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Springville defensive lineman Walker Deede celebrates intercepting a pass during the Region 9 game against Provo in Springville on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Provo quarterback Kyson Condie runs the ball during the Region 9 game at Springville on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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Springville quarterback Ryder Burton throws a pass during the Region 9 game against Provo in Springville on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022.

Jared Lloyd, Daily Herald

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It was the type of high school football game that anyone who loves defense would absolutely love.

Provo went to Springville for a clash of teams atop Region 9 Thursday night and battled in a slugfest that featured monumental plays by both defenses.

Fittingly, victory would come down to one final goal-line stand with under a minute left — and the Red Devil defenders stood tall.

With the Bulldogs trailing by four points, Provo moved the ball to the Springville 10-yard line and had four downs to get into the end zone.

But the Red Devils kept the pressure on and the visiting Bulldogs could only watch as their fourth-down pass sailed out of bounds. A couple of running plays by Springville workhorse running back Tevita Valeti and the Red Devils ran out the clock to secure the thrilling 18-14 win.

Hearing the final whistle had to be a relief to Springville, and not just because violent thunderstorms were closing in on the stadium.

The Red Devils had appeared to be in position to seize control of the contest on a couple of occasions, only to have the Provo defense come up with devastating turnovers.

With Springville up 12-7 in the third quarter, Valeti (a junior) ran the ball six times in a row for 50 yards and set his team up with a first-and-goal from the 3-yard line.

But after the Bulldogs dragged Valeti down for a loss of two on the first play, the Red Devils went to the air — with disastrous results.

Provo junior cornerback Drew Deucher stepped in front of the pass in the end zone and picked it off. Spotting an opening, he took off and weaved through the pursuing Springville players for a wild 100-yard interception return for a touchdown.

Suddenly instead of being up by two scores, the Red Devils found themselves trailing the Bulldogs by two points and needing to rally.

It appeared Springville had done that successfully on the next drive as Valeti broke through the Provo defense. He looked like he would to be able to walk into the end zone to retake the lead, but Bulldog senior safety Jamison Harward refused to give up on the play.

With Valeti looking over his left shoulder for pursuit as he crossed the 5-yard line, Harward came in from behind on Valeti’s right, knocking the ball out of the hands of the Red Devil running back only a yard or so before he reached the goal line.

Provo recovered the ball in the end zone, completing another stunning turn of events.

But the Springville defense wasn’t phased and shut down the Bulldog offense, forcing a punt.

That was when the Red Devils got a fortunate bounce of the ball themselves as senior punt returner Jaden Toki had the ball knocked free, only to have it bounce to teammate junior Tua Valeti who gained another 15 yards after scooping up the fumble and a late-hit penalty on Provo was tacked on at the end.

That gave Springville excellent field position and the home team took advantage of it.

Tevita Valeti redeemed himself for his earlier miscue, powering into the end zone from two yards out to put the Red Devils back on top for good.

The two teams traded punts before the Bulldogs put together their final drive. Provo converted a fourth-and-5 to give themselves a chance at the end but a run that lost yardage and three incompletions allowed Springville to escape with the victory.

While the Red Devils had a couple of costly turnovers in scoring position, the Bulldogs also had a couple of drives that bogged down near the Springville end zone and resulted in turnovers on downs.

The two teams exchanged turnovers to start the game with the Red Devils getting stopped on fourth down, then making up for it with a diving interception on a failed screen pass by Provo.

Springville turned to Valeti, who carried the ball four straight times to gain 34 yards and opened the scoring with a seven-yard touchdown run. A dropped snap on the extra point, however, resulted in a miss and the lead was 6-0.

The Bulldogs would get on the board after a Red Devil fumble, scoring on a two-yard plunge by junior running back Tagai Lesa. The PAT was good, giving Provo the 7-6 lead.

After the Springville defense stopped a second-quarter Bulldog drive on fourth down, the punishing Red Devil run game got the home team back down the field.

Junior running back Tisi Valeti got Springville back into the end zone with a 1-yard dive but the conversion pass was incomplete and the score stood at 12-7, setting up the drama of the second half.

The Red Devils (5-1, 2-0) will look to stay unbeaten in Region 9 when they host Wasatch on Sept. 23, while Provo (4-2, 1-1) plays at Spanish Fork the same evening.

Both games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.