High school football: Orem turns back East in sloppy opener

Box score

SALT LAKE CITY — High school football coaches should have an assistant whose sole duty is to compile a list of improvements needed for the next game.

That person would have been busy Friday night during Orem’s 21-20 victory over East on the Leopards’ home field.

Playing the earliest season opener in recorded history, each school had a series of highs and lows that was finally decided when East’s potentially game-tying extra-point attempt was blocked with 3:53 left.

“A tale of two halves, to be sure,” said Orem coach Lance Reynolds, who survived his first game as Orem’s leader. “This is always a tough game, and you never know how it’s going to turn out.”

Orem, however, has always been on the winning side in each of the last four years against East, including a nearly identical 22-21 victory in 2022.

This time, the Tigers got off to a slow start and trailed 14-0 at halftime, but rallied behind senior quarterback Lance Reynolds, Jr., and a group of talented backs and receivers. Reynolds threw a toughdown pass to Asher Young on Orem’s first drive of the second half, then another signal-caller, Branko Haxtell-Fotu, tied the contest with a 6-yard run.

East had a chance to retake the lead but a bad snap prevented talented kicker Luca Viana from attempting a 37-yard field goal, and Orem’s Mack Hixson ended a six-play drive with a 22-yard scoring run with 4:05 remaining.

That just set the table for the memorable end.

East, which relied on athletic runners taking the snaps for the last several years, showed it’s a different team than usual with gifted thrower Tucker McCormick. The Leopards took just one play to energize their fans again when McCormick found Damian Otukolo on an 80-yard bomb.

The extra-point snap, however, bounced to the holder and, by the time Viana connected with the ball, Orem had a slew of defenders in the way to send the shot awry.

The Tigers then put the game away when Haxtell-Fotu ran five straight running plays to chew up the clock and send East to its locker room with a lengthy list of things to work on before it takes on 6A power Skyridge next week.

“That’s why we play these games,” said coach Reynolds. “We’ll have to work cut out for us, too (at American Fork).”

Reynolds, however, was particularly pleased with his son, Lance, Jr., who is playing this season with an ACL injury, as well as Haxtell-Fotu, and many others who had timely plays that led to the victory.

David Bergstedt had an impressive outing for the Leopards, with two first-half interceptions and several catches on offense. Marcus Loertscher also had a nice touchdown reception, and he and Timmy Thao combined for an important pass breakup in the end zone that stopped an Orem drive.

McCormick was also consistent in his initial start. East, however, still showed its culpability to earn calls for personal-foul penalties, even if they were sometimes for retaliation.

For more details, fans might need to find a certain coach on the sidelines — with a notebook and pen now out of ink.