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LEHI — In a matchup featuring two offenses that combined to score 101 points against their previous opponents, it was expected the battle between Alta and Lehi would be a high-scoring affair — and it was for at least one team.
Lehi's offense exploded in the third quarter and scored 35 points, with 21 of them coming in a span of less than four minutes. Pioneers quarterback Jaxson Brousseau threw for three of his four touchdowns in the third quarter while leading his team on one methodical drive after another.
The Pioneers' special teams also contributed big in the win as star pass rusher Isaac Terrell blocked a punt that allowed the offense to take over inside the Alta 15-yard line. The play of the night, however, was made by punt returner Kadiyon Sweat, who took an Alta punt 60 yards to the house after shaking off a Hawk's defender out of his shorts and using another to help himself stay in bounds on his way to a score.
All that firepower, combined with a Lehi defense that only surrendered one score in each half, led to a dominating 49-14 win on senior night for the Pioneers.
"I'm proud," Pioneers head coach Ed Larson said. "We preached to our players this is their team. We've brought them as far as we can. Everything we do from here on out is from them, and they stepped up.
"I felt like we did a great job in the second quarter of keeping them on their heels by mixing up our offense," Larson added. "Once we saw that, settled down and made our adjustments at halftime, we just built the momentum from there"
Brousseau added that the preparation leading up the the game was the biggest factor in the lopsided victory.
"We brought it all week in practice, and it really showed as the game wore on," Brousseau said, while adding that the team's biggest halftime adjustment was their attitude. "I told my teammates that we need to send a message to everyone out there that we're no joke, and we showed that in the second half."
Although all three phases of the game came together in the third quarter for Lehi, the first half was not an easy wagon ride for the Pioneers. Both teams got off to a slow start offensively, with Alta striking first when Hawks quarterback Ethan Jackson found Makia Kaufusi for a 29-yard touchdown pass with 2:33 left in the first quarter.
The Hawks defenses held strong early and pitched a first quarter shutout, but the Pioneers showed signs of life in the second quarter and what was to come in the third quarter. Brousseau hit his younger brother, Grayson, in the end zone for the Pioneers' first touchdown with 10 minutes to play in the first half.
Lehi Receiver Helaman Ofahengaue added a rushing touchdown later in the half to give the Pioneers a 14-7 lead at the break. The Pioneers went on to build on the lead with an impressive 35-point third quarter.
