Emotional start, pair of pick 6's propel Payson to stunning win at Timpanogos

OREM — Entering Thursday night's Week 5 matchup between Timpanogos and Payson, one team had the momentum of a 4-0 start and the other a 2-2 record that included an overtime loss less than eight days prior.

You'd never know which was which by the end of the first quarter.

Kade Edwards threw four touchdown passes and the Lions returned two interceptions for touchdowns as Payson handed Timpanogos its first loss of the year, 49-6, Thursday night at Timpanogos.

Dylan Wall, who caught two touchdowns from Edwards, had a pick six and Kamden Schmipf added the other for Payson (3-2), which came back from a 29-26 overtime loss at Cedar Valley last week to score 35 unanswered points in the first quarter to win its first game in Region 7 play.

"We wanted to come out and make a statement, to prove that Payson is more than just wrestling. That's what we did," Edwards said. "We played pissed off, we played our game, we executed, and came out with a win. We've been preparing all week for this, and it paid off tonight.

"That's a good team, and we took it to them. This is a good step for us, for Payson, showing that Payson is going in the right direction."

First-year coach Arnold Ale called the victory "a huge win," in more ways than one.

"It's our first win against Timpanogos," he said. "And it sets us up to possibly a winning season, which hasn't happened here in 40-something years. But we've got to take it one game at a time."

The Lions got off to a hot start. Just 13 seconds of game time after Jaxon Bulkley opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown dive, Wall returned an interception 22 yards for another score to double Payson's advantage.

On the next offensive series, Edwards found Wall for a 31-yard touchdown to go up 21-0, and the rout was on. That was the moment the quarterback knew his team had something special going on that night against No. 13 Timpanogos (4-1), which was playing without a handful of key offensive linemen and struggled to protect one of two quarterbacks most of the night.

"Dylan stepped up, and that set the momentum," Edwards said. "We were all going, getting excited from there, and that was a big moment in the game. Dylan played a great game."

The two-way player was key in limiting the Timberwolves' offense, and sparking his own. Same, too, for Cooper Swasey, who caught a 3-yard TD strike with 2:11 left in the first quarter and played spy on Timpanogos wildcat quarterback Luke Livingston on defense.

"He's a great player, and Cooper had double duty," Ale said. "But Dylan putting him in single helped us to double on (Livingston). We had a solid plan."

Schmimpf returned a second interception 20 yards for a score to end the quarter, with the visiting Lions on top 35-0.

Livingston hauled in a 21-yard touchdown from Chase Riggs on the first play of the second quarter. But the Timberwolves could get no closer, and Edwards added two more touchdowns to Wall and Swasey to take a 49-6 lead into halftime and set up a running clock after the break.

The Lions controlled the second half with the running clock, a strong ground game, and defensive stops by Trey Worthen via sack and Rett Robinson with a pick.

Payson is 7 points away from a 5-0 start, including a 7-3 loss to Mountain Crest in the second game of the season.

Instead, the Lions improved to 3-2 on the year, but 1-1 in region play with a key home game Oct. 6 against undefeated Stansbury. That wasn't on the visitors' minds Thursday night, though; just the chance to do something they haven't experienced in their lives — and the excitement of already accomplishing another similar feat.

"I know we can hang with anybody," Edwards said. "This proves it; if we come out and play our game, we can compete with anyone.

"I'm excited to see where the rest of the season goes. One of our goals this year is a winning season; the last one was 1977, and that's our main goal. We want to do something that hasn't been done in a long time."

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