Training 21-7 in the fourth quarter, the No. 14-seeded Lions scored three touchdowns, including two fumble returns to paydirt, to shock the No. 3-seeded Bulldogs to advance to the 4A quarterfinals where the Lions will now take on No. 6 seed Ridgeline.

Cooper Swasey began the Lion comeback by scoring on an 8-yard scoring run with 9:56 left in the final stanza. The Payson coaches cleverly used their best athlete, moving him to running back from wide receiver for most of the game to maximize his touches. The Lion senior didn’t mind lining up as a tailback some nine yards from the line of scrimmage where he could pick and choose his holes to run through.

“I mean it’s new to me,” Swasey said about his sudden change of position. “But if that’s what the coaches think we need to do for us to win, then I’m always down for it.”

Then it was up to the Payson defense, who not only found ways to stop the Bulldog offense but score points.

This is where Dylan Wall really changed the outlook of the game when he alertly scooped up a lateral and ran it back 35 yards to score. Kicker Logan Russell split the uprights and the score was now tied 21-21 with 6:28 left in regulation.

The play was a run-pass option and Wall, from his defensive back position, diagnosed the play.

“They ran it the play before and they called it a fumble, so when I saw it hit the ground, I instantly picked it up and started running it back,” Wall said.

It was actually Wall’s second score of the game as the senior, who also plays wide receiver, scored on a 11-yard scoring connection with his younger brother, sophomore quarterback Trevyn Wall, which opened up the game’s scoring.

But the Payson defense was far from done with its heroics. In Provo’s very next possession, lineman Owen Cottle hit Provo quarterback Soakai Ashton as he was about to throw the ball. Lincoln Ewell plucked it right out of the air, and then rumbled 40 yards for the go-ahead touchdown.

The strip sack was Cottle’s third of the game, but causing the turnover was something he and fellow linemen are trained to do.

“I got around my guy and went and hit him (the quarterback),” Cottle said. They (coaches) teach us to hack at the ball and it just popped up and Lincoln got it.”

Then it was up to Ewell to do the rest.

“Owen (Cottle) got him and the ball landed in my hands and I never ran so fast in my life. Let me put it that way,” Ewell said.

The drama was far from over, however, as Provo’s Drew Deucher blocked the extra point attempt and there was still 4:24 left on the clock.

Provo had two more chances to get the necessary touchdown and point after to win the game but Payson’s defense held around midfield on both occasions forcing the Bulldogs to turn the ball over on downs.

“Our defense has been great all year,” said Payson head coach Brian Wall, who is also the father of Dylan and Trevyn. “We talk about opportunity and when there is an opportunity and a play to be made, we need to make it. They did it today. Credit to them.”

For Provo, it was the second straight year the Bulldogs suffered a painful playoff loss on their home turf in the second round of the playoffs. And in this game, Provo seemingly had the contest under control.

In the third quarter Siosefa Diaz and Deucher both secured interceptions, and the Bulldogs scored twice to go up 21-7.

Ashton found Kyle Larsen well behind Payson defenders on a 67-yard scoring connection and then Tagai Lesa plunged in from one yard out.

Provo’s other score came in the second quarter when Fiti Tuilevuka dove in from one yard away as Provo used a jumbo package to give the lineman the ball for his score.

Provo, which had the bye in the first round, seemed out of sync for much of the game, especially in the first half.

The Bulldogs were flagged several times for illegal procedure and failed to capitalize when they recovered a muffed punt early in the game on Payson’s own 5-yard line. A penalty, and two sacks by Cottle pushed the Bulldogs back, and then Swasey secured an interception on fourth down, returning it 37 yards.

Payson (7-5) assured its first back-to-back winning seasons in over 50 years with the win and now will travel to Cache Valley to take on Ridgeline (9-2), who beat Stansbury for the second time this season, 52-21. Provo finished its 2023 campaign with an 8-3 mark.

Score by Quarter:

PA 0 7 0 20 -27

PR 0 7 14 0 -21

Scoring Summary

PA-Dylan Wall 11 pass from Trevyn Wall (Logan Russell kick)

PR-Fiti Tuilevuka 1 run (Jonah Loosli kick)

PR-Kyle Larsen 67 pass from Soakai Ashton (Loosli kick)

PR-Tagai Lesa 1 run (Loosli kick)

PA-Cooper Swasey 8 run (Russell kick)

PA-Dylan Wall 35 fumble return (Russell kick)

PA-Lincoln Ewell 40 fumble return (kick blocked)