High school football: Richfield defense shuts down Manti offense in 28-7 statement win

MANTI — In the highest of high-stakes matchups in 3A football, the Richfield Wildcats proved in a big way why they are the No. 1 team in RPI.

The Wildcats went on the road to take on the No. 2 Manti Templars in the biggest small-town game of the season and they quickly turned it into a rout, going up 21-0 at halftime before holding on for a dominating 28-7 win.

Considering both teams entered the matchup with top-tier offenses, the game was largely expected to be a shootout, something Richfield coach Eric Thorson attested to. Richfield was averaging 38 points per game, while Manti averaged a 3A-best 47.7 per game and had topped 60 points in each of the last two weeks.

What went unnoticed until the game started was that Richfield was one of just five teams in the entire state yet to allow 100 points in the season, coming in with the second-lowest points allowed in the state at 66. That defense turned the game on its head from the very beginning, forcing Manti into 3-and-out situations on its first two drives, including a fourth-and-17 on the second outing for the Templars.

“A lot of people did talk about the offense, but knowing we’ve only had 66 points scored on us, and we’ve played some offensive-caliber teams, we felt that was the deciding factor was that our defense would come in and cause problems for them,” Thorson said.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats’ offense stole the script from the Templars, hitting the gas in the first quarter for a quick 14-0 start thanks to two touchdown passes from senior QB Reggie Hafen to senior receiver Gage Yardley.

Hafen finished the game with four total TDs. His first two were by air to Yardley. Then, as the Wildcats focused on grinding out the clock, Hafen scored tow more on the ground with QB sneaks.

“Even right from the first kickoff, our kids were just ready to get in there and do their best,” Thorson said. “The mentality was to let the scoreboard take care of itself.”

Richfield’s No. 1 status was further cemented by the win, one of the most surprising realities of this season as the Wildcats have not been even close to a state championship since the mid-80s, well before many of the current players’ parents were in high school.

The win immediately gives the Wildcats an inside track on the 3A South region title, which they can all but secure with a win against Canyon View next week. Canyon View lost to Manti in Week 7.

The Wildcats’ defensive scheme completely broke the one thing Manti was better than almost anyone in the state at: throwing the ball. Occasional blitz packages added some variety to a defensive masterpiece almost entirely based on outnumbering Manti’s receiving core by dropping eight defenders while letting three interior linemen play tough against the Templars’ physical line.

The result of said scheme showed in the actions of Manti quarterback Maison Starkweather. The junior signal-caller, who is in the top 3 in passing yardage across the state, simply had no one to throw to, spending about as much time as possible waiting in the pocket on most plays before taking low-percentage shots to avoid getting sacked.

Senior linebacker Cort Moon said the defensive scheming was right in line with what Richfield’s been doing all season long, and the numbers would clearly agree.

“We just kinda kept it the same,” Moon said. “We kept our basics and played together. We came ready to play.”

Richfield’s first two scores came partly as a result of great field position thanks to the defensive stops deep in Manti territory. Once the Templars were (somewhat) able to move the ball, the longer fields slowed down the Wildcats as they spent as much of the second half as possible eating up the clock. It proved the right strategy against the Templars, who had abandoned all efforts to air it out by halftime.

Richfield cemented the defensive masterclass with two caused turnovers in the second half—a fumble recovery and an interception—both of them on drives where the Templars looked primed to get points.

Manti finally scored in the fourth quarter to avoid the shutout as Starkweather ran in a 5-yard score, his 10th rushing TD of the season.

Richfield will have the opportunity to seal the deal for the 3A South when the Wildcats host Canyon View next Friday.

Manti dropped to 6-2 on the season and will prepare for a rivalry matchup with North Sanpete.