This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Springville • With a 21-point lead and just 5:04 left to play, No. 15 Springville looked set to coast a win over No. 20 Lehi.
Instead, the Pioneers rattled off 21 unanswered points to send the game into overtime.
"There was a little bit of panic," Red Devils coach Willy Child said. "We were trying to get our guys going, but we felt like our guys would respond."
Springville eventually came out on top, 40-34, thanks to a four-and- out by the defense in second overtime and a running game that bruised its way into the end zone. Quarterback Jantsen Thorpe snuck in from the 1-yard line for the winning touchdown.
Lehi used two onside-kick recoveries to get back into the game, and quarterback Cammon Cooper calmly moved the Pioneers down the field for the game-tying score.
Thorpe then hit Jaxon Child, who found wide-open space on the right sideline before he rumbled into the end zone on the first play of overtime. The Pioneers weren't done, though, and Cooper connected with a diving Kade Moore to set up a first-and-goal from the 1. Lehi tied the game on a Cooper sneak, but the Red Devils defense stepped up on the Pioneers' subsequent series.
"We rely a ton our defense," Thorpe said.
Brennen Rymer started the second half with a kickoff return for a touchdown to put Springville up 13-6 in a defensive struggle. But it was Rymer's near-catch in the end zone toward the end of regulation that almost became the play of the game. With less than 30 seconds remaining, Thorpe floated the ball into triple coverage and it looked like Rymer made the catch at the same time as a Lehi defensive back, which would've been a touchdown.
"I had it and then when I hit the ground they pulled it out," Rymer said.
Child applauded the resiliency of his team to overcome adversity and win one of only four home games for the Red Devils this season.