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AMERICAN FORK — American Fork staved off Skyridge in a 34-27 overtime thriller Friday night to clinch the Region 3 championship, capping off a magical 9-1 regular season for the Cavemen.
"You couldn't create a more intense atmosphere than playing Skyridge in overtime," American Fork head coach Aaron Behm said. "That's what it's gonna be like the next five weeks (in the playoffs)."
After jumping to an early 14-0 lead, the Cavemen relented and allowed Skyridge back in the contest, with the Falcons knotting the game at 20 points apiece in the fourth quarter. American Fork scored once again to take a late lead, only for Skyridge to rally back for a time-expiring touchdown to secure the draw in regulation and force overtime.
Dylan Story found Davis Andrews for a 25-yard score to open overtime, with Caveman safety Zane Edwards snatching an end zone interception to bury the Falcons and seal the American Fork victory.
Story tossed three touchdowns on the night, connecting with Andrews, Landon Payne and Josh Andrus for scores. Jacob Eardley found the end zone for the Cavemen, as well, while Payton Roth drilled a pair of field goals in the regular season finale.
The win marked Behm's 100th as head coach of the Cavemen, which he ranked "definitely up there" among his favorite victories throughout his career.
For the Falcons, Jackson Stevens connected with Trent Call twice for touchdowns and once more with Brett Buhler, with Zaeden Selu running for a score, as well.
American Fork clinched the Region 3 title with the win, and may have earned the No. 1 overall seed in the state tournament based on RPI results that will be released Saturday morning.
"It's not the end," Behm said. "We're gonna celebrate it like crazy, we're super proud of it, but these guys have higher goals"
