In the Class 5A ranks, no one but Bountiful could topple Roy. And the Redhawks did it twice—by the same score. Bountiful’s second victory over the Royals earned the team a state championship. 

Playing at Rice-Eccles Stadium on the campus of the University of Utah on Nov. 21, Bountiful turned out a performance for the ages, defeating Roy 42-35. The Redhawks delivered a win over the Royals in the regular season on Roy’s home field on Oct. 10 by the same score. 

This victory, of course, was much, much bigger. 

Siaki Fekitoa (00) scores in the 4th quarter with 8:06 left, making the score 35-28 Bountiful, this was just minutes before when Roy scored off a failed Bountiful onside kick with 11:47 left in the 4th. (Photo courtesy of Lesli Groves/Haven Rock Photography)

 Bountiful’s second 42-35 win over Roy earned the Redhawks their first state title since winning the 4A crown in 2003. In that year, legendary head coach Larry Wall was roaming the sidelines for Bountiful. His team had just won its second consecutive title after claiming the top prize the year before. 

The No. 2 seed Redhawks and No. 1 seed Royals gave spectators quite a show. In a back-and-forth affair, neither team led at any point by more than seven points. There were big plays, momentum-changing moments and clutch performances. 

While the Redhawks won in a true team effort, the offensive MVP was clear pick: Siaki Fekitoa. The sensational junior running back carried the ball a workmanlike 35 times for 255 yards and four touchdowns. His 1-yard run with 19 seconds left broke a 35-35 tie and amounted to be the game winner. Fekitoa finished the season with an eye-popping 1,921 yards and 21 carries. He averaged 137 yards per game and had 10 100-yard games and two 200-yard games. His yards-per-game average was fourth in the state No. 1 in 5A. 

To Bountiful’s delight—and opponent’s dismay—Fekitoa will be back next season. 

Fekitoa was hardly a one-man show. Quarterback Emerson Geilman rushed for 77 yards and had a 24-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. A successful point after following his score made it 14-7 Bountiful. Geilman also completed 10 passes for 115 yards. On the first play of the fourth quarter, he hit Connor Clark with a 17-yard touchdown pass. 

The closely contested contest saw Roy take a 21-14 lead into halftime. Fekitoa’s 11-yard TD run was the only score of the third quarter. The fourth quarter began with the score knotted up at 21-21, setting up a fireworks-filled fourth quarter. 

The two Region 5 rivals combined for 35 points in the final 12 minutes. Bountiful had three touchdowns in the final period, including two TD runs from Fekitoa. Roy had a final chance, getting the ball with 19 seconds remaining. The Royals reached the Bountiful 5-yard line on a long pass as time expired but went no farther. 

Bountiful amassed 469 yards of offense, including 355 on the ground. Fekitoa also led Bountiful in catches with four. Brock McSwain paced the Redhawks with 33 receiving yards. The defense had its hands full with Roy’s offense. Dawson Allsop had a team-high 11 tackles. Aisake Willis had nine tackles. 

The Redhawks finished the season with a 13-1 record. λ