This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

American Fork felt confident heading into its second meeting with Lone Peak, this time in the Class 5A semifinals at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday morning. The Cavemen believed they let opportunities slip away in the first game, considering what eventually morphed into a 20-point loss in September was only a one-score game in the fourth quarter.

This time, however, the Cavemen were outmatched in almost every regard in their 66-19 loss against the Knights, but despite the lopsided final, the journey the program took to reach the semifinals cannot be overlooked.

American Fork was perceived in the preseason to be a talented team lurking in the shadows after finishing 5-6 in 2015 with a young core. With more experience and more depth, the Cavemen would contend for a Region 4 championship.

"We want the playoffs to be a consistent thing for us, and then success in the playoffs," said American Fork coach Aaron Behm, whose program advanced to the semifinals for the second time in three years. "We're continuing to build on that."

That appeared to be the case when the program started 5-1, with the lone loss to an out-of-state opponent, but Behm conceded the schedule grew tougher in league play, as the team slumped to a 1-3 finish with losses against Lone Peak and Pleasant Grove and another 20-point loss at Herriman.

Suddenly the program was far away from a region title and was instead forced to battle in a play-in game against the Mustangs, the defending Class 5A champions. The Cavemen were down early in that game, but continued to truck forward, eventually capturing the win on the road and kick-starting a chain of upsets against Roy and Syracuse.

It was the first time since 1972, when Kearns won the state championship, that a program advanced to the semifinals in a large classification after winning a play-in game, according to prep historian George Felt.

"Very proud of what these kids had to do to get back here," Behm said. "They wanted to get back here really bad, and it showed in the first three playoff games."

So the final game of the season was a true reflection of the entire season. It was a rollercoaster from start to finish.

tphibbs@sltrib.com

Twitter: @trevorphibbs —

Storylines

• American Fork becomes the first team since Kearns in 1972 to reach a large-school semifinal after participating in a play-in game.

• The Cavemen started the year 5-1, but slumped to a 1-3 finish to end the regular season.

• The first matchup between the teams was a one-score game in the fourth quarter before the Knights pulled away, but Thursday's semi was put away early.