Timpanogos weathers the storm, Wasatch rally

OREM – As far as season opening high school football games go, the contest between the Timpanogos Timberwolves and the visiting Wasatch Wasps had a little bit of everything.

In a game that approached four hours in length from opening kickoff to final gun, Timpanogos held on against a strong Wasatch comeback and took the opener for both teams 25-22.

The game saw two lengthy delays--one for a serious injury in the first half the other for lightning shortly after the second half began.  The weather delay seemed to work in the favor of the Wasps, who came out of the locker room 45 minutes later to threaten the once comfortable lead built up by the T-Wolves.

“We had them late in the game,” said Wasatch head coach, Steve Coburn. “But we made too many mistakes at critical times that cost us. We were the better team in the second half. We won the fourth quarter, we just didn’t win the game.”

Shortly after Wasatch received the opening kickoff rain began to fall. The natural grass field quickly became slick and play by both teams got a bit sloppy, especially for the Wasps, who rely on their passing attack.

Wasatch quarterback, Garrett Davis, had a difficult time early on finding his receivers in the wet conditions and his team was forced to punt on its first three series.

Quarterback Garrett Davis looks for a receiver during the game's first drive just before the heavy rain came.

Timpanogos, however, had no such problem using a ground game that caught the visitors off guard at the line of scrimmage. Halfway through the first quarter, Timberwolf running back Tyler Shade broke through the left side of the line, cut to the outside and scampered 72 yards for a touchdown. David Hurst converted the extra point kick and the home team was quickly up 7-0.

After a Wasatch fumble, Timpanogos took control of the ball near midfield and worked its way just inside the 20. Running back Jake Ware took a first and ten handoff and broke lose for a 19 yard touchdown run for a 13-0 advantage. The extra point attempt by Hurst was blocked.

The Wasps, seemingly on their heals, turned the ball over again on a fumble early in the second quarter giving Timpanogos just over half the field to pay dirt. It was Shade again scoring on a long run, this time 61 yards to put his team up 19-0. Hurst’s extra point kick was no good.

On the point after attempt, Timpanogos’ Ware suffered a knee injury that required the player, who had scored earlier, to be taken off the field by ambulance. Nearly 30 minutes passed, with both squads on one knee, as medical attention was given to Ware.

The Wasatch bench--players, coaches and cheerleaders all took to silence and one knee as Timpanogos running back Jake Ware is taken off the field in an ambulance.

Timpanogos showed no signs of affect after the break and put together another scoring drive after getting the ball back from Wasatch.

Quarterback Tyler Sweeten called his own number from the five yard line scoring on a keeper giving the home team a big 25-0 lead with eight minutes still remaining in the first half. For the third consecutive time, Hurst’s PAT failed giving the Wasps something to build on.

Wasatch would put together its first solid drive of the game after the T-Wolves kickoff. Running back Spencer Heywood delivered a couple of solid runs and Davis used his legs on a few plays and also hit receiver Carson Law with a 17 yard strike to put the Wasps in scoring position.

As the rain continued

to fall, and at a harder pace as the game went on, Davis found tight end Cade Cloward in the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown connection. Sklyler Southam made the extra point kick and Wasatch was on the scoreboard 25-7.

The Wasps, gaining some momentum, put together another drive after a Cloward interception of Sweeten, but could not convert a third and one from inside the Timberwolves 25 yard line. Wasatch would go for a 40-yard field goal, but Southam’s kick would narrowly miss to the left.

After the halftime break, Timpanogos took the kickoff as the rain started to let up slightly. Just over three minutes into the new half, Wasatch forced a Timpanogos fumble giving them the ball with good field position at the Timberwolves 34 yard line.

Mother Nature would again intervene as lightning entered the area and the game was halted. Both teams their coaches and fans were asked to leave the field and seating areas for a mandatory 30 minute wait. During the delay, the storm seemed to let up and there was no serious danger of the game being cancelled.

Once play resumed, Wasatch took the field with a sense of urgency and a nothing to lose attitude.

Its drive from the 34-yard line only managed 17 yards and the Wasps sent Southam to the field again for a field goal attempt. The kick was wide, but Southam was roughed on the play giving Wasatch a fresh set of downs.

Timpanogos quarterback Tyler Sweeten attempts a pass against a heavy Wasp rush.

This time they took advantage and Davis worked his way into the end zone on a keeper giving the Wasps their second touchdown. The PAT was good and Wasatch had life at 25-14 with 4:03 left in the 3^rd quarter.

Timpanogos continued to keep the ball on the ground and was finding it difficult against the inspired Wasatch defensive front. A muffed T-Wolf punt that wobbled out of bounds gave Wasatch the ball at the home team’s 33-yard line.

After failing to gain any ground, Wasatch attempted yet another field goal by Southam, this time a 54 yarder that just missed dropping over the cross bar.

As the rain returned, this time falling in sheets in a blustery wind, Wasatch relied on a pair of turnovers to keep its hopes for victory alive. A Wasp fumble recovery set-up more solid running by Heywood, who finished off the scoring drive with a one-yard burst with 7:37 left in the game. Wasatch sensing a chance to tie the contest on a field goal later, went for the two-point conversion which was converted on a pass from Davis to Law. The Wasps had closed the gap to 25-22.

Timpanogos, looking for a way to slow the Wasatch momentum, took to the air on its next possession and was intercepted by Chase Adams at the Wasatch 34-yard line.

The Wasps, with time dwindling away, went to strike quickly and Davis hit Law for a 38-yard pass that would have put the Wasps at the one-yard line if not for a holding call. It was the straw that broke the camels back for Wasatch as they unraveled down the stretch with consecutive penalties.

In less than a minute they went from possibly having the ball at the one-yard line with a chance to win, to having a 4^th and 51 with virtually no chance to convert.

“This is a tough one,” stated Coburn. “There’s some tears over there because guys know they didn’t make plays when we needed them. We had the chance to win it, but you can’t with penalties, dropped passes and missed field goals.”