When you’re a 10th-seeded team in the state tournament, not a whole lot is expected of you.

But don’t tell that to the Bountiful football team. 

The Redhawks advanced to the Class 5A championship despite being seeded 10th and facing a pair of high-seeded teams along the way. Bountiful might not have won its region, but it showed in the postseason that it was playing like one of 5A’s top teams.  

Bountiful’s march to the state title game began with a pair of blowouts in the state tournament. The first triumph wasn’t as much of a shock as the second. The Redhawks opened up with a first-round rout of Cedar Valley, the 23rd-seeded team, 51-7 on Oct. 20. In that contest, Bountiful broke an early 7-7 tie by scoring the final 44 points. Siaki Fekitoa had touchdown runs of 7, 56 and 8 yards, while teammate Faletau Satuala had TD receptions from Emerson Geilman of 61 and 8 yards – all in the first half. 

Up 34-7 at halftime, Bountiful tacked on 17 more points in the second half. Fekitoa had a huge outing, amassing 178 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries. Geilman had 271 yards passing on 12 of 15 attempts, tossing three TDs. Brandon Wilkinson caught three passes for 100 yards and a score. Both of Satuala’s catches were touchdowns. 

Things figured to be much tougher in round two when Bountiful faced Region 4 champion Granger on the road Oct. 27. The Lancers brought a high-powered offense into the matchup but found no luck getting on the scoreboard against the Redhawks. Bountiful held Granger to just 151 yards of offense in a 42-0 shutout. Bountiful registered six sacks and picked off two passes, one each by Britton Tidwell and Satuala. Offensively, the Redhawks got a productive day from Fekitoa once again, as the sophomore sensation rushed for 124 yards and three touchdowns on only nine carries. Geilman completed 13 of 17 passes for 186 yards. 

Things got really interesting in the quarterfinals. 

On Nov. 3 at No. 2 seed Springville, the Redhawks won in a thriller, 36-35 in overtime. The seesaw game saw one team answer the other’s score throughout the night. Bountiful didn’t lead in regulation, and Springville never led by more than seven points. Fekitoa’s 6-yard touchdown run with 1:03 left in regulation, along with a successful point after from Landon Zayas, knotted the score at 28-28. It was Fekitoa’s third touchdown run of the game. 

Quarterback Emerson Geilman, Bountiful (with ball) avoids Alta’s Gabe Ofisa in one of his 10 Carries for 47 yards. Photos by Carl Page

A successful gamble in overtime won the game for Bountiful. 

Following a Springville touchdown in the extra session, Satuala scored his second touchdown of the game when he ran across the goal line from 11 yards out. Now down 35-34, Bountiful could either kick the point after and tie the game at 35-35, forcing another overtime, or end the game with a victorious two-point conversion. 

The Redhawks chose to be daring and go for two. Success meant a trip to the semifinals; coming up short would end the season for Bountiful. 

Thanks to Geilman and his blockers, Bountiful lived to play another week. Geilman ran into the end zone, securing a 36-35 win. The quarterback had 210 yards passing on the day, completing four passes to Jacob Brooks for 54 yards. Fekitoa had 72 yards rushing in addition to his three scores. Brigham Morrison and Satuala both racked up 15 tackles, while Tidwell had 12 tackles and an interception.

In the semifinals at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the campus of the University of Utah Nov. 9, Bountiful faced another unlikely contender, Alta. The Hawks were the 11th seed, and the two teams played a hard-fought, close contest. Bountiful prevailed 20-19, as Satuala scored on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Geilman with 1:02 to play. The touchdown erased a late 19-14 deficit for Bountiful and sent the Redhawks to their first state title game appearance since 2003. 

Fekitoa had 82 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Geilman rushed 10 times for 47 yards and was 14 of 21 passing for 168 yards and two touchdowns. Tidwell caught two of Geilman’s passes for 56 yards and a 45-yard touchdown in the second quarter. The Redhawks shed Alta to fewer than 300 yards of offense. 

The victory was Bountiful’s 10th win on the season against four losses. The Redhawks are slated to face top-seeded Timpview in the 5A state championship on Nov. 17. The Redhawks are looking for their sixth state title in school history.