High school football: Bountiful shakes up Region 5 race by winning a thriller at Roy

A year ago, an upstart Roy team came into enemy territory in Bountiful and stole Region 5 right out from under the Redhawks.

On a warm Thursday night in Roy, Bountiful did what it could to return the favor.

The Redhawks stormed back from a 28-14 first half deficit, going on a 28-7 scoring run the rest of the way, and stuffed the Royals’ final play at the 1-yard line to clinch a thrilling 42-35 victory.

“Incredible,” Bountiful coach Jason Freckleton said. “Our guys battled. They never gave up. There’s a lot of trust from players to coaches, a lot of great coaching. Our defensive coaches work their tails off and never give up…The kids responded. It was a fun one tonight.”

The win not only shattered Roy’s perfect 8-0 record this season, but it also forced a tie atop the Region 5 standings, putting Bountiful in position to secure at least a share of the region title with a win over Woods Cross next Thursday.

“That was important to us,” Freckleton said. “They got after us last year…they’re a well-coached team. They play hard. Those guys have got a bright future, too, but we certainly wanted to come in here and get that opportunity.

“This is the kind of stuff you dream about, to come in here and to play a meaningful game this late in the season. That’s an earned opportunity, and the kids rose to the occasion.”

Quarterback Emerson Geilman accounted for all six of Bountiful’s touchdowns, throwing for four and running for two while leading the offense to a turnover-free performance.

The Redhawks, typically known under Freckleton for their strong defensive identity, have now eclipsed 40 points in three straight games.

“Really, the credit belongs to our offensive line for just working their tails off the whole game and our defense for making two huge stops at the end,” Geilman said.

“I’m just so proud of all my teammates and I love them so much.”

It was a contest of chaos from beginning to end, but no sequence was more mind-melting than the final minute of the first half. Down by two scores, Geilman led the offense down to the goal line where, after a few defensive stops by the Royals, he finally outstretched the ball over his own line on 4th-and-inches to convert the TD with 49 seconds before halftime.

The Redhawk defense forced a 3-and-out with about 14 seconds left, and a run by Siaki Fekitoa was downed just in time for Freckleton to call timeout with just a tenth of a second remaining.

Virtually securing an untimed down, Roy dropped the entire secondary, and Geilman threw to a wide-open Fekitoa. Fekitoa, true to his rugby-playing roots, lateraled to a teammate, who in turn lateraled to junior Zeke Murdock, and Murdock beat a confounded Roy defense to score a shocking game-tying touchdown at the end of regulation.

“That was our first time running that [in a game],” Fekitoa said.

The two teams combined for 56 points in the first half alone, and Roy was doing it in style. Roy’s first offensive snap was a double pass as do-everything athlete Robert Young connected with receiver Zay Morris for a 35-yard score.

Young had all five of Roy’s TDs and did it in every possible way, throwing for one, running for two, catching one and returning one on a kickoff. The kickoff return TD for 98 yards is Young’s third of the year.

What Bountiful truly excelled at in the matchup was coercing the senior-heavy and talent-rich Royals into making a plethora of mistakes by forcing them into unfamiliar situations.

Kicker Landon Zayas squibbed two kickoffs in the second half, and the normally fearsome Roy return unit fumbled both of them back to the Redhawks.

After Roy got back ahead in the third quarter with a 34-yard TD run from Young, Bountiful tied it back up on a 13-yard TD pass from Geilman to Fekitoa.

Less than two minutes of play later, thanks to that second fumbled kickoff return, Geilman ran in his sixth TD for 26 yards to give the Redhawks their first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter.

Bountiful had to still contend with a formidable offense, but its first break came on an interception off a tipped pass by Gardner midway through the final quarter.

Roy managed to force a 3-and-out by Geilman and Co., so it was up to Freckleton’s defense to get the job done. Gardner completed a big pass on third down to Young to get into scoring range, and a few plays later, Roy was on Bountiful’s 1-yard line with seconds remaining and no timeouts.

Rushing to get the play off, Gardner took the snap, looked for his options and then charged at the end zone, only to be met and upended for a loss by a host of Redhawks.

Time expired, and red and silver helmets stormed the field.

“The defense was ready,” Freckleton said. “Our guys were ready to step up and make plays, and that’s the team element that we preach. Great Bountiful football win tonight.”

Roy can still defend a portion of its status as the reigning Region 5 champions with a win over Northridge on the road next Wednesday after a short week of practice.

Bountiful’s final game against Woods Cross will be at home.