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"This game should be called adversity!" Lone Peak head football coach Mike Mower said at the end of Friday's game in which the Knights defeated Pleasant Grove 24-21 in double overtime. Lone Peak senior defensive back Brooks Goeckeritz put the exclamation mark on that statement by intercepting a pass from Viking sophomore quarterback Isaac Hamilton to secure the win. It was the first region win for Lone Peak and the second region loss for Pleasant Grove.
On their first possession, Viking senior running back Hayden Pettis started the scoring in the first quarter with a 1-yard plunge into the end zone for Pleasant Grove at the 7:08 mark.
Senior quarterback Christian Miller followed that up on the Vikings' second possession with a 13-yard pass to junior wide receiver Coleman Edwards for the Vikings' second touchdown of the quarter at the 3:38 mark. From that point until the overtime period started, the Vikings' offense went scoreless in the second, third and fourth quarters. At one point, they had less than 12 inches to go to pick up a first down and they could not pick it up.
Lone Peak outscored the Vikings 14-0 in those quarters to end in a 14-14 tie as regulation time ran out.
Lone Peak junior quarterback Talmage Gunther found sophomore receiver Jackson McChesney for a 38-yard passing touchdown in the second quarter with 2:58 remaining. The scoring went very quiet in the third period as defense was the main activity on the field. In the waning moments of the fourth quarter, it appeared that the Viking defense would hold the Knights.
With under 30 seconds remaining, Lone Peak's Gunther hit junior wide receiver Jonny Christensen in the end zone for the Knights' second score of the game, knotting it up 14-14.
The Vikings got the ball back with 28 seconds remaining and Hamilton took a knee to end the game in a tie.
In the first overtime, Pleasant Grove had the ball first. It put together a five-play possession, ending with a 9-yard pass into the end zone to put the Vikings on the board first, 21-14.
The Knights, not to be outdone, put together a four-play effort ending in a 3-yard scoring run by senior running back Parker Richards to even the score and end the first overtime period, 21-21.
Lone Peak had the ball first in the second overtime. The Knights put together another great effort to get into the end zone, but Gunther was sacked and was looking at a fourth and 20 to pay dirt. In came senior kicker Sam Kramer, who had already made three PATs on the evening. He was looking at a 27-yard field goal attempt. The snap was low, but the kick was good, and Lone Peak was in the lead for the first time in the game, 24-21.
Pleasant Grove was given it opportunity to score. On the second play, Knight defensive back Goeckeritz intercepted a Hamilton pass into the end zone to end the game and give the Knights their first win in region play.
Coach Mower gave all the credit to his assistant coaches. "My assistants get all the credit for this win, they told the kids not to give up and good things would happen. I'm proud of my kids for playing so hard. This game is all about adversity."
Lone Peak will step out of region play next Friday and will play Timpview. Pleasant Grove will hit the road next Friday to play another region foe, Westlake. Kent Allen lives in Pleasant Grove and reports on Pleasant Grove High School varsity sports for Deseret Connect.
