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PLEASANT GROVE — Jordan High’s football team had a goal this week in practice leading up to a road game against Pleasant Grove. That goal was to stay focused, especially because they had a short week of practice. Coach Eric Kjar can consider this one goal that was met, as Jordan demolished the previously unbeaten Vikings, 32-0.
“I think we had a really good week of prep, really good week of practice,” Kjar said after the game. It definitely showed as all phases of the Beetdigger game were in sync from the opening kick.
The game got off to a slow start, with neither team scoring in the opening quarter. But the game quickly turned into a rout in the second quarter as quarterback Austin Kafentzis led Jordan to 17 straight points before halftime. The highlight play during this stretch came from two-way star Blake Miller, who caught a short pass from Kafentzis and showed his athletic ability in getting away from the Viking defense for an 89-yard touchdown.
“Coach told us to focus this week. He wanted us to focus a lot and be all business,” Miller said. “I thought that we were improving since last week.”
The third quarter was more of the same for Jordan, who added another 15 points before pulling many of the starters for the rest of the game. With the game in hand, Jordan held on for the shutout, aided in large part by succeeding in taking the ball away from the Vikings. Numerous fumbles and a couple interceptions helped seal the game for Jordan.
“We’ve been trying hard for a shutout, so I was really proud of our defense for playing all four quarters,” Miller said.
It wasn’t all bad for Pleasant Grove players, who showed that they are capable of moving the ball against a stiff defense. But costly penalties and turnovers hurt their chances of mounting a comeback.
“PG is a good team,” said Kjar. “They were moving the ball against us pretty well for most of the game, so we will still need to work on that. But they are a good team.”
Notes: Kafentzis continued to show his potential by spreading the ball around to different receivers. The freshman finished with over 270 yards on 18 completions, and completed 62 percent of his passes (18 of 29). If he can continue to produce as he has early this season, the Jordan team could be a favorite when the state playoffs begin.
Landon Walters is a history and political science major currently studying at Salt Lake Community College and is an avid sports fan. He can be reached at mavericksoccer_22@hotmail.com.
