Woods Cross gave Region 5 football newcomer Clearfield a rude welcoming last Friday. The Wildcats improved to 1-1 in league play and 3-2 overall with a 47-0 rout over the Falcons. The Wildcats now have scored 90 points the past two games. 

Against Clearfield, Woods Cross delighted the home crowd with a 34-point first half. Isaac Johnson opened the scoring with a 33-yard touchdown run with 9:36 to play in the first quarter. Ben Smith-Mecham then caught a 34-yard TD pass from Lock Smooth. Up 12-0, Woods Cross then got a 2-yard TD run from Vili Tapa’atoutai as well as a successful two-point conversion. Smoot had an 8-yard touchdown run and then followed this with a 21-yard pass for a score to Ryan Moss. 

The Wildcats were well ahead at the break but added a pair of touchdowns in the second half for good measure. Cash Henderson romped into the end zone from 58 yards out early in the third quarter. After the missed extra point, it was 40-0 Wildcats. With 7:13 to play in the game, Johnson had a 13-yard TD scamper to cap a productive night for the Wildcats. 

Johnson had four carries for 59 yards, while Henderson and Smoot each had 58 yards on the ground. In all, Woods Cross tallied 250 yards rushing. Smoot went 7 of 9 passing for 123 yards and two touchdowns. Smith-Mecham had two grabs for 54 yards. On defense, Henderson led the team with eight tackles. Moss and Jonah Suliafu had sacks. 

Woods Cross will next take on Viewmont in a key road game this Friday. 

Don’t Look Now: Clearfield’s Elijah Sanders (27) closes his eyes and hopes for the best as he tackles Woods Cross Running Back Ryker Martin, (21). All Falcon hopes were dashed by a Wildcat and a 47 - 0 loss.  Photo by Roger V. Tuttle

Viewmont

Heading into its clash with Woods Cross, Viewmont owns a 2-3 record. The Vikings are 0-2 in Region 5.

In a high-scoring matchup with Northridge on the road last week, Viewmont came up short in a 44-35 loss. The back-and-forth affair saw lots of big plays and swings. Northridge was in control early, leading 16-0 in the first quarter. Seth Valencia had a 5-yard touchdown run for Viewmont in the final seconds of the first quarter. A two-point conversion made it 16-8 Northridge. 

In the second and third quarters, Northridge scored two more touchdowns, appearing to put the game in doubt by going up 30-8 with 9:24 to play in the period. But the Vikings scored 20 unanswered points in the third, beginning with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Daren Tovey to Drez Jensen. Titan Longston then hit Cache Tuia on a 15-yard score, followed by a Longston–Kingston Mickens connection from 9 yards out with 1:39 in the third. 

Now 30-28 Northridge, it was anyone’s game. 

The fourth quarter began with a Northridge touchdown to make it 37-28. Four minutes later, Jensen caught an 8-yard TD pass from Longston, narrow the gap to 37-35. However, Northridge returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown. Viewmont couldn’t counter with another score in the final 4 ½ minutes. 

Dax Nielsen had 16 carries for 59 yards to pace the Vikings. Tovey was 9 of 18 for 118 yards passing, while Longson was 12 of 26 for 132 yards and three TDs coming off the bench. Tuia had eight catches for 112 yards. Kellen Wood had 10 tackles. Landon Sharp and Austin Nebeker had interceptions. 

Bountiful

The 2-3 Redhawks are 0-2 in league play with a date at Northridge coming up. 

In a low-scoring contest last Friday, Bountiful lost to Bonneville 13-10, the second time in three weeks the Redhawks have fallen by that score. 

In the setback, Bountiful scored in the first and fourth quarters. Landon Zayas hit a long 47-yard field goal with 3:44 left in the opening quarter. After trailing 7-3 at halftime, the Redhawks went up 10-7 with just 2:40 to play when Emmerson Geilman hit Beau Burningham from 25 yards out. But Bonneville countered with the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute to play. 

In a losing effort, Brigham Morrison had 61 rushing yards on just five carries for the Redhawks. Geilman had a solid game, producing 214 yards on 56% passing. Britton Tidwell and Jacob Brooks both had 53 receiving yards on five catches. Morrison had four catches for 47 yards, not to mention 11 tackles on defense. Tidwell had eight tackles and an interception.