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SALT LAKE CITY — The West High football team has grown accustomed to close games lately. It beat Olympus by 2 points two weeks ago, and Alta by 5 last week.
But on Friday, it was the Panthers who were on the wrong end of a nail-biter.
West lost 35-33 to the Rigby Trojans of Idaho in a game that featured costly penalties and missed opportunities, as well as a couple of exciting chunk plays.
After a game lost in the details, Panthers senior running back Lote-Molia Sotele said the team can learn some togetherness moving forward.
"I think we need to start playing more like a team," Sotele said. "The chemistry isn't really there."
The Panthers, who entered Friday's game on a two-game winning streak, experienced their first sign of struggle midway through the first quarter when they turned the ball over on downs on fourth-and-3 just 4 yards from the end zone.
West also missed a PAT that would've tied the game, and didn't convert two 2-point conversions that would have also tied the game. The second failed 2-point conversion came late in the fourth.
"I think special teams had some struggles there," West coach Olosaa Solovi said. "It's been something we've been trying to figure out. The coaches are working really hard there. We have guys playing both ways. ... No excuse."
One particular special teams snafu for West came in the third quarter after Rigby receiver Owen Golding ran a kickoff return all the way to the 38-yard line of West's territory. Five plays later, the Trojans built a 28-19 lead on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Flowers to Bryson Youngstrom.
West was never far behind despite giving up the first touchdown in the second quarter. The Panthers followed up Aman Morel's 2-yard rushing touchdown with a 3-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Kamden Lopati, but the team missed the PAT. From there, West was always a touchdown and some change behind.
Morel scored on an 11-yard run early in the second quarter to give Rigby a 14-6 lead. Less than a minute later, Sotele exploded for a 48-yard rushing touchdown. The 2-point conversion, however, failed, and the Panthers trailed 14-12.
Trojans running back Jerzey Duenes gave his team a 21-12 advantage with a 3-yard touchdown. The very next drive, Lopati got hurt and was replaced by Izaiah Holley, who rushed for a 55-yard touchdown to put West within 2 points.
"He's had an ankle injury the whole year," Solovi said of Lopati. "He's fighting and battling, but we have the utmost confidence in Izaiah Holley."
Down 28-19, Sotele got his second big touchdown of the night with a 39-yard run. This time, the 2-point conversion was successful, and Rigby led 28-27.
In the fourth quarter, the Trojans struck first with a 6-yard run from Duenes. Sotele was back in the game by then, and threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Sotele. But the Rigby defense stopped Sotele's rushing attempt at the 2-point conversion, which effectively ended the game.
Solovi said the team can't "keep beating ourselves and expect to come out on the plus side of this." Still, he took responsibility for the loss.
"We're gonna get back to work, "Solovi said. "We believe we can get this fixed."
