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Members of the 1996 Orem football team, including former head coach Paul Clark (center) were honored at halftime of the Tigers' game against Pleasant Grove on Friday, October 2, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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An image of the Daily Herald Sports page in September of 1996, featuring a story about the Orem football team.

Daily Herald archives

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Orem's Krew Jones (40) carries the ball into the end zone for a touchdown against Pleasant Grove in a Region 7 football game on Friday, October 2, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Members of the 1996 Orem High football team were honored at halftime of the Tigers' game against Pleasant Grove on Friday, October 2, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Orem's Major Stokes pauses before the start of a Region 7 football game against Pleasant Grove on Friday, October 2, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Orem quarterback Cannon Jacobsen looks for a receiver against Orem in a Region 7 football game on Friday, October 2, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Orem's Hayden Jarvis (20) carries the ball against Pleasant Grove in a Region 7 football game on Friday, October 2, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Pleasant Grove's Fisher Baldwin prepares to punt against Orem in a Region 7 football game on Friday, October 2, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Orem's Beckham Curtis (1) carries the ball against Pleasant Grove in a Region 7 football game on Friday, October 2, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

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Orem students react during Region 7 football game against Pleasant Grove on Friday, October 2, 2026.

Darnell Dickson, Daily Herald

❮ ❯

Getting together with old friends is kind of like a magic trick: Time disappears and it’s as if you were never apart.

That’s how it was on Friday for more than a dozen members of the 1996 Orem High football team, who gathered for a 30-year reunion and honored at halftime of the Tigers’ game with Pleasant Grove.

“We had guys showing up from Puerto Rico, Indiana, Colorado, everywhere,” said quarterback Austin Berge. “It’s just so nice to be together.”

The football field at Orem High is no longer a grass surface and the whole school was renovated several years ago. The players moved a little slower and still ache in the morning from old injuries but Tigers are Tigers, and the 1996 group was warmly greeted by the home fans.

Orem finished with a 10-3 record and advanced to the 5A state finals in 1996, where it played traditional powerhouse Skyline at wet, soggy Wildcat Stadium in Ogden. The Eagles won 13-7, a loss that still stings these players even though they are mostly in their late 40’s. The Tigers were led by Berge, 220-pound fullback Jared Harper, lineman AJ Dimick, lineman Andrew Boren, receiver Jason Kukahiko, defensive back John Barlow, tight end Jon Faldmo and running back Adam Leifson, among others.

“That was a tough day,” Berge said. “If we were playing on a field like they have today (artificial turf), with our speed it would have been over for Skyline.”

There were plenty of highlights along the way, including a sweet revenge playoff victory at Hunter (West Valley City) in the second round. The Wolverines sent the Tigers out of the 1995 playoffs with a 24-14 win and tensions were high before the game. As the Orem players warmed up, the Hunter players ran by started chirping and talking. Tigers head coach Paul Clark called out, “You’d better strap in on!” and his team proved him a prophet. Orem won 34-14, getting the clinching score on a 99-yard run from Harper in the fourth quarter.

“I heard that exact experience discussed multiple times today,” Berge said. “We had been beaten pretty good (by Hunter) the year before and intimidated. It was our turn to step up and Coach Clark told us to keep together that week. We were following him out to the field and the Hunter players were talking some big-time trash. But he turned around and shot right back to them. From that point on, we were on fire.”

Berge was the starting quarterback on the football team, the staring point guard on the basketball team and the starting center fielder for the baseball team, which won the 1997 5A championship under former coach Ross Reed.

On Friday, the old footballers got together to catch up and reminisce.

“We spent the better part of a full afternoon together,” Berge said. “We were able to come over here to Orem High and visit the football team, and tour the campus to introduce us to the new facilities here. But then we had a wonderful opportunity to meet discuss the past with our former coaches. It’s been 30 years, but it’s like we’ve only been apart for a day.”

Orem 35, Pleasant Grove 10

Pleasant Grove put up a fight with a formidable performance from its defense on Friday, but Orem got its running game untracked in the second half to win comfortably.

The Tigers opened the game with a long, methodical drive that culminated in defensive end Krew Jones setting up in the Wildcat and plunging into the end zone from one yard out for a 7-0 lead.

Corbin Robbins gathered in the ensuring kickoff just in front of the goal line, found a gap and sped down the sidelines for a 99-yard touchdown to tie the game at 7-all. It was Robbins’ third kickoff return for a score this season.

A late interception from Kaio Akana in the second quarter set up Orem inside the Pleasant Grove 20-yard line and Tanner Lewis tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to his brother, Todd Lewis, for a 14-7 lead with 54.2 seconds to play.

But Lewis was picked off by Luke Bills in the waning seconds of the first half and Ben Lyman kicked a 34-yard field goal as time expired to close the gap to 14-10 at the half.

Pleasant Grove penetrated the Orem 30-yard line three times in the second half but the Tigers defense was up the task each time and kept the visitors out of the end zone.

Curtis, who finished with more than 100 yards on the ground in the second half, broke off several long runs to set up three scores for the Tigers (5-2 overall, 4-0 Region 7), who held on to the No. 2 ranking in the 5A RPI. Orem travels to Payson next Thursday.

Pleasant Grove (4-4, 1-3) will be at Timpview.

OREM 35, PLEASANT GROVE 10

Pleasant Grove 7 3 0 0 — 10

Orem 7 7 7 14 — 35

O-Jones 1 run (Sanchez kick)

PG-Robbins 99 kickoff return (Lyman kick)

O-Todd Lewis 14 pass from Tanner Lewis (Sanchez kick)

PG-Lyman 34 FG

O-Jones 1 run (Sanchez kick)

O-Gordon 27 pass from Tanner Lewis (Sanchez kick)

O-Curtis 22 run (Sanchez kick)