Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
HERRIMAN — After a bye week, Lehi's offense took a few moments to warm up in the cool night air of a road trip to Herriman High.
But the Pioneers' defense was fiery from the start.
Paul Latu and Wes Batham each had a sack, Abe Jager added an interception, and Lehi held the Mustangs to 143 yards of offense en route to a 31-7 win Friday night.
Oklahoma State commit Jett Niu threw for 182 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score, and Devaughn Eka added 128 yards and two touchdowns for Lehi (4-0).
But Friday's win started with the defense, which held an opponent to a touchdown a less for the second time in four games.
"My coaches do such a heckuva job preparing them and getting them ready," Lehi coach Ed Larson said. "I think they were focused in, and we just had to get the offense caught up to that level of play.
"We still have things to clean up; we gave up too many third-and-longs for our taste. But I think it was good to get that rust off after that bye kind of hurt us a little bit. Hats' off to Herriman; they played tough tonight, and there were a lot of good things to look at in film before we get ready for region (play)."
The Pioneers' offense took a quarter to warm up before Jett Niu found Mays Madsen for a 2-yard touchdown with 8:17 left in the second quarter.
But the defense came to play early, holding the Mustangs to 75 yards before the break with an interception by Abe Jager and a pair of tackles for loss en route to a first-half shutout and a 10-0 halftime lead.
But after being held to a single field goal in the first quarter, Mays Madsen helped take the cover off for the Pioneers.
Jett Niu's 2-yard TD strike to Mays Madsen jumpstarted an offense that scored 31-unanswered points in Lehi's fourth consecutive win. pic.twitter.com/nsOplLtiIa
— KSL.com Sports (@KSLcomSports) September 14, 2024
The 5-foot-9 slot receiver caught seven passes for 87 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown with 8:17 left in the first half to give Lehi a 10-0 lead that stood up through halftime.
"When (Niu) gets a player to make a play for him, it gives him some confidence," Larson said. "We've just got to get the ball in the playmakers' hands a bit earlier. It worked out, and we'll learn off the film and see what adjustments we have to make."
Eka scored his first touchdown on a 46-yard cut-and-run down the east sideline with 8:56 left in the third quarter. The 5-foot-10 junior with a Utah State offer added another score on a 48-yard run to open the fourth quarter, but not before Niu scampered into the end zone himself from 4 yards out with 3:43 left in the third.
"It's nice to win them all so far," Larson said. "But we've got a tough region, and we'll see what happens to us."
Benson finished with 108 yards and the touchdown for Herriman (1-4).
