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OREM — When two of the best teams in the state meet on the field, everyone expects a great game. But that was not the case in Orem Friday night.
The Tigers dominated the game as East struggled to figure anything out on both sides of the ball.
After a first half where Orem got out to a 10-0 lead, East came out of halftime and still could not produce anything on offense, which resulted in a 24-0 victory for Orem.
The key to Orem’s success on offense was quarterback Micha Fe’a who made dazzling throws one after another. He threw for three touchdowns and continued to find the open man all night. Fe’a credited his team’s hard work and preparation in practice throughout the week as the reason for so much success.
“I think we had a good week of practice, and we really came together as a team. Then we went out and executed our game plan tonight,” Fe’a said
Orem’s offense was not the only side of the ball that dominated as the Tigers‘ defense pitched their first shutout of the season.
Just like his quarterback stated, interim head coach Gabriel Sewell Sr. thought the success was a result of a great week of practice.
“Today, it was bend but at all costs do not break, and they did that tonight,” Sewell said. “I believe it’s a tribute to their preparation this week as they stayed disciplined and focused on their assignments.”
Another key to Orem’s success was their dominance in the trenches — on both the offensive and defensive lines.
“Our guys stood in there and went toe to toe with them from the first snap of the first quarter to the last snap of the fourth, and that is a testament to their heart,” Gabriel Sewell Jr. said.
Kingsley Suamataia and the rest of the Orem offensive line made sure Fe’a was not sacked and opened running lanes for their backs. On the other side of the ball, Orem’s defensive line never let star running back Amini Amone and the rest of the East offense get into a rhythm. Leading the way for the group was linebacker Jayden Ah You who was able to get two sacks in the lopsided victory.
East often looked outmatched on both sides of the ball. They marched down the field on their first drive, but it ended in a fumble, costing them points and the momentum moving forward. After that, they struggled to establish the run game and couldn’t find anything in the passing game either.
On the defensive side of the ball, East struggled to garner any pressure on Fe’a and could not seem to contain the dynamic Orem receivers.
Orem moves to 2-0 on the season and will travel to Skyridge next week to take on another undefeated team in the Falcons. East (1-1) will travel to Lone Peak (2-0) next week to take on the Knights.
