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SALT LAKE CITY — The 5A high school football playoffs got started Friday with East defeating Skyline 70-28 on the Leopards' home field.
The Eagles were able to respond to an early pick six by East's Omar Shah by tying the game 7-7 with 7:59 to go in the first quarter, but it was all Leopards from there on out.
John Amone and Michael "Nunu" Fonua provided a dynamic tandem in the backfield for East and found the end zone later in the first quarter — the latter breaking off a 68-yard score — to lead 20-7 heading into the second quarter.
The Leopards put together two more unanswered scoring drives in the second quarter, capped off by a 48-yard run from Jerrick Little and a 48-yard pass to Kevin Doe. Porter Brockman picked up a 25-yard touchdown pass for Skyline, as well, in the second quarter, but East led by a dominant 41-14 margin at halftime.
Fonua and Amone both picked up another score in the third quarter, and Fonua showed off his dual-threat talents with a 37-yard touchdown pass to start the fourth quarter.
20-7 East thanks to this 60-yard run from Nunu Fonua. Still the first quarter. pic.twitter.com/o2dOniL9UQ
— Caleb Turner (@calebturner23) October 21, 2022
The Leopards allowed the Eagles to get a pair of scores in the final period, but capped off the evening with a 37-yard onside kick return touchdown from JJ Fredrick to hit the 70-point threshold.
All in all, East put together two separate four-touchdown runs to dominate the game and give the Leopards a second-round matchup in Provo against Timpview next week.
"They've got a really, really good football team," East head coach Brandon Matich said. "Got a long history since I've been at East with Timpview. Looking forward to going down and battling them."
East's game next week is set for kickoff at 6 p.m. MDT on Oct. 28, but the time could be subject to change based on the home team preference.
