Lone Peak Ready For Whatever Comes Next in Playoffs
Oct 17, 2019, 12:48 AM | Updated: 12:49 am
The Lone Peak Knights get ready for their game against the Pleasant Grove Vikings on October 16, 2019. (Nate Dowdle, KSL Sports)
(Nate Dowdle, KSL Sports)
PLEASANT GROVE, Utah — The Lone Peak Knights are ready to move past the UHSAA’s decision forcing them to forfeit all of their wins during the 2019 season.
“When we called the captains in today at 2 o’clock, they were pretty surprised,” said Lone Peak head coach Bart Brockbank after the Knights beat Pleasant Grove 17-7. “Our job is still the same, we have to beat the team that’s in front of us, whether that’s the best team in the state or the worst team in the state.”
Knights Win Slugfest vs. Vikings
First on the agenda post-decision was a Wednesday night game against Pleasant Grove. Lone Peak came out for warm ups seemingly focused, but the Knights offense was slow to start. Pleasant Grove held Lone Peak to a scoreless first quarter. However, the Knights’ defense was equally dominant, only allowing a single Vikings drive to cross midfield, and that came as a result of a roughing the kicker penalty.
“Our defense is really good,” said Brockbank. “When we come to play and are healthy, our defense is top notch.”
Lone Peak finally got on the board in the second quarter when Luke Romney found Eli Cloward in the end zone with a 12-yard pass. The Knights went into the locker room winning 7-0, then added a field goal on their first drive of the third quarter.
Pleasant Grove answered with a touchdown drive, ending with Caleb Campbell’s 28-yard touchdown toss to Kael Mikkelsen. However, that would be the only points the Vikings could manage on the night. Lone Peak added a touchdown in the fourth quarter, a 1-yard Zach White touchdown run, and the Knights never looked back.
Mentality Remains the Same
Now Lone Peak will prove exactly how mentally tough they are, at least according to their head coach. Brockbank commented, “It’s a mentality at this point, you have to beat the team that’s in front of you, it doesn’t matter. You gotta play them sometime if you’re gonna win a state championship.”
More from Bart Brockbank following the @LPHSsports Knights' 17-7 win over Pleasant Grove.
"It's a mentality at this point, you're either good enough to win a state championship, or you're not." pic.twitter.com/ENj3arY7XM
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) October 17, 2019
The Knights will now have to wait and see who they will be matched up with in the first round of the UHSAA playoffs. Despite forfeiting all their wins prior to Wednesday’s victory, Lone Peak will make the postseason thanks to the new playoff format implemented by prep sports’ governing body. The RPI rankings dictating those match-ups will be available to the public on Saturday at 9 a.m.
“You’re either good enough to win a state championship or you’re not,” said Brockbank. “Our mentality is the same, whoever is in front of us, that’s who we’re playing.”
The Lone Peak players seemed the echo that sentiment after Wednesday’s game. Brockbank addressed the team saying, “We got one more in us,” which was met by screams of, “YES SIR!” from his players.
