This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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

At the Class 4A football semifinals on Friday, Maple Mountain saw its fair share of white numbers on red jerseys while pursuing East High runners.

But while the Spanish Fork school is also still playing from behind terms of overall historical football success, the Golden Eagles' current group of seniors certainly made a mark in the 2016 football season — even if it ended with a blowout 64-13 loss to the Leopards.

"What a fantastic group of young men. You've got four academic all-state kids, kids that have been two-way starters and two-year starters," Eagles coach Brad Burtenshaw said. "Just love those guys — they've put everything they had into building our program."

Maple Mountain began its existence in 2009, while East's tradition goes back over a hundred years (to 1913). The Leopards are on a quest to win back-to-back titles in Class 4A to go along with seven other football championships.

The Golden Eagles, meanwhile, had very little success in the playoffs until this season. Actually, Maple Mountain had made the postseason three times previously and had been beaten handily each time in the first round.

So, after starting the current campaign with five straight losses, what Burtenshaw's troops did in '16 might be an extremely strong building block.

Not only did Maple Mountain make the playoffs, its seven-game winning streak included postseason wins over Provo and Box Elder.

"It's something we're really proud of, to win the first playoff game for Maple Mountain and then win a second," Burtenshaw said. "We were excited for the opportunity to be here, we just hope it lasts.

"Maybe set the expectations a little bit higher and the kids know what it takes to get here — to make this a tradition," he added.

The underdogs from Region 8 weren't without any highlights.

Senior wide receiver Dawson Beutler, who was the lone goal-scorer when Maple Mountain won the 4A boys' soccer crown last spring, caught a 77-yard touchdown pass from Tyson Denison with a couple of minutes left in the second quarter, and he also made a successful one-handed stab at a ball in the fourth period for a 20-yard catch.

And, as time ran out, Denison found Brooks Oberhansley in the end zone for a 28-yard scoring play.

That only mitigated the pain for the Golden Eagles, however.

Senior receiver Harrison Casper, grandson of legendary golfer Billy Casper, said that the football season is what matters most to him.

"It's a hard way to end it," Casper said. "I think we were pretty prepared, I just think they were more physical.

"It's overwhelming. We did have a good season, but I just didn't want it to be over," he added. —

Storylines

• Maple Mountain, which opened in 2009, wins the first two playoff games in program history this season.

• Dawson Beutler gets the Golden Eagles on the scoreboard with a 77-yard touchdown catch from Tyson Denison.

• Denison connects with Brooks Oberhansley on a 28-yard score as time expires.