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SALT LAKE CITY — The West Panthers scored eight offensive touchdowns in a 68-14 first-round playoff win over Taylorsville just one week after being held to zero in a regular season-ending loss to Brighton.
Chachi Pan's pick six was the only Panthers score in that 7-6 loss to the Bengals, and the senior added another non-offensive touchdown Friday with a 55-yard punt return to give 12th-seeded West a 34-0 lead midway through the second quarter against 22nd-seeded Taylorsville.
The Panthers led 40-0 at halftime and added four more touchdowns in the second half to score the most points in a 5A playoff game since East High scored 70 in 2022. A pair of missed extra points on Friday would've put West in a tie for that historic high with its crosstown rival.
"Our starting quarterback is out, but we felt like our backup quarterback Izaiah Holley did a great job," head coach Olosaa Solovi said when asked what he liked most about the performance. "We're just excited to move on. We're excited for the opportunity."
Holley threw seven touchdown passes to five different receivers, and senior Nofo Hafoka added a pick six for the other non-offensive score on the evening.
Taylorsville quarterback Cole Kramer launched 79-yard and 42-yard touchdown passes over a one-minute span in the third quarter, thanks to a successful onside kick from the Warriors, but West turned around and responded with two quick touchdowns at the end of the quarter to squash any comeback chances.
The Panthers travel to Orem for a second-round matchup on Nov. 1 against a potent 8-2 Tigers team.
"We have to respect who we're playing, but just really focus on us and what we can control," Solovi said of the challenge awaiting his team.
