Most of the time when I attend a sporting event -- at the high school, college or professional level -- I have a specific purpose. I'm either writing about what happens in the contest or about what it means.

I went to the game I thought might be the best one of the evening -- Pleasant Grove at Spanish Fork -- and simply enjoyed watching the two squads go at it.

No ties to one side or the other, no specific goal in mind, no stats to keep track of.

Just great high school football.

It was quite entertaining, although the score wasn't all that close, and I highly recommend giving it a try.

Here's a few random thoughts I had under the lights in Spanish Fork:

• Weather affects the game more at the high school level

Whenever its hot or cold at a collegiate game, players have cooling fans and heaters on the sideline to help keep them moderately comfortable.

Not in high school.

Friday night was cold and a stiff breeze cut like a knife across the field. Players had jackets but many could be seen jumping up and down to keep warm and loose.

Frigid -- or blazing -- temperatures can really make a difference, particularly after a unit comes off the sideline.

• It doesn't take long to start things rolling -- both for you or against you

The Vikings had to be ecstatic about the final 2:30 of the second quarter -- while the Dons would've loved to just delete that from the game.

A Pleasant Grove offensive touchdown was followed by an interception for a score, then another interception that turned into another seven points.

That's 21 points in less than the time it takes to get a burger from the concession stand.

A little push can be very good -- or very bad -- if the other team doesn't stop the momentum.

• Never give up

It can be easy to toss in the towel when you trail big but I loved the way Spanish Fork roared out of the locker room and made things happen.

I always pull for the teams or individuals that battle, no matter what the odds. Go out and give it all you've got, even if the chips are stacked against you.

Maybe the Dons didn't end up with the victory but they can look at themselves with a lot more respect because they went down fighting instead of rolling over.

• High school rule book needs to be updated on offensive pass interference

I don't pretend to be an expert on the rules but I noticed a couple of offensive pass interference calls in the game and I find the rule to be far too harsh.

In the high school game, the infraction is a 15-yard penalty plus loss of down, while in the college game it's just the 15-yard walk-off.

Are prep athletes that much better than their college counterparts that they need more of a disadvantage? That's utterly absurd.

If you follow the same logic, defensive pass interference should then result in an extra down, so on the next series the offense gets five downs to go 10 yards.

Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? So does the loss of down on the offensive infraction.

The Utah high school rules folks need to revaluate that penalty and update how it's enforced.

• Pleasant Grove and Spanish Fork are both going to be teams opponents don't want to see at state

The Viking offense with LeSean Wilcox and Joey Owens can run over you or run past you. The Don passing attack with Breck Lewis at the helm is also very potent.

This has been a special season for the boys in blue while the team in red has rebounded from a rough preseason to become a force.

Pleasant Grove and Spanish Fork both believe that if they can get to the postseason, they're going to be in position to make a nice run in the 5A tournament.

I believe it.

They're going to be fun to watch, no matter who they go up against.

• Jared Lloyd can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it