Bulldogs' 21-point 2nd quarter holds off Orem in Region 7


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PROVO — After a scoreless first quarter, Provo quarterback Viliami Iongi knew he needed to wake his offense up in a crosstown clash with Orem.

They did that after a short quarter break.

Iongi tossed two touchdown passes to help the Bulldogs outscore Orem 21-14 in the second quarter and hold on for a 24-21 victory on Braiden Lovell's 25-yard field goal to move the Bulldogs to 2-1 in Region 7.

For wide receiver Paden Jorgensen, who caught the final go-ahead touchdown in the second quarter for Provo, the Bulldogs (5-2, 2-1 Region 7) found a rhythm like they were playing in a 7-on-7 tournament.

"We get on a hot streak, and everything starts clicking just like we are in 7-on-7s. It works well, and things just go good," Jorgensen said. "We just run right where we are supposed to run, and it works like it's supposed to be."

Iongi opened the scoring by finding Utah commit Ty Jones with a 19-yard TD pass with 10:48 left in the first half, but Orem answered right back on Kody Codner's first of three TD grabs from Gunnar Legas with seven minutes to go until halftime.

"Orem is a good offensive team; they love to throw the ball, and they made some great catches throughout the game," said coach Tony McGeary, who is 8-9 since taking the Provo job a year ago. "We felt like if we kept them in front of us, we'd be alright. The times we didn't, they scored. It was pretty simple."


We made some mistakes, but we never got rattled. We gave up a touchdown there in the fourth quarter, and our defense came up big right in the end. We knew we had to score some more points. Three was all we got, but fortunately it was enough to get it done.

–Provo coach Tony McGeary


The Tigers (2-5, 0-5) double-teamed Jones for much of the rest of the night, but Iongi had a backup plan: Jorgensen. The senior signal caller found Jorgensen for a 77-yard score with 5:24 remaining in the second quarter, and the 6-foot-1, 170-pound senior wheeled into the end zone for a touchdown.

"I've never seen him run that fast," Iongi said of Jorgensen. "He's awesome; I love that kid, PJ. He's so great."

Daniel Kelley added a six-yard TD run with 3:26 left and the Bulldogs (5-2, 2-1 Region 7) were on their way to a 21-7 halftime lead.

But Orem had other plans. Legas found Puka Nacua for a 28-yard finish with 39 seconds left, and the Tigers seized the moment going into the break only down 21-14.

Whatever McGeary told the Bulldogs at halftime from then worked.

"Our attitude going into the half is always 0-0," Iongi said. "We don't care what the scoreboard says, it's just a 0-0 game and we play like that."

The Bulldogs got the ball first in the second half, and used a run-heavy offense powered by Kelley to march down the field with a six-minute drive that opened the third quarter with Lovell's 25-yard field goal to go up 24-14.

The three points were the only additions in the third quarter, as the Provo defense stifled Legas and the Tigers with a third-quarter shutout.

It was enough — if barely — to lead Provo to its best start in region play since 2010.

"We made some mistakes, but we never got rattled," McGeary said. "We gave up a touchdown there in the fourth quarter, and our defense came up big right in the end.

"We knew we had to score some more points. Three was all we got, but fortunately it was enough to get it done."

Still, the Tigers refused to go away. The 6-foot-3 quarterback hit Codner in stride for a 41-yard touchdown sprint with 8:47 left in the fourth quarter to pull within three points, 24-21.

But that was as close as Orem would get. Danilo Ortolano sacked Legas with just over four minutes remaining — the second sack of the day for the junior defensive end — and Provo forced a turnover on Spencer Jorgensen's pass breakup on fourth down with 1:58 left to hold on for the win.

"Our defense was making plays left and right; sacks, forcing the QB out of the pocket," Iongi said. "It was so awesome."

Scoring summary
Provo 24, Orem 21
2nd Quarter
Provo — Ty Jones, 19-yard pass from Viliami Iongi (kick from Braiden Lovell)
Orem — Kody Codner, 21-yard pass from Gunnar Legas (kick from Ryan Gomer)
Provo — Paden Jorgensen, 77-yard pass from Viliami Iongi (kick from Braiden Lovell)
Provo — Daniel Kelley, 6-yard run (kick from Braiden Lovell)
Orem — Puka Nacua, 28-yard pass from Gunnar Legas (kick from Ryan Gomer)
Halftime: Provo 21, Orem 14
3rd Quarter
Provo — Braiden Lovell, 25-yard FG
4th Quarter
Orem — Kody Codner, 41-yard pass from Gunnar Legas (kick from Ryan Gomer)
Final: Provo 24, Orem 21

McGeary inherited a Provo program that had won just one game in two years before his arrival. Now, he's got the program believing with a 5-2 record and a 2-1 start in region play.

"It's tangible, the difference," Jorgensen said. "It's all coach McGeary; he's bringing a winning culture here, and it makes such a difference. We have a huge senior squad, and that brings a lot of power to the team and it makes us do good."

Still, the coach knows there is plenty of work to be done — and it starts next week as the Bulldogs prepare for Alta.

"We are happy about that, but we've still got a few mistakes we need to clean up," McGeary said. "The boys hung in there, and I'm real proud of them."

SNOW CANYON 38, DIXIE 23 — At Dixie, Jackson Nowatzke accounted for four touchdowns to help the Warriors stun the Flyers for the first loss of the year in 3AA South play.

Nowatzke ran for more than 100 yards, including scores from two-yards and six-yards out to help Snow Canyon (4-3, 1-2 3AA South) rally for a 14-7 lead after the first quarter and never let up. Nowatzke also had a 79-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, then completed a 36-yard TD toss to Robert Taimi in the fourth.

TJ Taimi added a 37-yard touchdown run for the Warriors, who got a 35-yard field goal from Andy Day in the fourth.

Zac Harrah threw two touchdown passes in the third quarter to pull Dixie (5-2, 2-1) within a touchdown, 28-21. But the Warriors outscored the Flyers 10-2 the rest of the way to get the win.

It was Dixie's first loss since the Flyers' defeat at 4A Springville in the season's opening week.

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