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SALT LAKE CITY — Sophomore placekicker Luke Thornock kept looking at the scoreboard, almost worried that it was going to change and everything was just a dream.
Thornock had previously missed a PAT in the first quarter and a 34-yard field goal attempt that hit the left upright in the third quarter that would have help add to No. 1 Timpview's lead over Olympus in the 5A semifinals at Rice-Eccles Stadium Thursday afternoon.
But after Olympus rallied back to take a 20-19 lead on a double pass from quarterback Chase Moseley to Luke Bryant, who found a streaking Caden Lloyd for a 49-yard touchdown, Timpview needed a prayer.
With 2:30 left in the game, sophomore quarterback Helaman Casuga methodically worked his magic and got the Thunderbirds into the red zone. But when he couldn't find the end zone with two seconds left in the game, Timpview had to rely upon Thornock.
In what he described as the most stressful moment of his life, Thornock kicked the ball through the uprights with ease for the game-winner as his teammates swarmed him and celebrated the come-from-behind win. Timpview survived with a 22-20 win over Olympus.
"He's very young," Timpview head coach Donny Atuaia said. "And we've always had the saying: Trust our coaches, have faith in our players. And for today, that's what happened.
"I think the best thing for this game was is that we didn't fall apart, everyone was still up," he added. "And we talked about when things don't go right, we should be the best at handling the challenges. So with our top ranking, that's what we talked about. We're the top because we can handle challenges, and so that's what we took — what I took — from that last drive, so I'm grateful for that."
It was a redemption moment, and Thornock delivered.
"This is insane," Thornock said, still trying to process the moment. "Sorry, this is unreal.
"I had to redeem myself for that missed PAT in the first and that missed field goal before that," he added. "It's just doing your job. I mean, that's my job. I put field goals through the posts; that's what I've got to do."
For much of the game, Timpview had little to worry about with a lead and the momentum as the No. 1 seed in 5A. But Olympus kept chipping away at the lead and kept it a game. Even as the Thunderbirds looked to be pulling away in the fourth quarter, the Titans used an 11-play, 98-yard drive over three minutes to make it a one-score game.
Moseley capped off the drive with a 2-yard passing touchdown to Ty Seagle with 5:27 left in regulation and Olympus still in need of an answer.
The defense stepped up, held Timpview to a three-and-out series and then had a short field to work with after a short punt. Moseley, Bryant and Lloyd did the rest for the go-ahead score.
But in the end, Olympus couldn't get the stop when it needed to, including a fourth-and-7 play on their 33-yard line. Casuga stepped up, found a receiver for a 15-yard catch, and the Thunderbirds had life to eventually set up the game-winning score.
Timpview struck first in the game on a 12-yard pass from Casuga to Tei Nacua, but took Olympus three drives before Moseley found Lloyd on a 19-yard toss to take a 7-6 lead in the first quarter.
After Timpview scored on their next possession — a 2-yard run into the end zone from Quezon Villa — Olympus marched down the field and got to the 8-yard line before tragedy struck. Senior Nic Brown got the hand off and hit the line hoping to find a gap for the score, but Timpview stripped him of the ball and it flew into the end zone where the Thunderbirds jumped on the ball.
Timpview never capitalized on the turnover, but it was a back breaker for the underdog team looking to match the Thunderbirds.
Casuga, who is a four-star athlete and No. 2 overall recruit in Utah for the 2026 recruiting class, finished the day with 380 passing yards and one touchdown on 34-of-48 passing. Casuga put Timpview in a place to win, but on several occasions the offense committed untimely penalties that ultimately kept the Thunderbirds from making it a lopsided affair.
