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SPANISH FORK — Salem Hills defensive back Neal Davis batted down a Spanish Fork pass as time exipred Thursday night to preserve the Skyhawks' first-ever victory over the rival Dons with a 21-16 win.
In the final two minutes, Salem Hills held a slim five-point lead and Spanish Fork quarterback Jason Money had driven the Dons from their own 1 to the Salem Hills 46 before Davis' pass break-up on the final play and the play prior sealed the win for the Skyhawks (9-1).
With 18.9 seconds left, Money took the snap and was flushed out of the pocket by senior linebacker Porter Gustin. Five seconds later, Gustin and defensive lineman Hayden Albrecht closed in and brought down Money inbounds.
With no way to stop the clock, Money quickly assembled his line and took the final snap with under one second left. Spotting Connor Anderson streaking down the right side, Money launched a Hail Mary pass that hung in the air for what seemed like minutes, not seconds, and just as it looked to be dropping into Anderson’s hands, Davis swooped in from behind to knock the ball away.
Game over.
"I knew our only chance at the end was to get our hands on Money and try to stop him," said Gustin, who led the Skyhawks with 15 tackles and two sacks. "I have tremendous respect for him and his game. He is very tough and very slippery."
Salem’s whole game plan centered on trying to do just that — stop Money.
“For three years people have had to do the best they could to contain Money. He is so versatile and such a great leader and competitor," Salem Hills football coach Joel Higginson said. "Then you add Adrian Rodrigues, John Lelula and Funa and it’s easy to see why they are so hard to prepare for.”
Higginson’s defense, however, has been a force to be reckoned with all season, and came prepared to keep Money and his high-scoring Dons in check.
By the end of the first half, the Skyhawks had allowed just one score from a team that has been known to put up 35 points in a half. That one score: an 18-yard field goal by Ridge Payne.
The Skyhawks answered the FG with a 36-yard strike from Gustin to Trevor Gasser as time was winding down in the first half, bringing the score to 7-3 at the break.
The start of the second half was all Spanish Fork. The Dons stormed down the field midway in the third quarter and scored on a 5-yard run by Money to retake the lead at 10-7.
But that didn’t last long.
The Salem Hills offense, which always seems to struggle in the first half, came out of the locker room more calm and focused, and much more effective in the second half. They Skyhawks answered the Dons by scoring on their next two possessions to not only give the visiting team a lead, but a cushion as well.
The first score of the second half for the Skyhawks came when Jaxon Bowden punched it from 3 yards out late in the third. Then Gustin slammed into the end zone on a quarterback keeper midway through the fourth, giving the Skyhawks the 20-10 advantage with time winding down.
But the Dons, playing on their home field on senior night, simply refused to go away. With Money, an exceptionally mobile quarterback, the Dons' ground game continued to pound away at the Skyhawk defense, keeping it on the run as it tried to stop the wily Money from churning out the big rushing yardage he is known for.
Ironically, it was Money's 45-yard TD pass to James Wilson with under four minutes left that breathed life back into Spanish Fork while bringing the score to 21-16.
The Skyhawks whittled two minutes off the clock on their next possession but were forced to punt from their own 45-yard line. Salem’s Jesse Rowley planted the ball deep in Dons territory, forcing Spanish Fork to take over on their own 1-yard line with exactly 2:00 left on the clock.
That’s where and when the would-be comeback started before ending two minutes later at midfield with Davis' pass break-up.
"Spanish Fork is a very tough, well-coached team," Higginson said. "They have really tough players that fought hard all night. Our guys flat-out made every big play that we had to when our backs were against the wall.
"In a rivalry like this when two great teams are playing, you have to work yourselves into positions to take advantage of the momentum and I thought we did that, and it made the difference in the outcome of the game."
Salem Hills will head into the playoffs next week as the second seed from Region 8, while Spanish Fork falls to 5-5 overall and 2-4 in region play and is looking to clinch a fourth-place spot that will be determined on the outcome of Friday's game between Springville and Maple Mountain.
