BOUNTIFUL — Viewmont's crowd had reason to believe in another rivalry classic.
The Vikings opened up the game fast, with quarterback Jack Savage finding his top target, Jayson Dunroe, for a pair of first-quarter touchdowns. A 14-7 lead had the stands buzzing, the kind of start that hinted at a repeat of last year's double-overtime thriller.
Then Bountiful handed the ball off to senior running back Siaki Fekitoa.
On Bountiful's first scoring drive, he took off on a 60-yard sprint, outrunning the secondary to tie the game. By halftime, he added another long touchdown, this one from 51 yards, to give the Redhawks a 21-14 edge. His third score of the night silenced the home side, and suddenly Viewmont was chasing instead of leading.
In the end, Fekitoa and his Bountiful teammates silenced rival Viewmont in a 42-14 win.
"It feels good, especially coming off a loss from last week," Fekitoa said. "I think we came together, had a good game plan, and the coaches helped us execute it."
The second half belonged entirely to Bountiful. Quarterback Hudson Malmrose kept a fake handoff and tucked in for a touchdown run. Moments later, defensive back Will Shmute read Savage perfectly and returned an interception nearly 30 yards.
By the fourth quarter, Bountiful was in complete control. The Redhawks added two more scores, including a late touchdown by Dawson Allsop, and finished off a 42-14 score that quieted the Viewmont stands and flipped the rivalry back in their favor.
Bountiful head coach Jason Freckleton pointed to defensive adjustments as the turning point.
"Last year, the pass hurt us a little bit, so this year we played them differently and really tried not to let them throw over the top," he said. "We let them score on their first two drives, but once the kids settled in, we didn't let them score again. And then Siaki did his thing. The offense turned it up."
For Viewmont, the loss was a frustrating reminder of how slim the margins are in Region 6. Dunroe and Tolman connected for early highlights, but turnovers, and Bountiful's pass rush never allowed the Vikings to recover.
Bountiful, now 3-4, will take its momentum home against Alta. Viewmont, at 4-3, faces a tough test next week at Olympus.
