For homecoming, Pleasant Grove High School upgraded the “G” on G Mountain, completed with LED lights, the whole works.

The “G” isn’t the only thing that’s been upgraded.

The Vikings football team is 7-0 for the first time since 2009 after dominating Westlake 35-7 on Friday, scoring on its first two offensive possessions and posting all 35 points in the first half.

Taylor Walkenhorst took over the PG program in 2021 and the Vikings won just one game. They were 6-6 last year.

It’s all coming together this season.

“Everything good that’s happening, this 7-0 start, is because of the seniors,” Walkenhorst said. “We’ve got some good senior leaders. They’ve focused and they’re hungry. They play with great effort and technique. I just love our seniors and how hard they are working. They’re really built this up. Also, we’ve got great coaches. The coaches are putting in a lot of work, too.”

Walkenhorst pointed to his players getting into the weight room and studying game film as key factors in the resurgence of the PG program.

“They’re learning and getting better and staying coachable,” he said.

On Friday, junior quarterback Carson Rasmussen produced four touchdowns (two on the ground, two through the air), giving him a combined 24 TD’s in seven games (14 passing, 10 rushing).

“Our goal is to just come out on fire,” Rasmussen said. “We’ve got some injuries so we’re trying to get a lead and then rest a lot. This program has improved every year and this year the goal is to win the state championship. I think that’s a reasonable goal.”

Rasmussen, who transferred to PG from Corner Canyon, scrambled 35 yards on his team’s first drive and snuck over from one yard out moments later for an early 7-0 lead. On the Vikings second possession, Rasmussen quickly moved his team into the red zone and broke several tackles on his way to a 9-yard score, pushing the home team’s advantage to 14-0.

Early in the second quarter, PG’s Mataira Brown pounced on a Westlake fumble and rumbled 42 yards for a touchdown, giving the Vikings a 21-0 lead at the 11:06 mark.

As the half wound down, Rasmussen started finding receiver Bronco Winterton for big gains. A 30-yard connection on a corner route moved PG to the Westlake 4-yard line. On the next play, Rasmussen teamed up with Winterton on a 4-yard scoring toss and a 28-0 lead with 3:08 to play in the half.

Another Pleasant Grove defensive stop turned the ball back over the offense and Rasmussen worked the two-minute drill just right, firing a 17-yard scoring pass to Winterton with 6.2 seconds to play for a 35-0 halftime advantage.

“Bronco is just my good buddy,” Rasmussen said. “I can trust him with the ball. I mean, coming into this game he had four touchdowns on six catches. He’s going to put it in the end zone.”

The second half was played under a running clock and Westlake drove deep into Vikings territory twice in the third quarter. Gabe McCoy’s interception near the goal line ended one threat and PG got a fourth down stop at its own 5-yard line for another.

With 2:53 to play, Westlake finally got into the end zone on a nifty scramble by quarterback Aiden Bayless, who reversed his field and scored from five yards out.

“The second half was a little bit sloppy,” Walkenhorst said. “But we scored on our first two series (of the game) and I love that. Give it up to our players for being focused and locked in, doing their job and executing with great effort and technique. You can’t beat that.”

Next week, Pleasant Grove has a big Region 3 matchup at American Fork. The Cavemen were 6-0 before Friday’s loss to rival Lone Peak 17-14. The Vikings beat the Knights 24-19 on September 16.

“We’re 7-0 but we’re really 0-0,” Walkenhorst said. “All that matters now is beating American Fork next week. They’re a good team. We’ve got to play good defense and stop their running game. Then we need to get good offensive production. We can’t get into third-and-long situations because that would be dangerous for us. We need to take what the defense gives us. Completions lead to first downs which leads to touchdowns.”

Westlake, which lost its sixth game in a row after opening the season with an overtime win against Weber, will host Lehi next Friday.

Westlake 0 0 0 7 — 7

Pleasant Grove 14 21 0 0 — 35

PG-Rasmussen 1 run (Hall kick)

PG-Rasmussen 9 run (Hall kick)

PG-Mataira Brown 42 fumble return (Hall kick)

PG-Winterton 4 pass from Rasmussen (Hall kick)

PG-Winterton 17 pass from Rasmussen (Hall kick)

W-Bayless 5 run (Contreras kick)