Low seed? No problem for Orem football in first round rout of Wasatch
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- Orem wide receiver Kaue Akana raises the football after catching a touchdown pass in a 5A state playoff game against Wasatch on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- Wasatch running back Calder Osborne (22) is upended by the Orem defense during a 5A football state playoff game on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- A sign hangs in Wright-Tree Stadium in Heber honoring retiring head football coach Steve Coburn on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- Orem football coach Lance Reynolds Jr., right, shakes hands with retiring Wasatch head coach Steve Coburn after the Tigers earned a 48-24 5A first round state playoff victory on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- Wasatch running back Carter Bucad leans forward while carrying the football against Orem in a 5A state football playoff game on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- Orem wide receiver Roger Saleapaga catches a touchdown pass in a 5A state playoff football game against Wasatch on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- Orem’s Kaue Akana, right, cradles the ball as he crosses the end zone for a touchdown in a 5A state football playoff game against Wasatch on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- Wasatch wide receiver JoJo Hyer, left, catches a pass against Orem in a 5A state football playoff game on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- Wasatch running back Carter Bucad (3) carries the ball against Orem during a 5A state football playoff game on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- Orem quarterback Lance Reynolds III looks for a receiver during a 5A football state playoff game against Wasatch on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- Wasatch quarterback Mack Kelson, 13, throws a pass against Orem in a 5A state football playoff game on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- Orem wide receiver Asher Young, right, catches a pass against Wasatch in a 5A state football playoff game on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- Wasatch quarterback Mack Kelson, 13, throws a pass as Orem’s Tayden Sau applies pressure during a 5A state football playoff game on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- Orem wide receiver Asher Young makes a catch against Wasatch in a 5A state football playoff game on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- Orem’s Kaue Akana, 13, holds up the football after scoring a touchdown in a 5A playoff game against Wasatch on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- Orem football captains (from left) Lance Reynolds III, Ioane Prescott, Roger Saleapaga and Mack Hixson walk onto the field for the coin toss before a 5A state football playoff game against Wasatch on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
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- Orem fans celebrate while watching a state playoff football game at Wasatch on Friday, Oct. 20, 2023.
By now, nobody should be fooled by Orem going into the state playoffs with a double-digit seed.
In 2021 the Tigers went into the 5A playoffs as the No. 21 seed and advanced to the semifinals. Last season, Orem was the No. 10 seed and also found itself moving into the semifinals.
In 2023, injuries and a mid-season slump put the Tigers at 4-6, earning them the No. 17 seed and a first round road trip to Heber City.
With starting quarterback Lance Reynolds III, wide receiver Roger Saleapaga and a host of others back from injury, Orem put up 59 points on Ridgeline last week for Senior Night and on Friday rolled to a 41-10 lead before settling for a 48-24 victory against No. 16 Wasatch.
5A teams, beware of the Tigers bearing another double-digit seed.
“You know, it’s funny, because it seems like we’re fighting against the RPI every year,” Orem coach Lance Reynolds Jr. said. “We kind of have these games we drop that we shouldn’t and we get seeded low. But you know what? It’s OK. We’ll fight the uphill battle and get there any way we can. I’m hopeful that we keep playing like this. Our kids played well today and I was proud of the way they came together.”
Senior quarterback Lance Reynolds III, who was injured against American Fork on Aug. 18 and missed seven games, led Orem on four touchdowns drives before sitting out most of the second half, throwing two touchdown passes to Kaue Akana. Running back Mack Hixson scored twice and Asher Young had two interceptions, including a pick-six as the Tigers rolled to an easy win.
“I think we have a lot of guys who have played varsity since they were sophomores and that experience is great,” Lance Reynolds III said. “We just know the offense super well at this point and we’ve been playing together for a long time.”
Hixson and Feleti Iongi capped long drives with short touchdown runs as Orem took an early 13-0 lead, the second touchdown set up by Young’s first interception. After Ashton Southam kicked a 45-yard field goal for Wasatch, Reynolds hooked up with Akana on a 68-yard bomb for a touchdown and a 20-3 lead. On the Wasps next series, Southam intercepted a pass and weaved his way 70 yards for a score and a 27-3 Tigers advantage.
Just before the half, Wasatch had first-and-goal at the Orem 2. But as the clock wound down the Tigers repelled three straight running plays for a goal line stand to finish out the half.
Reynolds led Orem to a score on the opening drive of the third quarter, connecting with Akana again for a 34-3 lead.
The Tigers took a 41-10 lead when Saleapaga caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Branko Hansell-Fotu with 10:51 to play. Things got a little weird when running back Carter Bucard took over at quarterback for the Wasps, leading his team on a long drive and capping it with an 8-yard scoring run. On Orem’s next possession, Addie Holmes picked off a Tiger pass and romped 65 yards for a score to cut the deficit to 41-24 with 8:32 to play. Wasatch recovered an onside kick to get the homes fans at Wright-Tree Stadium back into the game but Orem held on fourth down, then added another Hixson touchdown run to seal the deal.
The Tigers (5-6) get a familiar foe in the second round in Timpview, Coach Reynolds’ alma mater. The T-Birds knocked Orem out of the semifinals last season and beat them 41-21 earlier this season. Timpview has actually won 14 straight games against the Tigers, dating back to 2006.
“This will be a fun one,” Coach Reynolds said. “We’re excited. These region rivalries are fun. Our team, for some reason, early in the year we had some injuries and we got kind of out of the habit of looking like we were playing Orem football. These last couple of games, they’re really dialed it back in. This is what it should look like. This is who we are and we’re going to hold ourselves to that standard.”
Timpview has been using Provo High’s field while its new high school is being built, but the Bulldogs will be at home for next week’s 4A second round. The Orem-Timpview game will have to be played somewhere else or perhaps at a different time.
The playoff loss to Orem was the final game for Wasatch coach Steve Coburn, who is retiring after a long career that included the past 12 seasons in Heber City. The Wasps finished 3-7 in 2023.
OREM 48, WASATCH 24
Orem 13 14 7 14 — 48
Wasatch 0 3 7 14 — 24
Orem-Hixson 2 run (kick failed)
Orem-Iongi 8 run (Iongi kick)
Wasatch-Southam 45 FG
Orem-Akana 68 pass from Reynolds (Iongi kick)
Orem-Young 70 interception return (Iongi kick)
Orem-Akana 7 pass from Reynolds (Iongi kick)
Wasatch-Osborne 4 run (Southam kick)
Orem-Saleapaga 2 pass from Hansell-Fotu (Iongi kick)
Wasatch-Bucad 8 run (Southam kick)
Wasatch-Holmes 65 interception return (Southam kick)
Orem-Hixson 5 run (Iongi kick)
High School Football Playoff Scores
Friday, Oct. 20
First Round
Class 6A
No. 17 Westlake 31, No. 16 Fremont 14
No. 18 Layton 24, No. 15 Copper Hills 20
Class 5A
No. 17 Orem 48, No. 16 Wasatch 24
No. 9 Woods Cross 52, No. 24 Taylorsville 13
No. 12 West Jordan 21, No. 21 Northridge 12
No. 13 Maple Mountain 35, No. 20 Viewmont 13
No. 18 East 33, No. 15 Kearns 21
No. 10 Bountiful 51 No. 23 Cedar Valley 7
No. 14 Bonneville 24, No. 19 Hunter 21
No. 11 Alta 34, No. 22 Highland 10
CLASS 4A
No. 17 Bear River 47, No. 16 Spanish Fork 33
No. 9 Salem Hills 44, No. 24 Uintah 7
No. 13 Dixie 55, No. 20 Logan 13
No. 12 Mountain Crest 63, No. 21 Tooele 14
No. 15 Cedar City 34, No. 18 Pine View 23
No. 10 Desert Hills 49, No. 23 Hurricane 20
No. 14 Payson 35, No. 19 Mountain View 17
No. 11 Stansbury 62, No. 22 Jordan 7
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