Provo football stuns Viewmont with late pick six
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- The Viewmont football team lines up to run a play against the Provo defense during the non-region game at Provo on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022.
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- Provo head coach Kirk Chambers gets a hug from Viewmont head coach Andru Jones after the non-region game in Provo on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022.
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- The Provo football team shakes hands with Viewmont players after the non-region game at Provo on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022.
With the score tied at 28-28 with just 29 seconds left in Friday night’s non-region football game at Provo, Viewmont recovered a Bulldog fumble on its own 5-yard line and the game seemed destined for overtime.
But instead of running out the clock, Viewmont tried to move the ball through the air. After one incomplete pass, Provo’s Drew Deucher made the Vikings pay with a 20-yard pick six with just 16 seconds left in the game to give the Bulldogs a thrilling 35-28 home win.
Viewmont’s Scott Noel, a hybrid tight end/wide receiver with a big body and soft hands, had been burning Provo’s defense for much of the night. But then Provo head coach Kirk Chambers assigned Deucher to cover him and the Provo junior came up big time with the interception on an out route.
“I was waiting for the go (route), but I was reading the quarterback’s eyes and the QB gave it away (where he was throwing),” said Duecher. “It was too easy. He just stepped up and threw it, and I broke on it. I didn’t hesitate. I just got it and took off to the end zone.”
It was actually Deucher’s second interception as he picked off a Viking pass in the end zone that ended a Viking scoring threat earlier in the game.
Down 28-18 at intermission, Provo outscored Viewmont 17-0 in the second half and 14-0 in the final stanza.
Provo actually had six scores to Viewmont’s four, but trouble with the kicking game resulted in Provo failing on three extra points. One point-after hit the upright, another was blocked, and a two-point conversion failed, which led to Provo just scoring 18 points in the first half.
In the third quarter Moses Vaenuku hit a 35-yard field goal which came after an apparent miss. But there was an inadvertent whistle by the head official that led to another try and Vaenuku split the uprights to pull Provo within seven points at 28-21.
Chambers said that was big in the outcome of the game not only for the three points to cut Viewmont’s lead to a single score, but it also settled down his kicker and gave Chambers confidence to go for the tying extra point when Provo would score again midway through the fourth quarter.
“I decided to kick the one in the third quarter to get Moses (Vaenuku) straight,” said Chambers. “Luckily we had that inadvertent whistle and it gave us two tries. That’s how games go sometimes.”
Chambers was also pleased with how his team played in the fourth quarter.
“One of our strengths is that we’re figuring out how to finish games in the fourth quarter,” Chambers said. “Finishing games in the fourth quarter is becoming one of our signatures and we’re getting stronger as the game goes deeper.”
Chambers wasn’t overly shocked when Viewmont decided to go for the win deep in their territory.
“(Viewmont) Coach Andru Jones is an aggressive coach,” Chambers said. “He was going for the win and I respect that. That’s a great team but we’re doing some great things as well.”
Provo had other heroic performances including the tough running of Jamison Harward, who broke off a 54-yard touchdown run with 6:19 to play to knot the score at 28-28.
Harward also had a big fourth down run when Provo was driving late in the game for the go-ahead touchdown. The Bulldogs turned the ball over on the next play to set up Deucher’s interception, but the importance of his run was it didn’t give the Vikings the ball back in better field position with more time on the clock.
“It feels good (to win),” said Harward, who then gave credit to his offensive line. “None if it would be possible without the big boys up front.”
In the first half Lanitalo Takitaki had two touchdown receptions of 77 and three yards respectively from Bulldog quarterback Kyson Condie, while Tagai Lesa added a 3-yard scoring run.
On defense Hutch Fale had a fumble recovery with a 10-yard return that set up a score while Siosefa Diaz ended Viewmont’s last ditch effort to win the game by recovering a lateral with three seconds left when the Vikings were desperately trying to keep their hopes of a win alive.
Provo (3-1) will visit Maple Mountain (1-3) Friday to open up Region 9 play while Viewmont will host undefeated Bonneville as the Vikings begin league play in Region 5.
