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SPRINGVILLE — After being shutout by Timpview 45-0 last week, Springville needed a win if it wanted to compete for a Region 7 title. The team that stood in their way was Cedar Valley.
The Aviators started the year 2-0 before dropping three straight to Westlake, Ridgeline and Maple Mountain, respectively. But in a game that saw the Red Devils lose star running back Max Harris, Springville had much more to play for in the end.
Springville used a 28-point second half to cruise to a 55-13 victory over Cedar Valley, improving to 4-2 on the year and 1-1 in region play. The Red Devils forced six turnovers to guide them to the victory, with three coming in each half.
"We did some really good things. We came out flat again like we did last week, but we are, obviously, happy about the outcome," Springville head coach Dave Valeti said after the win. "Once we settled down on defense we got after them a little bit and opened things up."
Springville started flat indeed.
Cedar Valley drove down the field on their opening possession and made it look easy, ending the drive with an 11-yard touchdown reception by sophomore Ayden Laws.
Springville answered back on a 20-yard run by Harris, but Laws found the end zone again at the start of the second quarter to give the Aviators a 13-7 lead over the Red Devils.
But it was the last time Cedar Valley would reach the end zone.
The Red Devils went on to score 20 unanswered points in the second quarter and suddenly had a 27-13 lead going into halftime. Springville forced three first-half turnovers to help give them the lead heading into the break.
While Springville starting quarterback Easton Leavitt was honored at halftime for homecoming royalty, he was preparing to put on a show in the second half. Leavitt had three passes of 60 yards or more in the second half while helping his team gather 28 second-half points.
"We work hard every week," Leavitt said. "It shows we bounce back from a loss and come back and get even better."
In the second half, Springville had a pick six, a punt return touchdown from Drake Peterson, and a 30-yard touchdown pass to propel the Red Devils to a dominant victory.
"We put in the work for sure; we are so proud of our team," Peterson said. "We are proud of how we responded."
Springville was forced to play without Harris, though, who left the game with a knee injury that Valeti was not optimistic about.
"Hopefully we did not just lose our running back for the season because he is a stud, but the guys responded to that," Valeti said.
Harris was seen on crutches with a brace around his knee, with fans and other players hugging him after the game.
Springville will turn its sights to Wasatch, who lost to Maple Mountain this week and fell to 1-5. The Red Devils will face its rival Maple Mountain the following week.
Cedar Valley will prepare to take on Timpview and Orem in back-to-back weeks in one of the toughest four-game stretches in high school football this year after playing Maple Mountain and Springville previously.
