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PROVO — A competitive state quarterfinal between a pair of two-loss rivals started out as just that on a chilly Friday night.
The fourth-seeded Timpview Thunderbirds hosted the fifth-seeded Orem Tigers in the final home-field round of the 5A playoffs before the semifinals move to Rice-Eccles Stadium.
The two teams went scoreless for most of the opening quarter until they traded touchdowns in the period's final three minutes. Orem took an 8-7 lead on its first and only score of the game with 2:48 remaining in the first when a botched snap led to an improvised 2-point conversion.
Utah 5A quarterfinals today at Timpview (4 seed) vs. Orem (5 seed)
— Caleb Turner (@calebturner23) November 8, 2024
Feleti Iongi gets the Tiger touchdown here and then Orem turned a botched snap on the extra point into a 2-point conversion for an 8-7 lead with 2:48 left in the first quarter pic.twitter.com/KULPrkkqBc
That extra point had far-reaching effects, however, as it kept Timpview just short of the necessary 35-point lead for a running clock, even after scoring five unanswered touchdowns for a 42-8 lead to start the fourth quarter.
Penalties and injuries brought the game to a grinding halt in the final period, culminating in a 20-minute delay following an injury to the head or neck area of Orem defensive lineman AJ Snow with under three minutes remaining in the game.
Snow was eventually loaded onto a cart and gave a thumbs up on the way to an ambulance as coaches and officials gathered to decide how to end the game.
A three-minute warm-up period was agreed upon due to the extended stoppage, and both teams simply let the clock run out when play resumed.
Timpview moves to 2-0 against the Tigers this season with the dominant 42-8 win and will face the winner of Roy and Viewmont on Nov. 15 at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
