By Bruce Smith For the Deseret News
Highland's Nick Orchard says he has been timed at 4.7 seconds in the 40-meter dash. He seemed much faster than that on Wednesday night.
The senior quarterback ran for 177 yards, including two back-breaking touchdown runs, to lift the Rams past West 35-12 in a Region 6 game.
The win improved Highland to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in region play. With a win next week against Murray, the Rams would likely earn the third seed in the 4-A playoffs after that. West, which fell to 5-4 and 4-2, plays East next week and will probably get the fourth seed.
If West is to stay competitive, it will need to do something about mental breakdowns. Coach Randy Schreiter criticized his club after Wednesday's game, languishing over such things as 13 penalties, including seven offsides calls.
This was apparently not the same team that entered the game with five wins in its last six games, including a 41-19 victory over Murray last week.
"I knew they would be keyed up," said Highland coach Brody Benson. "We switched it (the snap counts) up to try to slow them down. They have such an athletic defense."
But Highland had Orchard.
Orchard ran for two touchdowns in the first half, including a 30-yarder that gave Highland a 14-0 lead. After West rallied, Orchard threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Josh Anderson and then buried the Panthers when he sprinted 69 yards on an option play.
"He is a tough kid," said Benson. "He has so much heart and desire. He lit a fire under the offensive line tonight."
That showed as the Rams rushed for 280 yards on just 37 carries — that's 7.6 yards per rush. Highland finished with 378 yards of total offense. West had 236.
The Panthers, however, stayed close in the second quarter, scoring on a 5-yard run by Tana Afeaki, and then Vai Mafi recovered a fumble that led to Daniel Wray's 5-yard run that made it 14-12.
After that, the Panthers' offense was ineffective. Afeaki was a workhorse but, after running for 79 yards in the first half, he had just six carries for 17 yards for the remainder of the game.
The Panthers had to rally through the air. Wray completed 12-of-19 passes for 135 yards, but that is deceptive. In the second half, the only play over 11 yards was a 58-yard pass from Wray to T.J. Rector to the Highland 15. But West was stopped on a fourth-down play shortly afterward.
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