The Hive Sports

by AJ Conlin

High school football is now over, with the eventual victors of the 4A State Championship being the Crimson Cliffs Mustangs. In Region 8, the two teams that made it the furthest in the playoffs were the Payson Lions and the Timpanogos Timberwolves, who made it to the quarterfinal round.

This region was near the top of 4A, in terms of power rankings. This season showed why the realignment last year was such a great idea, as every region match-up seemed to be anyone’s game. This will be the final Region 8 Review article of the football season.

Mountain View (3-8)

Region Record: 1-5

The Mountain View Bruins are continuing their slew of tough seasons. They haven’t had a winning season since 2020. This is actually their best season under Coach Abe Poduska, as their previous two ended in 1-9 records. Their stats weren’t good either.

Offensively, they threw for 1437 yards with just a 47.5% completion rate. They threw nine touchdowns to seven interceptions. The Bruins rushed for just 1240 yards and 10 touchdowns this season. They fumbled the ball five times.

Defensively, the Bruins averaged 55.9 tackles per game. They put up 24 tackles for loss and just nine sacks, both of which are under the national average of 36.2 and 12.1 respectively. They were able to grab a whopping 14 interceptions and recover three fumbles.

Overall, the Bruins are struggling underneath Coach Poduska, but might be looking up in this region of higher competition. They barely made a playoff berth, and quickly lost to the Payson Lions, but it is looking up. They have a lot of work to do this off-season, but if they continue the momentum they have, they could be good next season.

Payson (7-6)

Region Record: 3-3

The Payson Lions have been on the steady incline the last couple of seasons. They had their second winning season in a row for the first time since the 80s. Their stats this year were pretty good, too.

Offensively, the Lions threw for an incredible 3585 yards and 31 touchdowns on a 59.5% completion rate, but their 23 interceptions left a sour taste in their mouths. They carried the ball 332 times for 1490 yards and 14 touchdowns. They fumbled the ball just four times.

Defensively, they averaged 57.5 tackles per game, racked up 92 tackles for loss, 32 sacks, all well above the national average. They caught 13 interceptions, recovered nine fumbles, blocked four punts, and one field goal.

Their turnover ratio was 22 offensive to 27 defensive, which is consistent with a losing team, but the sheer amount of yards the Lions gained turned into production, propelling them to victory.

The Lions should be proud of their season this year. It was the best in nearly 40 years, and they made it to the quarterfinals of the playoffs. They’ll have some stud seniors leaving this year, but also have some rising stars that they’ll be looking to develop over the off-season. They are looking to ride this wave next season.

Provo (8-3)

Region Record: 6-0

The Provo Bulldogs were a good team this season. They won out an incredibly tough region, but lost to a great Timpview squad, and ultimately couldn’t get it done in the playoffs.

Offensively, the Bulldogs threw for 2441 yards and 19 touchdowns on a 52.4% completion rate. They only threw seven interceptions all season. They carried the ball 370 times for 1658 yards, fumbling the ball just six times.

Defensively, the Bulldogs averaged 74.8 tackles per game, had just 42 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 14 interceptions, nine fumble recoveries, three blocked field goals, and two blocked punts.

Provo should be proud of what their football team accomplished this season. They ended up losing to a scrappy Payson team in the playoffs, but had a great season, nonetheless.

Salem Hills (8-4)

Region Record: 4-2

The Salem Hill Skyhawks were great this year. They had arguably one of the toughest schedules in 4A this year. They lost to both the Sky View Bobcats and the Green Canyon Wolves, who played in the State Championship.

On offense, they passed for 1877 yards on a 53.9% completion rate, with their 18 touchdowns matching their 18 interceptions. They rushed for 1855 yards off of 338 carries and 16 touchdowns to just two fumbles.

On defense, the Skyhawks averaged 59 tackles per game, picked up just 12 tackles for loss, 24 sacks, a whopping 25 interceptions, seven fumble recoveries, six blocked field goals, and a blocked punt.

The Skyhawks were looking incredible going into the playoffs, but ended up losing a 12-3 slug-fest against Green Canyon. The future looks bright for Salem Hills football, so don’t miss them on the field next season.

Spanish Fork (3-7)

Region Record: 2-4

The Spanish Fork Dons were better than what their record indicated this year. They lost most of their games by just one score, but ended with a bigger loss to the Bear River Bears in the playoffs.

Offensively, they passed for 1393 yards on a 55.8 completion percentage. The Dons threw just 12 touchdowns to 13 interceptions. They ran the ball 286 times for 1491 yards, 16 touchdowns, to just one fumble.

Defensively, they were lackluster. They averaged 33.4 tackles per game, just 34 tackles for loss, four sacks, and one fumble recovery.

If the Dons had been better on defense, they probably could’ve gotten a lot further than they did. If they can clean that part of their game up, they’ll be a lot bigger of a contender next year.

Timpanogos (9-3)

Region Record: 5-1

The Timpanogos Timberwolves were a solid team this season. They made a great playoff run, but were stopped just ONE YARD short of the semifinals by the Park City Miners. Although their season got cut short, they still put up impressive numbers.

On offense, they were able to complete 64.1% of their passes for 3728 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. They added 366 carries for 1910 yards, 28 touchdowns, and just six fumbles.

On defense, the Timberwolves averaged 70.5 tackles per game and racked up 96 tackles for loss, 37.5 sacks, 12 fumble recoveries, 10 interceptions, three blocked punts, and two blocked field goals.

Overall, the Timberwolves had a great season, with the ending being full of what-ifs. They should be proud of this season, especially since it has been one of their best in recent years. They’ll lose almost all of their offensive production next season, but don’t be surprised to see them near the top of 4A again.

Uintah (2-9)

Region Record: 0-6

The Uintah Utes were not good this season, again. They beat Cottonwood, which is no tall task, and Tooele before they gained a small amount of traction this season. The Utes have incomplete stats, but the stats they do have will be presented.

Offensively, the Utes threw for 1332 yards on a 53.8% completion percentage, with just nine touchdowns and five interceptions. They added 1159 yards on 260 carries, with 13 touchdowns and only three fumbles.

Defensively, they averaged 63.6 tackles per game, racked up 17 tackles for loss, four sacks, five interceptions, and one fumble recovery.

The Utes need to make some serious changes to their program if they want to be relevant in coming seasons.

Featured Image Credit: Thomas Gordon, KSL