ST. GEORGE - It was the passing of the torch on a picturesque Friday night, as perennial football power Highland was defeated by southern utah powerhouse Pine View Panthers 10-7.
In a game that contrasted the Rams' old-style veer option with the Panthers' new-era zone read option, both teams kept the ball on the ground, amassing a combined 448 rushing yards and a total of 21 combined forward pass attempts.
"I told the guys it was going to be a bar room brawl," said Pine View coach Ray Hosner. "You just got to come out swinging and not be intimidated, and that's what we did."
Let the record show that the Panthers threw the first punch. Early in the second quarter, Pine View quarterback Justin Ence jabbed first. Shedding off two Ram defenders, Ence burst into the end zone, finishing of an 80-yard drive that was aided by two personal-foul penalties on the Rams, giving the Panthers a 7-0 lead.
The Rams were plagued by penalties and turnovers throughout the first half, as two drives in the red zone stalled on fumbles recovered by the Panthers. Highland's only points of the game came off of a 22-play, 90-yard drive that drained 9 minutes off the clock.
After Highland's score, the Panthers took their next possession all the way to the 19, where kicker Michael Stephenson gave the knockout, putting Pine View up for good at 10-7 from 36 yards out.
"This win goes to our defense - they battled and got it done," said Ence, who started both ways, recording 17 tackles along with 102 yards rushing. "It is a great feeling, but we know we will need to play better next week."
Pine View will play Cottonwood at Rice-Eccles Stadium next Friday in a rematch from earlier this season where the Colts took apart the Panthers.

Pine View 10, Highland 7
Friday, November 07, 2008
Team W/L Record Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Total
Highland 8-4, 5-2 0 0 0 7 7
Pine View 9-1, 5-0 0 7 0 3 10

Scoring Summary:
PV — Ence 2 run (Stevenson kick)
H — Kinikini 1 run (Hicken kick)
PV — Stevenson 36 FG