Spanish Fork routs Uintah behind balanced offensive attack

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SPANISH FORK — Wide receiver Brock Jacobson, tailback Kaden Vest, and quarterback McKay Smith have been playing football together since the fourth grade.

That longevity is the reason why they might be the deadliest, most underrated offensive trio in the state right now for Spanish Fork.

A week after Smith tossed three touchdown passes — two to Jacobson — and Vest gained 201 yards on the ground with two scores in a win over Sky View, the three combined for 49 more points as the Dons (3-1) handed the Uintah Utes their first loss of the season 56-26 Thursday night at Dons Stadium.

"We had such a blast last week that we just wanted to come out and keep balling," Jacobson said. "At the end of the day, we just are keeping our head down and keeping on grinding."

After allowing the Utes (3-1) to score late in the first quarter, Spanish Fork certainly did keep on grinding, scoring 35 of the next 42 points to open up a 49-14 lead with under six minutes remaining in the third quarter to initiate a running clock.

Jacobson scored all three of his receiving touchdowns in the first half, including one on third-and-16 that Smith dropped into his waiting hands perfectly while on the move.

Things went so well for the Dons they even converted a hook-and-ladder play for Vest to get his second touchdown of the half to give Spanish Fork a 28-7 lead late in the second quarter.

"It's not a surprise that (Vest, Jacobson, and Smith) blend well and mesh well together," Dons head coach Dustin Smith said. "When you have that, you're going to have some success."

And it's not just those three players that opponents should be worried about, either; Dustin Smith said Nixon Warren, the Dons' leading receiver in 2023 who didn't play Thursday, along with Gage Christensen and Kal Roberts, are athletic, physical threats on any given night.

"It's very nice because if (Brock) isn't open, we can run the ball," McKay Smith said. "It's good when you throw five touchdown passes and you have guys that can go up and get them."

The balance on offense is what makes the Dons so dangerous through the first four games of the season, and Dustin Smith said he wants to see that continue, along with small improvements — week-by-week — from his team.

McKay Smith added that he's hoping it takes them even further — perhaps to a state championship.

"We need to have the same mentality that we're not going to lower our level," Jacobson said. "That'll help us keep growing as a team and keep growing our chemistry as a group."