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Salem Hills (left) lines up to run a play against Mountain View in a Region 8 football game on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.

Brian E. Preece, Special to the Herald

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The Mountain View football team gathers for a time out in a Region 8 game against Salem Hills on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.

Brian E. Preece, Special to the Herald

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The 4A Region 8 contest between Salem Hills and host Mountain View Friday night had plenty of action to thrill their fans. In the end, Salem Hills made a few more plays and prevailed, 40-31.

Even so, Skyhawk head coach Jeff Higginson wasn’t entirely pleased with his team’s play.

“It was closer than I wanted by a long way,” Higginson said. “We’re not playing the kind of football we believe we can play. On all three facets of the game, we’re just not. Credit to Mountain View and Coach (Uani) Unga. They made some great adjustments at half and presented some challenges on some misdirection stuff. They gave everything. It was their Homecoming and they brought it.”

The first quarter especially saw plenty of scoring. Salem Hills found the end zone first as Reggie Smith scampered in from 40 yards. Jack Nelson hit the point after to put the Skyhawks out in front 7-0.

It didn’t take the Bruins long to respond as Briggy Moses took the ensuing kickoff and ran it back 95 yards before being chased down at the 2-yard line. Then quarterback Hyrum Stafford scored on a 2-yard run. However, the point after failed leaving the Skyhawks out in front 7-6.

Salem Hills marched right down the field again with Joe Hughes scoring on a 1-yard run and after the extra point the Skyhawks led 14-6.

Mountain View responded with some trickeration as Moses, normally a wide receiver but lining up in a wildcat look hit Stafford, the quarterback, on a 80-yard touchdown pass. The Bruins went for two but Stafford was sacked and the first quarter ended with Salem Hills out in front 14-12.

Salem Hills was able to break serve a bit in the second quarter as Reggie Smith plunged in from two yards out. Hughes secured an interception when a pass went off the hands of a Bruin receiver. Later in the quarter, Salem Hills secured a safety when Stafford was chased into the end zone by Jagger Archuletta, Warren Miller and Holden Cook. The Bruin quarterback tried to unload the ball but his pass didn’t reach the original line of scrimmage which made it intentional grounding giving the Skyhawks two more points.

Mountain View’s defense did rise up as Carter Peterson secured an interception out wrestling Peyton Higginson for the ball in the end zone with just one second left in the first half.

Salem Hills got a nice 50-yard kickoff return by Carter Havsten to open up the second half which set up a 27-yard scoring connection between Skyhawk quarterback Cash Hollingshead and Gordon Wilson. After the successful PAT, Salem Hills led 30-12 and looked in total control.

But the Bruins showed some claw driving the ball again with Stafford going over the goal line for the third time. However, the two-point conversion failed and Salem Hills led 30-18.

Salem Hills then countered back with Peyton Higginson scoring on a 23-yard pass to increase its lead to 37-18.

But Mountain View roared back and scored back-to-back touchdowns. Stafford scored for the fourth time on a 1-yard run and then he found Koa Giles on a 28-yard pass. Mountain View went for two, and failed again, after Stafford’s score, but then Jordan Tidwell hit the extra point on the next touchdown and pulled within six points, trailing 37-31.

But Salem Hills was able to put the game away with one last score in the final stanza as Jack Nelson split the uprights on a 25-yard field goal. Behind 40-31 with less than two minutes left, the Bruins were then forced to score two more times but their final drive halted around midfield.

Hollingshead had another big game for the Skyhawks completing 24 passes on 39 attempts for 288 yards and two scores. When he needed to use his legs he carried the ball another five times for 24 yards.

Gordon Wilson had a huge impact on both sides of the ball with six receptions for 74 yards and a TD on offense while securing an interception on defense with four tackles on defense earning high praise by his head coach.

“Gordon (Wilson) is a special player. We got to target him. He’s long and he plays both ways and I’m proud of him. He’s a special, special player,” Coach Higginson said.

Peyton Higginson and Maddox Haskell led the defense with 13 tackles each and Peyton Higginson also had 62 yards receiving on five catches including a touchdown.

The Bruins definitely got a sparkling performance out of Stafford, who ran for three scores, passed for another and even caught a touchdown pass, while Moses electrified the Bruin faithful both as a receiver and return specialist while also throwing a touchdown.

Salem Hills (5-2, 3-1) hits the road to take on winless Deer Creek (0-7, 0-4) while Mountain View (3-4, 1-3) has another home game as it hosts Orem city rival Timpanogos (4-3, 3-1). Both games are at 7 p.m.

SALEM HILLS 40, MOUNTAIN VIEW 31

Salem Hills 14 9 14 3 — 40

Mountain View 12 0 6-13 — 31

SH- Smith 40 run (Nelson kick)

MV-Stafford 2 run (kick failed)

SH-Hughes 1 run (Nelson kick)

MV-Stafford 80 pass from Moses (pass failed)

SH-Smith 2 run (Nelson kick)

SH-Safety

SH-Wilson 27 pass from Hollingshead (Nelson kick)

MV-Stafford 1 run (run failed)

SH-Higginson 23 pass from Hollinshead (Nelson kick)

MV-Stafford 1 run (run failed)

MV-Giles 28 pass from Stafford (Tidwell kick)

SH-Nelson 25 FG