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Tooele • With 12 seconds left in Friday's Class 3AA quarterfinal and his team down by eight, Tooele quarterback Austin Moeno found Jeno Bins alone in the back of the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown, making it a two-point game and nearly completing the Buffaloes' comeback from a 17-point second-quarter deficit against Pine View.

Nearly.

On the 2-point conversion, the Panthers' defense applied enough pressure to Moeno to force an incompletion, resulting in a 38-36 victory and earning Pine View a semifinal matchup with top-ranked Dixie next Friday.

"We just persevered and we found a way," said Pine View head coach Ray Hosner. "This is a tough team. We knew they wouldn't quit and we would have to go four quarters. Our team stepped up to the occasion and we fought to the very end."

When Pine View got out to a quick 17-0 lead, it looked like the Panthers were well on their way to an easy postseason victory.

The Panthers grabbed the early advantage on an 8-yard quarterback keeper by Ryan Javines, and increased their lead a few minutes later on a 19-yard field goal by Conner Brooksby.

Turnovers and penalties handcuffed the Buffaloes throughout the game. On the first play of the second quarter, Tooele turned the ball over at midfield and soon after, Pine View receiver Dylan Hendrickson scored on a 30-yard reception, making it 17-0.

As Hosner said, though, the Buffaloes weren't about to quit.

An 83-yard return on the ensuing kickoff by Mikey Dunn got some momentum going Tooele's way, and the Buffaloes finally got on the scoreboard on a short touchdown run by Lincoln Powers.

Dunn subsequently appeared to pull Tooele to within 3 with a TD run on a fourth-down play, but a holding penalty negated the score, and the Buffaloes settled for a field goal and a 17-10 deficit.

After the teams traded TDs to end the first half — Pine View scoring on a 4-yard run by Jacob Mpungi and Tooele answering with a 45-yard interception return for a score by Dunn — the Buffs started the second half hot.

After forcing Pine View to a punt on its first possession, Tooele scored on a 63-yard run by Powers, though a missed extra point kept the Panthers ahead 24-23.

The Panthers responded, building their lead back to 15 points early in the fourth on a pair of Mpungi touchdown runs, of 75 and 6 yards, respectively.

Not ready to see their season come to an end, the Buffaloes kept battling, cutting the deficit to 38-30 on a 20-yard touchdown run by Bins, followed by the Moeno-to-Bins pass that set up the game's climactic finish and nearly saved Tooele's season.

Nearly. —

Storylines

R Pine View forces an errant pass by Tooele on a 2-point try with 12 seconds remaining that would have sent the game to overtime.

• The Buffaloes rally back from deficits of 17-0 and 38-23 to make the 3AA quarterfinal competitive.

• Jacob Mpungi rushes for three TDs for Pine View, while Jeno Bins scores two for Tooele.