- Springville forces two red zone interceptions including 80-yard pick six.
- Zackary Henderson's 80-yard touchdown reception puts the Red Devils up 21-14 late in the 4th.
- A key fourth down stop seals the win for Springville.
PROVO — It wasn't always pretty, but when the game hung in the balance, Springville made the plays that mattered most.
Behind a pair of timely interceptions, a fourth-down stop, and an 80-yard strike late in the game, the Red Devils escaped Provo with a 21-14 victory Friday night to remain unbeaten. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, fell to 1-2 after back-to-back losses.
Provo will walk away feeling like it let one slip away. The Bulldogs moved the ball effectively all night, but costly red zone turnovers and missed opportunities left points on the field — and opened the door for Springville to pull ahead.
The tone was set early when Provo's first two possessions ended in interceptions. Stafford Small returned the first one 80 yards for a touchdown, while Zachary Henderson ended another drive with a pick in the end zone.
Despite the miscues, Provo's defense was stellar in the first half, holding the Red Devils without a drive past midfield and giving the Bulldogs enough breathing room to build momentum.
Wide receiver Ronnie Wright put the Bulldogs on his back and made two big catches, including a one-handed touchdown grab in the back of the end zone to tie the game 7-7 entering halftime.
The Red Devils eventually put together a productive drive from their offense to begin the third quarter, capping off a near seven-minute drive that ended with a rushing touchdown by Tua Naufahu.
Chase Pahl helped Provo get back into striking distance after a 50-yard reception, but a stalled drive caused the Bulldogs to come up empty after a missed field goal.
After getting some stops, Provo finally answered back in the fourth quarter after another Wright reception put the team in position to score. Malik Filimoe'atu punched it in for the Bulldogs to tie the game up 14-14.
Springville offensive coordinator Doug Bills dialed up the perfect play that went on to be the difference maker in the tight contest.
On the Red Devil's first play of the drive following Provo's touchdown, Bills called for a deep pass despite struggling to pass the ball throughout the game, and quarterback Lisiate Valeti executed it perfectly by throwing an 80-yard strike to Henderson.
"It was like, I need to catch this and I'm gone," Henderson said.
The game wasn't over yet, and Springville still needed to hold Provo in order to close out the game. The Red Devils were able to stop the Bulldogs after a fourth-and-1 stop that required the refs to measure the spot.
"One stop, we just knew it was on the line, so he had to go all out and push him back, and we got it," Henderson said.
From there, Springville leaned on its run game to bleed the clock. On third down, Valeti powered through the Bulldog defense for a first down that sealed the win and preserved the Red Devils' perfect start.
"Whatever it takes," said Springville head coach David Valeti. "That's our motto. It wasn't pretty — our games aren't — but the kids are bought into doing whatever it takes."
Despite their offensive struggles, the Red Devils' resiliency was what impressed their head coach most.
"Nobody has an ego," Valeti said. "That's the biggest thing. I have some quarterbacks that we're not throwing the ball great at practice. We know, to go where we want, we've got to be a little more dynamic and we're just gonna keep working."
That mentality, he added, is why Springville has been able to deliver in critical moments.
"We believe in our guys, and if their number's called, they can make the play; and it doesn't always work out, but I'm just happy we got it done. Happy for the boys, they got it done."
Springville will be back in action Friday when they take on Orem, while Provo travels to Meridian, Idaho, to take on Rocky Mountain.
