With Jaron Pula sitting the game out, Kennan Pula was front and center in Lone Peak’s offensive attack, contributing a 7-yard touchdown reception toward the end of the second half and a good chunk of receiving yardage throughout. The 6-foot-3, 200 pound commit to Utah also contributed a lot of smiles and hugs to his former teammates upon the games completion, as it were.

“There was a lot of emotions going into this game, but I have a lot of friends over there,” Kennan said, referring to the players on the opposite sideline. “I miss being with a lot of them, but I’m glad I made the move. It’s worked out well.”

Kennan, along with his twin brother Jaron who is also committed to sign with Utah, opted to spend their respective senior seasons playing for the Knights after being standouts for the Thunderbirds. The two combined for just over 1,500 yards and nine touchdowns receiving while rising to become two of the most highly-rated prospects in the state while playing for Timpview last season.

But a coaching change at Timpview, combined with some already made relationships with key Lone Peak players precipitated the move.

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

“I’m good friends with Kepa. I’ve known him for a long time,” Kennan said of Kepa Niumeitolu, who is Lone Peak’s starting quarterback. “It’s been a quick connection here at Lone Peak because I’ve known a lot of the guys that play here for a long time.”

From Lone Peak Coach Bart Brockbank’s perspective, both Kennan and Jaron are welcome additions.

“They’re hard to guard, because if you press them they’ll go by you and they’re both great going underneath the coverage, too,” Brockbank assessed. “They add an element that makes it really hard to stack the box against us. They’re both kind of quiet and they just go about their business and guys really seem to like them and follow their lead. It’s been great having them here.”

Of course Lone Peak has been one of the state’s premier programs for a long time now, regardless of who decides to transfer in or out on a year-to-year basis. With regards to this year’s team, one of the headliners is Niumeitolu, who played his first game on Friday versus the Thunderbirds after serving a two-game suspension due being ejected in the 6A state championship game last season.

“It was great to have Kepa back, but it’s hard to come in fresh the third game of the season and I think he put a little too much pressure on himself early,” Brockband said.

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

After a couple of series, Brockbank pulled Niumeitolu from the lineup, inserting Cruz Christensen with the game tied at 3-3 early in the second quarter.

“I thought it was a good time to give Kepa a bit of a breather, and we wanted to give Cruz some reps going into the game,” Brockbank explained. “We felt that Kepa was kind of pressing, but he’s our leader out there and everyone knows that. So we put him back out there and I feel he then really settled in well and looked like his old self.”

Niumeitolu ended Friday’s win throwing for three touchdowns and running for one another, reprising the great form he showed throughout last season. His first touchdown pass was the aforementioned 7-yarder to Kennan Pula, which was followed by a 60-yard bomb to Sali Tahi and topped off with a 4-yard touchdown toss to Tate Barney.

Also adding touchdowns for the Knights were running backs Sean Tahi and Isaac Fonua, both of whom added scoring runs of nine and two yards, respectively.

With the win Lone Peak improves to 3-0 on the season and will next travel to Las Vegas to take on national powerhouse Bishop Gorman.

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

“I love playing top teams out of state,” Brockbank said. “We’re always trying to measure ourselves and see where we’re at, especially in the preseason. We want to go compete, do our best and then see how it turns out. We want to come away with a victory. That’s always the goal.”

Lone Peak's Tate Barney crosses the goaline during his team's 42-10 win over Timpview

Lone Peak's Kennan Pula (3) meets with his former teammates at Timpview following the Knights 42-10 win on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025.

Kennan and Jaron Pula pose with their former Timpview teammates

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