Lehi’s defense dismantles American Fork in Region 3 opener

It’s certainly no secret that coaches rely on their defenses to get stops so the offense has opportunities to score.
Lehi’s defense did just that and more on Friday night, delivering a pick-six and a fumble recovery for a touchdown as the Pioneers overwhelmed American Fork in their Region 3 opener, 34-10.
The Pioneer’s defense had a total of five interceptions and one fumble in the win.
“I think we ended up scoring about the same on defense as we did on offense,” said Lehi head coach Ed Larson. “It was overall a really good effort.”
Lehi’s defense was ready to play from the first minute, as Abe Jager snatched a pass from American Fork’s David Gaisford and returned it for a quick 7-0 Pioneer lead.
After another Lehi defensive stop, recent Oklahoma State commit Jett Niu found Griffin Faamusili for a 34-yard touchdown reception and a 14-0 lead.
“I think (the pick-six) gave us a big boost because it got us fired up,” said Jager.
The game started to get out of hand for American Fork, but the Cavemen stayed within striking distance after a touchdown run from Madden Jensen late in the first quarter.
The Cavemen’s hopes to stay in the game were quickly dashed by the Pioneers’ defense though, as Jeremiah Onwo forced a fumble which Penisimani Takitaki returned for a touchdown.
The Cavemen and Pioneers traded field goals for a 24-10 halftime score, but in the second half, the Cavemen started to fall apart after the immense pressure from the Lehi defense.
Not only did Lehi hold American Fork scoreless in the second half, but it did so while recording four interceptions in the half.
After starting the half with a 77-yard touchdown run from Devaughn Eka, Lehi’s Ozzie Williams grabbed two interceptions on back-to-back American Fork offensive possessions to keep the Cavemen from getting to the red zone.
“I have to thank the coaches,” said Williams. “I let (American Fork) get one big play early and then they got my mind right and helped me lock in for the rest of the game.”
Williams’ pair of interceptions was followed up by two defensive stops on fourth down for Lehi and another interception for Jager early in the fourth quarter.
“I want to thank God and our coaches first for putting their trust in us,” said Jager. “I just really believe in our defense and our coaches.”
The interception party wasn’t over yet for Lehi, with Ezaiah Mama picking off one more on American Fork’s last offensive drive to keep the Cavemen scoreless in the second half.
A field goal from Gavin Fenn early in the fourth quarter helped secure the dominant 34-10 Region 3 victory for Lehi.
“The defense came out, played lights out and they did a great job,” Larson said. “(American Fork) has an offensive that put up 40 twice this year. I can’t say enough about my staff and the defensive players. They just did a great job.”
Lehi advanced to 1-0 in Region 3 and 5-0 overall. The Pioneers are the only team without a loss in 6A.