by Daniel Olsen |
The Payson Lions and Timpanogos Timberwolves played a Region 7 matchup Thursday night. Timpanogos went into this game undefeated but ultimately fell to 4-1 in a 49-6 loss to the Payson Lions. It was the largest scoring output for the Lions in over 50 years.
The result followed the advice of a sign that some traveling Payson fans brought which said “Pucker up Timpanogos and kiss your winning team goodbye”.
The game started off bad fairly quickly as the Lions got out to a 35-0 lead. Two of the touchdowns came off interceptions. Wide Receiver Dylan Wall finished with three receiving touchdowns with one being from the Timpanogos quarterback. While he wore the number two on his football jersey, his coach had something else to say about a Timpanogos player with the same number.
“The defense stepped up and balled out,” Payson assistant Jayden Taylor said. “Number 2 (Luke Livingston) is an unbelievable player for them and we stood our ground and played lights out even with that kind of threat. Offensively I feel like we just dominated up front and did what we needed to do to get the job done.”
Kade Edwards, the starting quarterback for the Lions, played a key role in igniting the offense.
“We established the run early and helped our team get into a rhythm,” First year Payson High Coach Arnold Ale said. “Kade and our whole team played well to put Payson on the map as a good football program.”
The Lions went scoreless in the second half, but didn’t need to do much to keep this game out of reach. The Timberwolves tried to come back in the second quarter, but even after their touchdown the missed extra point took the steam out of any possible comeback attempt. The Timberwolves even got into a fourth and goal situation in the second quarter but were unable to convert.
“From a defensive standpoint we had Dylan Wall and Rett Robinson take care of the edge,” Coach Ale said. “Cooper Swasey was our spy who helped force other guys not named Luke Livingston to beat us.”
The win is good news for the Lions, who needed a win to get back on track with a 3-2 record. With the Timpanogos loss, The Stansbury Stallions are the only undefeated team left in Region 7. They join Lehi, Timpview and Bonneville as the only four remaining undefeated teams in the 5A division.
“I have always believed in my team,” Coach Ale said. “We are seven points from being undefeated. If we keep believing then good things will happen. We had a solid game plan against Timpanogos. I’m proud of our boys. It was a statement win for sure.”
Up Next
Timpanogos will be on the road next Friday to the west side of Utah County to play the Cedar Valley Aviators in Eagle Mountain, Utah. Payson will be hosting Uintah with more Region 7 action. Be sure to follow our Region 7 insider for more action involving Stansbury High School and other region games.
Check out the full photo gallery from the Payson vs. Timpanogos game here.