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HEBER CITY — Springville trailed for roughly 36 of the 48 minutes Friday night, but erupted late to score 30 unanswered points and propel the Red Devils to a 45-24 victory over Wasatch.
Springville junior quarterback Ryder Burton unleashed havoc on the Wasatch secondary late in the contest, throwing for three touchdowns on the night, including two of the four scored amid their late run.
Senior wide receiver Bradey Mortensen was Burton's favorite target as the two connected on multiple notable gains, including a 42-yard go-ahead touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter.
"In the second half, Bradey Mortensen and Cole Clement really came to life and they played their best game," Burton said. "(Wasatch) came down in a stack, a four-four, left our guys man, which probably wasn't the best decision; but hey, whatever they see they must've thought they could win that matchup and they just couldn't."
Even though Springville eventually exploded on offense, thanks to the stellar execution of their quarterback and wide receivers, it was all Wasatch for the majority of the game.
Right off the bat, the Wasps brought the heat as BYU-commit Jarinn Kalama sacked Burton in the end zone. But what initially appeared to be a safety ended up as 6 points as Burton fumbled the football and Wasatch recovered for the first score of the game.
After the score and a blocked punt by Springville defensive end Siosifa Kolomalu, which resulted in a safety, Kalama helped the Wasps score again as the 6-foot-2 wide receiver caught a pass from Quezon Villa in the corner of the end zone for a touchdown, giving Wasatch an early 14-2 lead with 1:55 remaining in the first quarter.
It was a more closely contested matchup in the second quarter after the teams traded quick three-and-out possessions. But Springville running back Seth Rigtrup eventually served as the primary source of offense for the Red Devils and found an open lane down the sideline on a reverse for a 35-yard pick up.
After another quick 15-yard run from Rigtrup, Burton connected with Mortensen in the end zone on a fourth-and-goal opportunity from the 3-yard line for the duo's initial touchdown of the night.
Wasatch would later kick a field goal before Springville closed the gap. Burton found tight end Cole Clement on multiple occasions and Rigtrup capped off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run up the middle. But a failed 2-point-conversion allowed Wasatch to maintain a 17-15 lead going into halftime.
Wasatch wasted no time scoring out of the halftime break as Villa found Kalama open for another touchdown score and to hold a two-possession advantage over Springville.
The game seemed to be in Wasatch's favor as the Wasps held Springville to a three-and-out series on the ensuing possession and quickly marched down the field. But on what was arguably the biggest play of the game, Villa under threw to a receiver and defensive end Walker Deede picked off the pass and turned on the afterburners before being downed at Wasatch's 1-yard line.
The Wasps stuffed the Red Devils on three consecutive plays, but Rigtrup forced his way into the end zone on fourth down to once again make it a 2-point game.
But that was just the beginning of the end for Wasatch. Springville scored on their next three drives, totaling 30 unanswered points and a 21-point victory.
Burton, Mortensen and Clement proved to be unstoppable and torched the Wasps' secondary for notable gains on busted coverage. Mortensen finished the night with two touchdown and rushed for over 100 yards, while Clement recorded a touchdown reception and a 2-point conversion as he proved to be unguardable.
"We're thought of as a team that runs — it's what we like to do. But we know that we've got some weapons, we've got a great quarterback, and our receivers — we're five deep — and if we can get them the ball, something big is going to happen," Springville head coach Willy Childs said.
With the victory, Springville improves to 6-1 on the season and will face Maple Mountain on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. MT. Meanwhile, Wasatch drops to 5-2 and will face Spanish Fork Friday.
