one second left until intermission.
"We definitely need to come out with more intensity in the second half," Wakley said. "I think we kind of let it get to our heads that we were up 21-0. We kind of let off a little bit. We've got to learn from that. We got kind of lazy."
Jordan thoroughly dominated the meeting last year in St. George, and it appeared to be headed for another yawner, but Desert Hills awoke in the second half. On the opening drive of the third quarter, the Thunder pounded the ball behind their gigantic offensive line and found the end zone when Marco Jordan escaped for a 7-yard score.
Quarterback Quinn Kiser then hit Braxton Porter on a 25-yard strike with 9:23 in the fourth quarter to pull within 21-14. All the momentum sided with the 3AA school, but the 5A Diggers bunkered down.
Wakley quickly led a scoring drive, with Jackson eluding a would-be tackler after hauling in the ball on a post route at the 6:33 mark in the fourth.
"It was big because that was only our second drive of the second half," Kjar said. "I think they were definitely trying to run a little clock and shorten the game up. That was big because we weren't getting a lot of possessions."
The score recaptured the two-score advantage for Jordan, and from there Desert Hills' time management was perplexing. The Thunder took over at the Beetdiggers' 40-yard line after recovering a muffed punt, but proceeded to methodically move the chains with a flurry of runs.
There was no urgency, as players huddled following each play, allowing the play-clock to dwindle into low digits and even expire for a delay of game penalty. Kobe Sattiewhite eventually scored from 1-yard out with 1:39 remaining in regulation, cutting the deficit to 28-21.
And with three timeouts, Desert Hills' pulse was still beating. Jordan corralled the ensuing onside kick, but rather than stop the clock after the first play, the Thunder tucked their timeouts away and wasted 30 seconds. Jordan ultimately picked up the first down to seal the game.
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Storylines
R Jordan survives after allowing Desert Hills to climb back from a three-score hole.
• Quarterback Crew Wakley throws three touchdowns, two to Isaiah Jackson.
• Spencer Curtis hauls in a TD reception on the first drive of the game.