No. 9 Orem Ends Regular Season With Close Win Over No. 18 Lehi
Oct 14, 2020, 9:58 PM | Updated: Apr 18, 2021, 4:35 pm
(Photo courtesy of Tom Hackett, sports.ksl.com)
(Photo courtesy of Tom Hackett, sports.ksl.com)
OREM, Utah – After a month off due to COVID-19, the ninth ranked Orem Tigers knocked off the 18th ranked Lehi Pioneers, 31-28 on Game Night Live.
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Leading the way for Orem was quarterback Micah Fe’a, who had three total touchdowns, two rushing and one passing. Kolton Brown hauled in the lone passing TD and Joe Smith added a score on the ground.
For Lehi, Creyton Cooper had a passing and a rushing touchdown, he connected with Jaxon Christensen. Takeshi Faupula ran in a TD while Kadiyon Sweat had a pick six.
FINAL
After a month off, the Tigers are in the win column.@OremTigerFball 31@LehiFootball 28#GameNightLive #KSLGameNight pic.twitter.com/OEM9x0IbbC
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 15, 2020
Orem Gets First Half Lead Off Of Lehi Turnovers
On the opening drive, Micah Fe’a capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run. That gave the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 4:25 left in the first quarter. They chewed seven minutes off of the clock.
It didn’t take Lehi as long to tie the game when Takeshi Faupula ran it in from 5-yards out. The game was tied at 7 with 1:21 left in the opening quarter. Orem stalled out on their second possession and was forced to punt. Same with Lehi on their second drive.
When Orem had the ball on their third drive, Fe’a had a pass intercepted. The Pioneers couldn’t capitalize but the Tigers did before halftime. Micah Fe’a ran in his second touchdown of the first half as Orem took a 14-7 with 1:08 left until halftime.
Moments later, the Tigers picked off Cooper and returned it into field goal range in the final seconds of the first half. Orem nailed the field goal before the break to take a 17-7 lead into the locker room.
The Tigers strike before the break.
At the half:@OremTigerFball 17@LehiFootball 7#GameNightLive #KSLGameNight pic.twitter.com/CSKYUUvdfn
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 15, 2020
Orem Pulls Off Close Victory
Lehi made some adjustments at halftime and came out of the locker room and scored on their first drive of the third quarter when Creyton Cooper took it to the house. With 8:55 left in the third quarter, Orem’s lead was 17-14.
On Orem’s first possession of the half, they were forced to punt and Lehi took over in prime field position in the Tigers end of the field. Lehi turned the ball over on downs in the red zone after a bobbled snap on the field goal attempt.
The Tigers took advantage of the miscue when Kolton Brown had a 67-yard touchdown connection from Fe’a. That gave Orem a 24-14 lead with 4:35 left in the third quarter.
Near the end of the third quarter, Fe’a threw a interception as Kadiyon Sweat took the pick 61-yards for the touchdown. Lehi trimmed Orem’s lead to 24-21 with 1:59 remaining in the third quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter with a chance to tie or take the lead, Lehi converted a fourth and one that put them in the red zone. When the Pioneers attempted a field goal, the ball went left of the upright.
On fourth and one late in the fourth quarter, Joe Smith ran in a 5-yard touchdown to potentially seal the win. The Tigers took a 31-21 lead with 2:07 remaining in the game.
The Pioneers were not giving up just yet. Cooper threw a pass to Jaxon Christensen, who made an impressive catch. After the PAT, Orem’s lead was 31-28 with 47.5 seconds left in the game.
Orem finished the regular season with a 4-2 record while Lehi ends the season with a 5-4 mark. Both teams will await their opponents in the 5A State Tournament.
