Keep battling: Resiliency and Nusi Taumoepeau key Westlake football win at Cedar Valley
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- Westlake defenders tackle Cedar Valley sophomore running back Ayden Laws during the non-region game in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
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- Westlake senior Nusi Taumoepeau scores a touchdown during the non-region game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
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- Westlake junior receiver Traycen Xoumphonphackdy makes a catch during the non-region game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
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- Cedar Valley senior quarterback Cole Christensen throws a pass during the non-region game against Westlake in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
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- Westlake junior receiver Jaxton Laddimore runs the ball up the field during the non-region game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
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- Cedar Valley players celebrate with sophomore Ayden Laws after he scored a touchdown during the non-region game against Westlake in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
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- Cedar Valley defenders tackle Westlake junior returner Jaxton Laddimore during the non-region game in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
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- Westlake junior quarterback Calvin Gagon throws a pass during the non-region game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
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- Cedar Valley sophomore running back Ayden Laws runs into the end zone during the non-region game against Westlake in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
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- Westlake senior Nusi Taumoepeau runs the ball during the non-region game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
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- Cedar Valley players celebrate with senior James Young after he got a sack during the non-region game against Westlake in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
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- Westlake junior receiver Jaxton Laddimore tries to break a tackle during the non-region game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
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- Westlake players take the field before the non-region game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
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- Westlake head coach Arnold Ale prepares his team to take the field before the non-region game against Cedar Valley in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
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- Cedar Valley players run onto the field before the non-region game against Westlake in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
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- Cedar Valley head coach Weston Zabriskie watches his team during the non-region game against Westlake in Eagle Mountain on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.
A physical, defensive high school football game often comes down to which team can make the most of its opportunities and bounce back when things go wrong.
And it doesn’t it hurt in those situations to have an athlete who can have a big impact on both sides of the ball.
Westlake has just that in senior athlete Nusi Taumoepeau, who got a pair of strong touchdown runs and a key fourth-down stop to propel the Thunder to the 14-7 win at Cedar Valley Friday night in Eagle Mountain.
“I give all the credit to my teammates,” Taumoepeau said. “They are the ones that bring it all together. I’m grateful to have such great teammates and culture to help me keep moving forward.”
Westlake head coach Arnold Ale said he was pleased with how his Westlake squad kept battling despite having things go wrong.
“We preach playing for 48 minutes,” Ale said. “These guys play for each other. It came down to the wire and we told them that they had to earn the right to win. And they earned it.”
Every score in the game came off a miscue from the other side, but the Thunder had a couple of errors that they were able to overcome.
“We took advantage of the opportunities we had,” Taumoepeau said. “We fumbled the ball and they had it, but then we got it right back. That’s resiliency at its finest. It can’t get any better. I’m grateful to have a team that played resilient. They fought every single second.”
Westlake took the lead after an Aviator punt didn’t get hit well and the visitors got the ball at the Cedar Valley 23-yard line. The Thunder got into the end zone on a 5-yard run from Taumoepeau, who powered in after taking the direct snap in the wildcat formation.
But Aviator senior defensive lineman Jed Feller intercepted a Westlake screen pass and took it all the way back to the Thunder 2-yard line, setting up a TD run by sophomore Ayden Laws.
With the score tied in the third quarter, Westlake set up for a long field goal. The kick was off, but Cedar Valley suffered two big losses on the play.
The Aviators were flagged for roughing the kicker, giving the Thunder a first down, but even worse was the fact that Cedar Valley senior Jaxin Monson lay on the ground unmoving.
The game was delayed while athletic trainers and first responders attended to Monson, who was stabilized and taken to an ambulance.
Aviator head coach Weston Zabriskie said Saturday that it appears Monson has a concussion but his condition was improving.
When the game resumed, the Thunder took advantage of the opportunity again with Taumoepeau sprinting around the left side for a 16-yard score.
“Anywhere coach needs me to be, I’m there,” Taumoepeau said. “I have fun out there, playing with my brothers.”
The pendulum appeared to have swung the other direction when a Westlake fumbled snap resulted in Cedar Valley getting the ball at the Thunder 3-yard line.
The Aviators stood poised to tie the game again, only to have the ball get away from them on the next snap and Westlake recover.
Still, the Cedar Valley defense kept the Thunder from extending the lead and with time winding down the Aviators moved the ball to the Westlake 24-yard line.
The home team then drew up the perfect play on a third-and-short, with senior quarterback Cole Christensen lofting a deep pass to where senior wide receiver Jace McClellan’s wheel route had resulted in him being wide open.
But the pass sailed just a touch long and McClellan couldn’t quite reach it, forcing fourth down.
Again, Taumoepeau was ready.
He came hard off the edge as the Aviators tried to run a play-action pass, knocking the ball out of Christensen’s hand as he tried to pass it.
“We couldn’t panic,” Taumoepeau said. “We had to understand the situation. You have to understand you can make a play and trust yourself in that moment.”
It was fitting that the Thunder capped with win with a defensive stop, since Westlake did a good job at keeping Cedar Valley’s offense off-balance.
“Our defense is the strength of our team,” Ale said. “They got stuck in some bad situations but stuck together to make the plays that won the game.”
He said that Taumoepeau is “a special player who just makes plays when you need them.”
Ale said that he feels like his squad is still making too many mistakes and he wants to see the offense make some big strides, but he is pleased that the defense is playing well overall.
Taumoepeau wants to see the Thunder take their mental game to the next level.
“Discipline is a huge factor that can change the game,” the senior said. “Right now it’s not very good, so that’s something we need to work on. Next week I don’t want to see as many flags on the field. That’s the next step.”
Westlake (1-2) will host Herriman on Sept. 6 while Cedar Valley (2-1) will play at Ridgeline on the same evening.
Both games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
