- Lone Peak defeated Orem 34-21 with a balanced attack led by explosive plays.
- Quarterback Cruz Christensen highlighted the team's strong offensive line and group effort.
- Despite Orem's late rally Lone Peak's defense held firm securing their 2-0 record.
HIGHLAND — A lightning-fast start and a team-focused game plan helped lift Lone Peak to a 34-21 win over Orem in a clash of two of Utah's top-ranked teams Friday night.
Behind explosive plays early and a steady ground attack late, the Knights kept the Tigers relatively at bay to remain unbeaten on the season.
The tone was set from the jump. On Orem's opening possession, quarterback Tayden Kaawa drove the Tigers across midfield before Lone Peak's Gabe Harmon jumped a pass and raced 69 yards for a pick-six score.
After an Orem punt, Lone Peak's offense struck quickly when junior quarterback Cruz Christensen connected with Jaron Pula on an 82-yard catch-and-run to make it 14-0 in a blink.
"Starting big gets the momentum going, especially at home," Lone Peak head coach Bart Brockbank said. "The crowd gets into it, the boys are hopping around. Against good teams, you want to press them early, and I thought our guys did a great job of that."
Orem answered with a Kaawa touchdown pass to Max Stonebreaker — the first of three for the Alabama commit — but Lone Peak controlled much of the first half. Christensen orchestrated scoring drives capped by a field goal and a Tate Barney rushing touchdown, giving the Knights a commanding 24-7 halftime edge.
Christensen praised the group effort that fueled Lone Peak's offense.
"Everyone's doing their jobs. I think we did a really great job on our O-line," Christensen said. "You know, Orem has a really good D-line. I think our O-line did their jobs, receivers did their jobs, and our running backs did really well today."
That balance carried into the second half, too. Isaac Fonua punched in a touchdown run to extend the lead to 31-7. Kaawa sparked an Orem rally with back-to-back scoring drives, including a strike to Baylor commit Kai Wesley. Suddenly, the Tigers pulled within 10 points midway through the fourth quarter.
But Lone Peak didn't flinch. The Knights leaned on their run game to chew clock with methodical drives, utilizing ground-and-pound football. The defense tightened up as they shut the door on any chance of a Tiger comeback.
"I think it just means we have integrity," Christensen said. "Tayden Kaawa, their quarterback, really did a great job of controlling the offense, but I think our defense pushed through. We were able to stop him, and then again, our offense just pushed through, and we did the job."
Despite securing the win to improve to 2-0, Brockbank said he knows there are things his team can work on and fix in order to get better as a team.
"Outside of three plays, I think we held them pretty stout," Brockbank said. "I'm proud of the defense. We've just got to fix those long plays. You can't give those up against good teams."
With the team's second straight statement win, Lone Peak (2-0) proved it can win with explosive passing, power running, and timely defense — all against elite competition.
