The Hive Sports

The Park City Miners hosted the Timpanogos Timberwolves in the quarterfinal round of the Utah high school football playoffs. This game came down to the wire, but a miscue from the Timberwolves ultimately won the game for the Miners.

The Game

The Miners started off the game strong, scoring the first three touchdowns throughout three quarters. After their third touchdown, coming with 9:02 left in the third quarter, they were sitting on a 21-0 lead.

At the 2:45 mark, the Timberwolf Easton Bretzing ran one yard for their first touchdown. They were able to score again not even one minute later on a five yard pass from Chase Riggs to Gabe Graf.

The Timberwolves were the first to strike in the fourth quarter, with a 37-yard field goal at the 7:13 mark, putting them behind 21-17. The Miners finally answered with an eight yard run from Will McCurdy with 4:58 to go.

Almost immediately following the last Miner touchdown, the Timberwolves scored again with a 65-yard long bomb from Riggs to Luke Livingston. The score was 28-24, and the Timberwolves had the ball after getting a stop.

The Timberwolves began marching down the field, the clock winding down. They are at the four yard line, and are looking to cap off the drive with a score.

The Timberwolves snap the ball, Riggs is pressured, his receivers are covered, he takes off towards the end-zone. Miner defender Owen Tabaracci reads it, he lunges at Riggs, knocks the ball out of his hands, and recovers the fumble at the Miners’ one yard line!

After the miracle, the Miners were going crazy on the sideline. They sent their offense out, picked up the first down, and then knelt the ball, squeaking away from the thrilling game with a 28-24 win.

The Stats

Offensively, the Timberwolves picked up 417 total yards, with 326 coming through the air. They scored two of their touchdowns through the air and the other on the ground.

The Miners only picked up 304 yards, with 261 coming off the run. All four of their touchdowns were scored on the ground.

Defensively, both teams tied 2-2 in the turnover battle, all fumbles. It ultimately made all the difference for the Miners.

This was one of the single greatest games in the playoffs this year. The way it went down to the wire, with the Timberwolves so close yet so far will be in the memory of both teams for years to come.

The Timberwolves ended their season with a 9-3 record, the best in the history of Timpanogos.

The Miners move on to the semifinal round of the playoffs, sporting their 11-1 record. They’ll play the Green Canyon Wolves at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday at 6 PM.

Featured Image Credit: David Jackson, Park Record