Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
Spanish Fork — Maple Mountain had only given up 39 points on defense the entire season heading into its game against 6A foe Pleasant Grove.
Following a defensive shutout that featured eight turnovers, the Golden Eagles continued their undefeated hot start by defeating the Vikings 30-7 Friday night.
Maple Mountain's (4-0) first touchdown came with a minute left in the first quarter following the Vikings' (1-3) second turnover of the game when the team fumbled the kickoff after a field goal by the Eagles. Derek Morehouse took a reverse pass from the 3-yard line to the end zone, putting the Eagles up 10-0 early on.
Thanks to another turnover to set the Eagles up with good field position, Morehouse brought down a 48-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mason Jensen, and suddenly the Eagles had a comfortable 17-0 lead in the first half.
"He is a utility man," Maple Mountain head coach Kalin Hall said about Morehouse. "He does just about everything we ask him to do, and he fights. Every snap he is giving it his all."
"I just love playing with my team," Morehouse said. "Every game we get to come out here and battle every time. No matter how we start, I just love being able to make plays."
But the Vikings tried for points of their own when Sam Stewart picked off Jensen and took the ball back to the house, which ended up being the only points of the night for Pleasant Grove.
With 15 seconds left in the half, Jensen found Brooks Ross after he leaped over a defender and snagged the ball out of his hands, propelling the Eagles to a dominant 24-7 first half lead.
To open up the second half, Maple Mountain went on a drive that lasted for over six minutes before turning the ball over in the end zone. But as the story of the game went, the Eagles defense prevailed.
Maple Mountain secured their third interception of the night thanks to senior safety Farren Hardy.
After a successful field goal by Maple Mountain, Hardy then picked off the Vikings again, adding to the frustration of a tough offensive night.
"The defense played lights out and they have all season," Morehouse said. "They always get us the ball back and give us opportunity to score."
And with one second left in the game, and a heave to the end zone by the Vikings, Maple Mountain secured its eighth turnover of the night.
"Any time you can get a victory when you play only one third of what you are capable of, you will take it," Hall said. "Lots of stuff to clean up, but the defense was great and did not give anything up. We are a much, much, much better team than that when we are efficient and clean."
The Eagles have outscored its opponents 137-46 on the season and will face off against a struggling offense in Cedar Valley next week, while the Vikings will take on Riverton.
