Roy stays undefeated with 42-28 win over Viewmont

BOUNTIFUL — On a cool October night under the lights, the Roy Royals (8-0) extended their perfect season with a 42-28 victory over the Viewmont Vikings (5-3).

Despite a rocky start, Roy's explosive offense and resilient defense proved too much for Viewmont, handing the Vikings their third loss of the season.

Viewmont came out strong, determined to break Roy's winning streak.

Eight minutes into the game, Viewmont's Benji Tolman — an offensive standout for the Vikings — took matters into his own hands, breaking through the defense for the first touchdown, putting Viewmont up 7-0.

Tolman was a force all night, scoring three touchdowns and keeping his team competitive in a hard-fought contest.

After a quick defensive stop, Viewmont's Zach Anderegg intercepted Roy's first offensive play, giving the Vikings prime field position. Just like that, Tolman punched in his second touchdown, giving Viewmont a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.

"It was a bad start for us," said Roy's Robert Young. "That first quarter we played very bad. I just knew I had to step it up for our team."

The momentum seemed firmly in Viewmont's favor until Roy's Kahekili Eleneke turned the tide in dramatic fashion. Just as the Vikings were on the verge of extending their lead, Eleneke intercepted a pass and returned it 100 yards to the end zone, igniting Roy's comeback and cutting the lead to 14-7.

Roy's defense started to lock in and their offense began to find its rhythm. Quarterback Dru Gardner connected with Young for a crucial 33-yard touchdown pass, tying the game 14-14 just before halftime. Young bobbled the catch at first but managed to secure it, marking the beginning of his standout performance.

"Once we start working together, everything starts working for us," Young said. "We had everyone calm down and start playing the defense we know we can play."

Roy came out ready in the second half, determined to keep their undefeated season intact. Just three minutes into the third quarter, Young powered his way into the end zone, giving Roy its first lead of the game at 21-14. From that point on, the Royals' defense took down the Vikings.

The fourth quarter saw Roy's Logan Cella deliver the game's most thrilling play — a 96-yard run that left Viewmont's defense scrambling. Cella weaved from sideline to sideline, dodging defenders as he extended Roy's lead to 28-14.

Viewmont tried to mount a comeback, with Tolman scoring his third touchdown of the night to close the gap to 28-21. But just seconds later, Roy responded with a handoff to Young, who charged into the end zone again, making the lead to 35-21.

Roy's defense held strong, with Rhett Slater intercepting a pass and setting up the Royals for another scoring opportunity.

Unfortunately, Gardner went down with an injury late in the game, forcing Young and Tyler Dickson to step in as the backup quarterbacks. On Youngs first play under center, He kept the ball on a quarterback keeper right into the endzone.

"It feels good to be undefeated this far into the season," Young said after the game. "We take every team seriously, but we will probably prepare way more for Bountiful and practice a lot harder."

Though Viewmont managed one final touchdown to bring the score to 42-28, Roy recovered the onside kick attempt and ran out the clock.

With two games left before playoffs, Roy will take on Bountiful at home next week, followed by a showdown with Northridge. Meanwhile, Viewmont looks to bounce back against Bonneville and Clearfield, hoping to finish the regular season strong.

Both teams have their eyes set on a deep playoff run, and performances like these show they're ready for the challenge.

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