Heartbreaking: Spanish Fork falls short of first football title in three overtimes
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- Spanish Fork players react after losing the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork players react after losing the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork players react after losing the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Brock Jacobson breaks a tackle during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork football fans react during the 4A state championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Mckay Smith throws a pass during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork head coach Dustin Smith makes a call during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork players prepare to run a play during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Kaden Vest carries the ball up the field during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Kaden Vest carries the ball up the field during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Mckay Smith throws a pass during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork sophomore Nixon Warren goes up to catch a pass in the end zone during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork junior Gage Christensen (left) celebrates with senior Kal Roberts after Roberts intercepted a pass during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Kal Roberts celebrates after intercepting a pass during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Brock Jacobson carries the ball up the field during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Brock Jacobson carries the ball up the field during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Brock Jacobson catches a touchdown pass during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior quarterback Mckay Smith (3) celebrates with senior Brock Jacobson after they hooked up for a TD during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork junior Gage Christensen carries the ball up the field during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork junior Gage Christensen gets tackled during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork football fans react during the 4A state championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork football fans react during the 4A state championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork football fans react during the 4A state championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
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- Spanish Fork senior Kaden Vest carries the ball up the field during the 4A championship game against Crimson Cliffs at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024.
SALT LAKE CITY — Leading 42-21 in the fourth quarter, Spanish Fork was nine minutes away from its first-ever football state championship.
Main Street was ready for a parade and Glade’s Drive Inn was probably going to stay open all night.
Crimson Cliffs had other ideas.
The Mustangs rallied to tie the game in the final ten seconds, then pushed the proceedings to a third overtime before McCade Christiansen skipped away from the line of scrimmage and dove into the end zone for a two-point conversion, giving Crimson Cliffs a stunning 57-55 victory in the 4A state finals at Rice-Eccles Stadium Saturday night.
It was a wildly entertaining way to end the high school football season but ultimately soul-crushing for the Dons, who were making just their second state championship game appearance in 105 years of football.
“Like every coach, when you get here, you’re proud of your guys,” Spanish Fork coach Dustin Smith said. “It’ll sting for long time but the boys played hard. It was just crazy. Things happened and we lost momentum. And they beat us there at the end. So it was a tough game.”
Spanish Fork led 21-14 at halftime and when Kaden Vest turned left end and sprinted 42 yards for a touchdown took a 42-21 advantage with 9:01 to play.
Unfortunately, that was enough time for Crimson Cliffs to spoil the Dons championship dreams.
Spanish Fork might have been able to hold on but for a critical fumble with 3:45 to play. Brock Jacobson lined up in Wildcat formation but the snap hit quarterback McKay Smith, who had gone in motion, and the Mustangs recovered near midfield. They scored two plays later to trim the deficit to 42-35.
Spanish Fork ended up taking over after a failed onside kick attempt and could have probably put the game away with a first down, but couldn’t convert a third-and-7. Crimson Cliffs took over with 1:59 to play and marched down the field, eventually scoring on a five-yard pass from Ryder Sherratt to Jaxson Holt with ten seconds to play.
Spanish Fork started off the first overtime with a 2-yard touchdown run from Vest, his fifth of the game, for a 49-42 lead. Crimson Cliffs matched that score with an 18-yard TD reception by Maddux Alofipo for the 49-49 tie.
The Mustangs opened the second extra session with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Sherratt to Holt. Crimson Cliffs failed on the mandatory two-point conversion and led 55-49.
Spanish Fork tied the game at 55 moments later, Smith rolling out and finding Jacobson in the corner of the end zone for the score from seven yards out. The Dons went to the option play on the two-point conversion to win the game. Vest raced for the pylon but was stopped just short by Mustangs linebacker McKay Wright, who finished the game with 18 tackles.
The third overtime was a showdown of two-point conversion attempts and Spanish Fork went first. Vest was stuffed at the line of scrimmage on a dive play and Crimson Cliffs took its turn to the win the game. An encroachment penalty on Spanish Fork moved the ball to the 1-yard line and Christiansen tallied the game winner for the Mustangs, who won their second straight state title.
“You know, first place is the goal, not second,” Coach Smith said. “I’m not big on being satisfied with just getting here. I felt like we were a good enough team to win it. It was a combination of a couple things. We just lost momentum, and then I made a really bad call at the end. It’s not the boys fault, it’s on me. But our crowd was great. The kids were great and so was the student body. The boys played as hard as they could. That’s all I’ve ever asked of them.”
Sherratt finished 26 of 43 for 403 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions for Crimson Cliffs (12-2). Holt caught nine passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns and and Maddux Alofipo added nine catches for 131 yards and a score. Christiansen ran for 86 yards and one score while also throwing a touchdown pass and catching another.
Vest ran 34 times for 185 yards and five touchdowns, finishing the season with 2,614 yards and 32 touchdowns on the ground. He also had 62 receiving yards in the championship game, giving him 245 all-purpose yards. Jacobson caught nine passes for 102 yards and two scores and McKay Smith ended up 22 of 27 passing for 278 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Defensively, Gage Christensen led the Dons (11-3) with nine tackles and Kai Roberts contributed two interceptions.
“There were just so many ups and downs and it went back and forth,” Jacobson said. “You just couldn’t quit, because it was such a good game. Both teams were so competitive and just kept on going at it. We knew from the start of the season we were gonna make it here. We just kept on trusting each other. We didn’t doubt it or anything, we just kept on trusting because we knew we were going to have a chance. The guys just bring such a passion and love to the game and it was so fun to play with them.”
CRIMSON CLIFFS 57, SPANISH FORK 55 (3OT)
Spanish Fork 0 21 7 14 7 6 0 — 55
Crimson Cliffs 7 7 0 28 7 6 2 — 57
CC-Christiansen 1 run (Pace kick)
SF-Vest 1 run (Killpack kick)
SF-Jacobson 12 pass from Smith (Killpack kick)
CC-Ma. Alofipo 46 pass from Sherratt (Pace kick)
SF-Vest 1 run (Killpack kick)
SF-Vest 2 run (Killpack kick)
CC-Christiansen 30 pass from Sherrett (Pace kick)
SF-Vest 42 run (Killpack kick)
CC-Barrow 4 pass from Christiansen (Pace kick)
CC-Holt 46 pass from Sherratt (Pace kick)
CC-M. Alofipo 12 pass from Sherratt (Pace kick)
SF-Vest 2 run (Killpack kick)
CC-Ma. Alofipo 18 pass from Sherratt (Pace kick)
CC-Holt 5 pass from Sherratt (pass failed)
SF-Jacobson 7 pass from Smith (rush failed)
SF-Two-point conversion run failed
CC-Christiansen 1 run for two-point conversion
