Yes, the Tigers came away with a victory, which always the ultimate goal, although the win featured more than several mental mishaps that left Reynolds remarkably candid at the end of it all.

“I think we played horrible, to be honest,” Reynolds bluntly assessed. “That’s on me. I didn’t have them ready, apparently. It’s not effort issues. It’s not desire issues. It’s lack of execution all the way around and not having a high football IQ.”

Three plays in particular perhaps contributed most to Reynolds stern evaluation of his team’s performance.

There was the 95-yard kickoff return yielded to Springville’s Zachary Henderson to open the game to immediately deal Orem a 7-0 deficit. Then it was Henderson again scoring on an 87-yard reception with just over five minutes remaining to suddenly put a game the Tigers appeared to have well in hand very much in question.

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

But the topper had to be with just 43 seconds remaining when all Orem had to do was run out the clock deep inside Springville territory to take the win. But instead of opting to just take a knee, Orem elected to run the ball, coughing up the ball in the process with the Red Devils quickly jumping on the loose ball to earn themselves new life.

“There were a lot of things. I mean, what are we doing?,” Reynolds said, specifically mentioning the late fumble. “…We probably should have knelt it, but I told them in the huddle the only thing we can’t do is fumble, and I don’t understand why we were reaching (the ball) out. I mean, it’s not like we were reaching out toward a first down or the goal line…It’s stuff like that. It’s just not very smart.”

Reynolds was quick to credit the Red Devils for a lot of the play on Friday, noting their gameplan and overall execution.

“Hats off to Springville because they played great,” he said. “They out-physicaled us for a lot of the night.”

Fortunately, for Orem, its team is stacked with a lot of topline talent and playmakers that managed to shine through during key moments.

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

One of those critical moments came at the 11:07 mark of the fourth quarter when Orem linebacker Isaac Zeki Vaea managed to get his hand securely on an attempted field goal attempt, which proved pivotal in the game’s ultimate outcome.

“I tried my hardest to dive for it, closed my eyes and thankfully I reached it to get that done for my team,” Vaea described. “I got a field goal block last year, so this is sort of what I do.”

For Vaea, it’s all about working toward a positive outcome, no matter the situation on the field.

“Our heads were down and we were starting to get negative,” Vaea said. “But it’s my job to try to keep everyone’s heads up and keep the positivity up on defense to give our offense every opportunity they can get. That’s what it’s all about and thankfully I was able to help out with that tonight.”

Reynolds generally agreed with Vaea’s assessment, although noting the Orem offense has to pick up more of the slack moving forward.

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald

“The bottom line is the defense shouldn’t have to be winning the game for us every week,” Reynolds said. “We should be able to move the ball and score at will. Hats off to Springville. They had a good plan and they played us well, but we have to execute better.”

Another key defensive moment came midway through the third quarter, when Orem defensive back Will Rasmussen picked off a pass just inside Springville territory. a Few plays later, Orem quarterback Tayden Ka’awa found star receiver Kaue Akana for a 15-yard touchdown pass to give the Tigers a 17-7 lead with just under five minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Orem’s other touchdown came early in the first quarter with Kai Wesley breaking downfield for a 51-yard touchdown pass to immediately answer Springville’s initial returned kickoff for a score to start the game.

“As talented as we are, we should be playing a little better,” Reynolds said. “…This should be a nice little humility lesson, a reality check for us that anybody can beat you if you play that crappy. So we have to be a lot better with how we execute and how we move the ball. And then the defense has to be more stout and play more assignment sound…It’s in all three phases where we need to improve.”

With the win Orem improves to 2-2 on the season and will next take on Spanish Fork. Springville falls to 3-1 with the loss and will look to rebound next week when taking on Pleasant Grove.

Brandon Gurney, Provo Daily Herald