Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School cross country teams won all four races they entered in the PM session of the Park City Invitational, held at the Quinn’s Junction Sports Park on Friday (Sept. 11). The field for this portion of the event was 10 schools, and they competed on a 3-mile grass and rocky dirt trail course.

Caveman senior Skye Jensen won the girls varsity race in 18:10.7. All of American Fork’s scoring runners finished in the top 10 to earn a combined score of 26 points, far outdistancing Timpanogos at 46 in second place and West Field at 102 in third.

Senior Shay Smith finished fourth overall at 19:29.6, followed by junior Rebekah Jacob fifth at 19:42.2, sophomore Scarlett Simkins seventh at 19:55.9 and sophomore Leila Maughan came in ninth at 20:03.3. The other varsity entrants were freshman Quincy Skousen 10^th and sophomore Addie Low 15^th.

The Cavemen did not enter their top five boys in this event, but American Fork won the varsity race anyway with 32 points over Farmington at 48 points and Timpanogos at 94 points.

Sophomore Michael Jones crossed the finish line first for the Cavemen in second place overall at 15:49.6. The other scoring runners included senior Trey Nielsen in third at 15:58.4, junior Logan Wagstaff seventh at 16:20.4, junior Race Low ninth at 16:31.6 and junior Mac Thresher 11^th at 16:41.3.

Junior Will Thresher (13^th), junior Joshua Piccolo (14^th) and sophomore Joshua Jensen (16^th) also competed for American Fork in the varsity event.

The junior varsity girls earned a perfect score of 15 by sweeping the top five spots in the race, also placing nine other runners in the top 20. Senior Sophie Bahr led the way in 19:45.8 as the gold medalist.

Junior Reid Freeman claimed the top spot in the boys JV race, with teammates finishing in second, fourth, fifth and 11^th to earn 23 points to complete the sweep for American Fork.

Rob Shelton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork football team turned a September 11 tribute night into a statement, blanking the Layton Lancers 45-0 on Friday to end the game early and push their record to 4-1 with one more game before heading into region play.

It wasn’t close from the start. The Cavemen scored on offense, defense and special teams, built a 32-0 halftime lead and invoked the mercy to end the game partway through the fourth quarter. Layton, now 2-3, never found the end zone.

“What a cool environment playing on September 11th,” head Coach Aaron Behm said. “The pregame stuff was pretty awesome. … And then to go out and play well was icing on top of the cake.”

American Fork opened the scoring on a 10-yard touchdown run by senior running back DC Fonua with 4:42 left in the first quarter, capped by a two-point conversion pass from Matsen.

Senior safety Noah Behm made it 15-0 by blocking a punt and returning it 37 yards for a touchdown. Coach Behm said this play produced a big momentum swing. “I felt like after that we really got things rolling,” he said.

Senior running back Tani Vaki’s 3-yard touchdown run and a 3-yard touchdown catch by senior tight end Zach Cowie pushed the lead to 29-0 in the second quarter. Senior kicker Jace Worthington, perfect on all four extra-point tries, added a 42-yard field goal to send American Fork to the break up 32-0.

Junior wide receiver Cash Taiese hauled in a 22-yard touchdown pass from Matsen early in the third quarter to make it 39-0, and junior running back Noah Braithwaite’s 8-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter closed out the scoring at 45-0 to end the game early.

Layton didn’t fold quietly. Sophomore quarterback Tillman Thomas found completions to receivers Carter Hughes and Denver Hicks and got work from running back Jake Strong, but the Lancers never turned a drive into points against a Caveman defense that had its way all night.

The American Fork defense forced three turnovers, which Behm called the difference-maker. “I thought our defense did a good job getting some turnovers in the first half,” he said.

Junior linebacker Ty Wilson recovered a fumble in the first quarter. Noah Behm added a second-quarter interception, and senior Nate Childs, playing safety, also made a pick for the third takeaway of the night.

The turnovers weren’t all one-sided. American Fork gave the ball away twice too, once on a fumble near the Layton 5-yard line, and again on a Matsen pass that Layton senior safety Kass Huntsman intercepted in Caveman territory.

The defense answered immediately, with Childs picking off a deflected pass on the very next play to hand the ball right back.

“We take pride in trying to take the ball away,” defensive coordinator Trevor Richins said. “Last week we were frustrated. We didn’t get any, so that was a big goal tonight.”

Defensive line coach Grant Pierce called senior Dalin Afu the anchor of a unit that kept Layton out of the end zone all night. “Dalin Afu leads us in practice every day,” Pierce said.

Pierce also highlighted freshman Scotty Bettis, who saw significant playing time at defensive tackle. “He’s strong. He works his butt off, so it’s going to be a good, bright future for the D-line at American Fork,” Pierce said.

Sophomore quarterback Jake Matsen ran the offense and connected on a 38-yard completion to Taiese in the second quarter that Layton linebacker Nate Wensel ran down before American Fork could cash it in.

“I think Jake played well at quarterback,” Behm said. “DC ran the ball very well, pretty clean. There’s still a couple penalties we need to clean up and some other things like that, but for the most part I feel like we played better than last week, which is what I want to say every Friday.”

Wide receivers coach Randan Manuela said the offense leans on moving Taiese around the formation to keep defenses guessing. “He does a great job. We move him all around.”

Manuela also credited senior Mason Brooks and junior Ty Holmstead for helping carry the passing game. “Christian is a big target with a big catch radius and everything underneath,” he said of senior tight end Christian Hanshaw.

American Fork’s backup quarterback, junior Tayt Webster, closed out the game in relief for the Cavemen mercy-rule finish.

Matsen completed 17-of-23 (74%) passes for 195 yards with two touchdowns and one pick. Taiese and Hanshaw led the receivers with five catches for 73 yards apiece. Senior running back Carter Jorgenson was the leading rusher with eight carries for 38 yards.

Senior defensive back Hayden Reutzel was the leading tackler for the outing with four solo of five combined tackles. Senior defensive lineman Dalin Afu, senior linebacker Luke Vernon and senior defensive back Lincoln Miller each had four tackles in a game where many players were used.

The win keeps American Fork rolling after a 41-13 win over Farmington, a hard-fought 28-26 victory at Timpview and a 31-11 loss at Mater Dei of Santa Ana, California.

The Cavemen, No. 4 in the latest Utah 6A rankings, close out non-region play at Davis on Friday (Sept. 18) before opening region play at Lone Peak on Thursday, September 24.

“We’ve still got one more with Davis, a non-region game, next week, and that’s a big one,” Behm said. “You know, they’re the big team in Region One. … So I think if we continue to get better this week, next week we’ll be ready to go.”

Photos by Sam Penrod.

Elizabeth Spencer | American Fork Citizen

Friday night’s football game started a little differently at American Fork High School as players and fans took a moment to remember 9/11. The Cavemen started and ended their game with a big win, honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice 25 years ago.

Players, along with volunteers from Follow the Flag (FTF), unfurled their massive “Lady Liberty” American flag on the field. Teacher Sam Beeson, in his last year of teaching at AFHS, led the national anthem, followed by a breathtaking Apache helicopter flyover.

Military, police, and firefighters received free game admission and free concessions. A generous donor made the evening possible and remains anonymous in our community. The game was a “USA-Out,” which means that students were asked to wear red, white and blue.

“We have a community that really embraces our first responders, police, fire, vets, and active military duty. It’s just a feel- good event. It’s nice when you can help put something on that supports those people that take care of us,” said Jeremy Lewis, Athletic Director at AFHS.

“It’s always important to have perspective, especially at the young age of high school,” said a member of the Navy who attended the game. He said some of these [high school] kids are going to go straight into the military, so it’s important to understand that the community respects and acknowledges that it is an important lifelong decision.”

“We are here to serve the community and those that need our help,” said AF Firefighter Justin Whatcott, who was on shift Friday evening. “As for 9/11, the biggest thing for me is remembering those who served in the military at both the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and the Flight 93 crash site. They are the ones we need to never forget, and we need to remember the sacrifice they made for our community. I feel like it’s so important to remember those that gave it all.”

Whatcott said seeing the flag ceremony stirred feelings. “It’s an honor to be here and to be a part of that with the youth and be able to support this program that they have honoring those that gave it all”

“I just love being part of something that recognizes those people who responded: the firefighters, the police, the paramedics, the military and the veterans. It’s really special to be a part of that and to recognize them without worrying about political differences. It’s really an important time just to set those things aside and say thank you,” said Lewis.

Delmar Dade was on the field during the flag ceremony. As a police officer, he has served the community of Crystal Lake, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, for 16 years. Dade flew in for the occasion and to watch his nephew, a senior, play football. “I thought it was awesome to be able to be out there and honor those who gave their life and sacrificed for our country.”

“These kids weren’t alive when 9/11 happened. It’s like they always say to ‘never forget,’ it’s easy when times are okay to kind of forget where we’ve come from or forget the sacrifices. It’s important for them to see that there are people that came before them that had to sacrifice,” added Dade.

Senior Christian Hanshaw plays tight end. He was also on the field during the pre-game event and said he could feel the sacredness and solemnity. “We are doing this to honor everyone who died and trying to honor something very sacred to our American culture. It was really cool to honor our country.”

“I hope our players honor our servicemen and women and first responders by emulating and living their lives with discipline, service, and being selfless. I think for our kids, that is the best way to honor them,” shared AFHS Football Coach Aaron Behm. “I think there is so much our kids can learn from 9/11 about unity, service, and how much we have to be grateful for living in this country.”

“It was really cool to honor everything that happened 25 years ago today. It’s nice to recognize everyone who sacrificed their lives that day. It means a lot,” said Captain Sam Thompson, who plays linebacker.

Speaking of 9/11, Lewis added, “I think for people in our generation, this is our JFK moment. This was the big moment for us where we remember where we were and what we were doing.”

“I remember hearing what was happening on the news that morning, and calling Carrie (his wife) and telling her to turn on the TV. Like so many other Americans, we couldn’t stop watching the news, and honestly, we didn’t sleep well for weeks afterward,” shared Kyle Fox, founder of FTF.

“It felt like the whole world had changed. But I also remember what happened after, when Americans seemed to forget their differences for a while and just stood together. Twenty-five years later, that’s something worth remembering. For Follow the Flag, honoring those who lost their lives and those who ran toward danger is also a way of reminding the next generation what that kind of sacrifice and unity looks like,” added Kyle.

“I think one of the most important things we can do twenty-five years later is make sure September 11th doesn’t become just another date in a history book, especially for a generation that wasn’t alive to experience it. I vividly remember watching the news that morning while my two young sons played on our living room floor. It changed me forever. There was so much heartbreak that day, but there was also an incredible sense of unity in the weeks that followed,” shared Carrie Fox.

“I love that AFHS is creating a moment where young people can stop, remember, and honor those who sacrificed. Seeing that giant flag carried onto a high school football field is an awesome reminder that remembering is now our responsibility,” concluded Carrie.

Honoring 9/11 at AFHS didn’t begin that evening on the field. During the school day between class breaks, inspiring patriotic songs played over the loudspeaker, reminding kids that 9/11 is a unique day of reflection, remembering those who sacrificed.

Fittingly, AFHS took home the win, 45-0.

ALIVIA LEMON

GRADE: 11

SPORT: Volleyball

POSITION: Opposite Hitter

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS:

Total of 19 Blocks in 33 sets played, 58 kills and 25 aces so far.

COACH’S COMMENTS:

Alivia has been such an asset to our team. She works very hard to hone her skills and perform for our team. I’m proud of the effort she makes to improve our program and be a good example of what the standard is in our gym. She is a fierce competitor.

– Coach Melissa Guymon

Sponsored by Axio Wealth Management.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School girls soccer team won the final two pre-league matches to finish that part of the season with a sterling 8-1 record. However, they were shut out in both of their first two Region 3 contests.

Aug. 25: American Fork 3, Layton 1

Playing on their home pitch, the Cavemen took a 1-0 advantage into the break and then doubled up on the visiting Lancers in the second half to earn a comfortable victory.

Senior forward Cambree Ballard scored twice for American Fork and senior midfielder Charlotte Anderson provided the other goal for the victors. Sophomore midfielder Claira Connors, senior midfielder Suri Parsia and sophomore forward Ivy Jacobson supplied the assists.

Aug. 27: American Fork 2, Weber 2 (SO 4-3)

The homestanding Warriors jumped out early and led the Cavemen 2-1 at the half. The visitors were able to net the equalizer in the second period but neither team reached the target through two overtimes to bring on a shootout.

American Fork prevailed 4-3 to claim the exciting victory. The Cavemen got penalty kick makes from senior defender Jill Kesler, junior defender Lehua Fisher, senior defender Farah Parsia and junior midfielder Eva Gunn in the win.

During regulation time, the goal scorers were Fisher and Suri Parsia with help from sophomore midfielder Sophie Judd and Jacobson.

Sept. 3: Skyridge 3, American Fork 0

The Cavemen went on the road to open region play against the Falcons. The home squad scored two goals in the initial period and one more after the break for only the second win of their season to that point.

Sept. 10: Lone Peak 6, American Fork 0

Back at home, the Cavemen managed to hold the Knights at bay for a stretch but eventually the visitors racked up an impressive total in the later stages of the contest.

The Cavemen continue Region 3 play with two home matches next week. Corner Canyon comes to town on Tuesday (Sept. 15) followed by Lehi on Thursday (Sept. 17). Both matches are set to kick off at 3:30 p.m.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

Although American Fork alumni quarterback Maddux Madsen’s Boise State Broncos didn’t quite pull it off, the team did give the high-flying Oregon Ducks a serious scare on the road in the season opener for both teams on Saturday (Sept. 5).

What the game did show was that BSU is likely to be a serious contender in the newly reformatted PAC-12 Conference that the Broncos joined this year with five other schools to compete in football with remaining members Oregon State and Washington State.

A fifth-year senior, Madsen directed his team down the field 75 yards on their very first possession, capping it with a 13-yard toss to Cam Bates for a touchdown to give Boise State the initial lead.

Second-ranked Oregon tied the score early in the second quarter. Later in the period, the Broncos took advantage of a muffed punt to start a drive on the Duck 38.

On first down, Madsen threw a screen pass to Sire Gaines and he reached the endzone to push Boise State back out in front with more than 10 minutes left.

The Broncos extended their advantage with a 29-yard field goal at the 2:48 mark. Oregon managed to score another touchdown with 19 seconds remaining to close the gap to three points at the break.

The Ducks scored the next 10 points after returning from the locker room to get their first lead at 24-17. Boise State responded with another 75-yard drive in eight plays culminating in a fourth-down strike from Madsen to Matt Wagner to even the score once again.

Oregon’s field goal in the early fourth quarter was matched by the Broncos with 8:45 to play. The Ducks answered quickly to take a 34-27 lead with 7:51 left. A big third-down sack as Oregon tried to run the clock out gave Boise State one more shot but the Broncos couldn’t convert on the chance.

Madsen completed 15-of-29 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. This was the seventh 3+ touchdown game of his career. He has had zero interceptions in all but one of those contests.

Madsen also moved up to seventh all-time in BSU program history in career yards, finishing the game with 6,767. The fifth-year quarterback passed Hank Bachmeier (2019-22), who threw for 6,605 total yards.

That name might sound a little familiar, and it should. Hank is the oldest of the football Bachmeier brothers and he’s presently the quarterback for the Alpine Rams of the American Football League Europe while younger brothers Bear and Tiger are playing for BYU.

As for Madsen, this was only the first game of the season. Stay tuned.

Photos by Kenna Harbison courtesy of Boise State University.

Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press

It didn’t take long for Lehi High School’s former football stars to have an impact in their new uniforms at BYU. Together, true freshmen wide receiver Legend Glasker and running back Devaughn Eka provided four touchdowns in their Cougar debuts as part of a 63-7 win over Utah Tech on Saturday (Sept. 5).

The duo graduated early after finishing the football season last year and enrolled at BYU immediately so they could participate in spring practice. Both earned praise for their efforts then and during fall camp as well. Glasker was listed as the starting No. 2 receiver going into this contest.

A number of former Cavemen also suited up for the season opener. Sophomore Hunter Clegg was the starting defensive end for the Cougars and recorded one solo tackle on the day.

Former teammate Blake Jensen, a freshman, lined up at defensive end for Utah Tech and was credited with one solo and two assisted tackles for the outing.

Other American Fork alumni who participated in this game for BYU included redshirt freshman wide receiver Trey Roberts, younger brother of Chase Roberts; senior transfer wide receiver Fisher Ingersoll; redshirt senior defensive end Bodie Schoonover; and redshirt sophomore tight end Noah Moeaki.

The ESPN announcers calling the game quickly picked up on Glasker’s interesting first name and pronounced his contributions “legendary.”

He scored the first touchdown of the season for the Cougars, a 9-yard rush less than two minutes into the game. He added another one on his second touch of the afternoon early in the second quarter, this time on a 26-yard reception from sophomore quarterback Bear Bachmeier.

Later in the period, Bachmeier connected with him again for a third touchdown, this one for 33 yards, with 7:47 remaining to the break. He finished with three catches on three tries for 65 yards and had two carries for 16 yards as well.

Here’s more on what he accomplished according to BYU’s official player notes:

• The freshman wideout tallied three touchdowns in the first half. It’s the first time that a Cougar receiver has posted a three-score game since Puka Nacua against Arkansas in 2022. The last BYU true freshman with three or more touchdowns was Jamaal Williams (who had four) at Georgia Tech on Oct. 27, 2012.
• Glasker is also the first BYU player with three touchdowns in a half since WR/TE Keanu Hill, also against Utah Tech, back in 2022.
• He is the first true freshman (in NCAA DI) to score on his first two career touches since the 2024 season, when Decker DeGraaf (Washington) and Ryan Coleman-Williams (Alabama) both did so.

In the postgame news conference, head Coach Kalani Sitake said, “I told you guys: ‘don’t worry about our receiver room.’ Fesi knows what he’s doing there. He saw the capabilities of Legend Glasker and what he can do, and not just Legend but the entire receiver room.

“Glasker was able to make a lot of plays tonight, but there is a lot of talent all over the place in that room, so I am really proud of the way they blocked more than anything.

“We didn’t need them to do much in the pass game, but we know we can if we need to. We saw a lot of future stars play tonight, not necessarily household names, but you’ll get used to hearing their names with time,” he said.

Glasker was also tabbed for postgame comments. “Coming into the game, I really wanted to score,” he said. “So, I mean, three was a surprise, but before the game I just said it was in God’s hands, and that’s what he wanted to happen for me, so I’m blessed.

“The people around me, the coaches and the players, they bought into me a lot, and they trust me. So I feel like when they entrusted me, I can just really go out there and do this with their trust. I feel like I can do anything,” he continued.

As for his connection with Bachmeier, he said, “Bear is just so smart, and I feel like his smarts help me do better on the field, just looking at the defense and seeing what he wants me to do.”

On questions about the receivers, he added, “I mean, man, the potential is there. We have so many guys that can just do great things on the field. We have so much size and speed. We just have everything you could think of in a wide receiver room. We have a lot of depth in the room.”

Glasker’s Pioneer teammate also turned some heads. Although Eka didn’t start, he ended up as the leading rusher of the night with eight carries for 59 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown at the 14:07 mark of the fourth quarter that was the final score of the game for the Cougars.

He hurdled over a would-be tackler on his first carry. “First run ever he jumped over somebody,” Glasker said. “I mean, that’s just what he does, and I can’t wait to see him break one for very long. He’s going to do it. I believe in him.”

Eka had some words to say about Glasker too. “I knew he played like that. It wasn’t anything new to me, but it’s great for everybody else to see it. He’s just too fast. He’s a dog. So it was great seeing him go out there and have a day like that,” Eka said.

As for his own performance, he said, “Every time I went in, I tried to do as much as I can and do everything I can. It was a great feeling today. Going in without being touched is great too, but making a play like that, and having to put your body on the line is great.”

He had some praise for his other teammates as well. “We showed that no matter who you put in we can go in and make a play. Journee Tonga, he came in and got a touchdown. Anybody you put in can really go out and show,” Eka concluded.

Former Skyridge Falcon Tausili Akana, who transferred to BYU from Texas during the winter, also made his presence felt by recording his first fumble recovery for the Cougars playing defensive end.

Photos courtesy of BYU.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School cross country teams won both versions of the Championship races at the UIAAA Invitational on August 29 at the Spanish Fork Sports Park, despite two lightning delays and intermittent rain throughout the event.

The Caveman boys placed all of their scoring runners in the top 20, tallying 49 points to nationally ranked Riverton’s 87 and Herriman’s 123 points in a field of 27 teams. All but one of AF’s entrants were underclassmen.

Junior Chase Hejny crossed the line first for American Fork in third place overall with a mark of 14:59.7 on the grass course. He was followed immediately by junior David Webb in fourth place at 15:03.9.

Senior Roy Jones finished 11^th at 15:31.8, with sophomore Bennett Jensen 15^th at 15:36.6 and junior Dax Jolley 19^th at 15:41.6 rounding out the team score. Junior Logan Wagstaff and sophomore Michael Jones also competed in this race.

In the girls event, the Cavemen won the 17-program race with 58 points among runners scored for team standings, outdistancing second-place Herriman at 92 points with Riverton in third at 105.

Senior Skye Jensen finished sixth overall at 17:55.2, with junior Sarah Watson in eighth place at 18:13.6 and senior Shay Smith in 11^th place at 18:37.5. Junior Jane Sorenson was 28^th at 19:09.7 and junior Rebekah Jacob came in 41^st at 19:28.8. Senior Sophie Bahr also ran in this event.

American Fork showed depth with strong finishes in the other races as well. The boys placed first of 20 teams in the Boys Junior/Senior AM Race with 16 points, sweeping the first four spots with their fifth runner finishing sixth. Senior Trey Nielsen won the event with a time of 16:00.9.

In the corresponding girls race, the Cavemen were first of 27 teams with 32 points, led by event winner senior Mara Jensen at 20:12.0.

The American Fork girls were also dominant in the Freshman/Sophomore AM race, finishing first among 17 teams with 16 points as they once again captured spots 1-4 and 6. Sophomore Leila Maughan was the winner here at 19:29.0.

With so many younger runners in the other events, the Caveman boys came in seventh of 23 teams in the Freshman/Sophomore AM race, led by sophomore Joshua Jensen in fifth place at 16:39.1.

American Fork boys win Timpanogos Invitational, girls finish second

Megan Wallgren / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork High School cross country teams earned podium finishes September 4 at the 2026 Timpanogos Cross Country Invitational at Lakeside Park in Orem, with the Cavemen boys taking first place overall and the girls finishing second behind Herriman.

The American Fork boys were led by a pair of juniors who finished second and third. Chase Hejny crossed first for the Cavemen in 14:51.6, followed just 1.2 seconds later by teammate David Webb in 14:52.8.

The Cavemen continued to build their team score with senior Roy Jones finishing 15th in 15:30.5 and sophomore Bennett Jensen taking 17th in 15:32.0. Junior Dax Jolley rounded out American Fork’s top five, finishing 28th overall in 15:39.6.

The Cavemen’s sixth and seventh runners, junior Logan Wagstaff and senior Trey Nielsen, crossed the finish line in 16:13.2 and 16:15.5, respectively.

American Fork’s exceptionally low team spread of just 48.0 seconds for its scoring five highlights the depth and discipline of the team.

The American Fork girls also posted a top-two team finish, placing second overall behind Herriman.

Junior Sarah Watson led the Caveman girls, finishing 10th overall in 18:10.0. Senior Shay Smith followed in 11th with a time of 18:24.1, giving American Fork two runners in the top 10.

Junior Rebekah Jacob was the team’s third finisher, placing 31st in 19:00.9. Junior Jane Sorensen finished 56th in 19:44.5, followed closely by sophomore Scarlett Simkins in 57th with a time of 19:46.3.

Sophomore Leila Maughan and freshman Quincy Skousen completed the team’s top seven, finishing in 19:52.5 and 20:00.0 respectively.

The Timpanogos Invitational gave the Cavemen an opportunity to measure themselves against a large field of Utah’s strongest cross country programs mid-season.

With both American Fork teams finishing in the top two, the Cavemen showed the combination of front-running talent and depth that has made the program a perennial contender in both Utah and on the national stage.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork football team turned a relatively close game into a blowout in about five minutes of clock time in the second half on Friday (Sept. 4) to earn a satisfying 41-13 win over Farmington in non-region action.

The Cavemen won the coin toss and elected to defer, and the Phoenix chose to receive the ball first. It didn’t help them as they were only able to gain four yards in their first series.

The snap for the planned punt went over the kicker’s head and he chased down the ball and booted it out of the endzone to limit the damage to a safety instead of a touchdown. This gave American Fork an early if unconventional 2-0 advantage just 1:35 into the contest.

On the subsequent kickoff, senior Carter Jorgensen returned the ball 22 yards to midfield, giving the Cavemen excellent field position to start their first drive. A defensive pass interference penalty on the initial play of the first series moved the ball to the 35 with a first down.

Senior running back DC Fonua made a good gain on the next play, but the ball came loose as he was tackled and was recovered by Farmington. Yards didn’t come any easier for the Phoenix this time around and after a deflected pass on fourth down, the ball went back to American Fork.

Then it was the Cavemen who went 3-and-out, and Farmington put together a long drive starting from the 12-yard line which ended in a touchdown at about the 4:30 mark. A two-point conversion try failed, so the score remained 6-2 in favor of the visitors.

The kickoff went to senior Luke Vernon and he was immediately tackled at the 33-yard line. American Fork moved quickly up the field with chunk plays as Fonua made gains of 15 and nine yards followed by sophomore quarterback Jake Matsen connecting with senior wide receiver Noah Behm for 19 more.

A holding call on the next down backed the ball up 10 yards, but it didn’t matter. Matsen tossed a 34-yard scoring strike to Behm on the following play and then ran to the right corner of the endzone for the two-point conversion, making it 10-6 with about 2:40 remaining in the first quarter.

The teams traded fruitless possessions for most of the second period. However, when American Fork secured the ball again with about 1:35 left to the break, the Caveman offense kicked into high gear.

Throws to junior wide receivers Ty Holmstead and Cash Taiese helped bring the ball into the red zone. With about 20 seconds to go, Matsen dropped a beautiful pass right over Taiese’s shoulder in the endzone for a 17-yard score. With the PAT by senior kicker Jace Worthington, American Fork carried a 17-6 advantage into the locker room.

The Cavemen didn’t waste much time stretching the margin as they received the kick to begin the second half. Starting from their own 47 after an onside-kick attempt went out of bounds, two Fonua runs followed by a pass to senior tight end Zach Cowie moved the ball to the Phoenix 38.

The next play, Fonua hit a hole opened by the offensive line and was gone. His score and the PAT moved the American Fork advantage to 24-6 less than two minutes into the third quarter.

Later in the period, an ill-advised throw under pressure resulted in an interception by Farmington returned 52 yards for a touchdown and narrowed the gap to 11 points with about seven minutes to go.

That was as close as it got. In the next five scoreboard minutes, the Cavemen added a 24-yard Worthington field goal and a pair of passing touchdowns to Holmstead for 72 yards and Taiese for 65 yards to complete the tally for the contest.

Matsen finished the night completing 21-of-31 (68%) of his passes for 344 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. He used six receivers, led by Taiese with eight catches for 158 yards and Holmstead with four receptions for 92 yards. Fonua added 10 carries for 148 yards.

On the other side of the ball, senior defensive backs Mack Segura and Lincoln Miller tied as the top tacklers with eight apiece. Jorgensen added five solo of six total tackles and junior linebacker Ty Wilson also had six combined tackles.

“It was great to be back home and play in front of the AF community,” said head Coach Aaron Behm. “Their support was huge. We are still looking to put four full quarters of our best football together, but we are getting closer.

“The defense played fantastic all night, but specifically in the second half,” the coach continued. “I think we saw our offense get in more of a rhythm as the game went on and that is something that we have really been focusing on.

“There are still plenty of mental mistakes we need to clean up, but I was excited to see the progress from week 3 to week 4,” Behm said.

The Cavemen will welcome Layton on Friday (Sept. 11) for a 7 p.m. kickoff.

Beky Beaton / American Fork Citizen

The American Fork boys golf team is making good progress as the Cavemen move through ultra-competitive Region 3 play. The league race has proven to be very interesting this season as teams jockey for position and switch places from week to week.

Aug. 26: Cavemen fifth at River Oaks

In the second Region 3 tournament at River Oaks Golf Course in Sandy, American Fork posted a combined score of 290 in an exciting race as only 12 strokes separated the entire field.

Lone Peak won this round at 278, followed by Lehi at 281, then Skyridge and Corner Canyon tied at 285 strokes apiece. The counted scores for the Cavemen were all under 75.

Junior Sam Fairbanks led the effort with a 70 (-2), while junior Landon Lieu and senior Wes Brown each carded a 73 and junior Ben Davis completed the tally with a 74.

Among the other varsity participants, freshman Will Zimmerman was the next one in with an 80, junior Cade Henneman posted an 82, senior Chad Douglass earned an 83 and Sam Bitner came in at 85.

American Fork finished fourth in the JV tournament, with junior Cash Van Buren recording the lowest score of the round in that division at 70 (-2).

Aug. 31: Cavemen fourth at Thanksgiving Point

American Fork outlasted Skyridge in this third event of the Region 3 season. Lehi captured the title with a team score of 283. The Knights posted a 285, the Chargers amassed 297, the Cavemen tallied 302 and Skyridge finished at 304.

Van Buren provided the best score on this occasion with a 73, followed by Fairbanks at 75, Henneman at 76 and Douglass at 78 for the combined team total. The other varsity participants included Lieu at 79, Davis at 81, Brown at 82 and junior James Norton at 84.

In the JV tournament, American Fork finished second behind only Corner Canyon. Sophomore James Smith and senior Hawk Rosenvall tied for the team-best score of the round at 80 strokes.

Sept. 3: Cavemen third at Meadow Brook

At the Meadow Brook Golf Course in Taylorsville, the Cavemen finished tied with perennial state power Lone Peak at 290 in the combined team scores, but both of them were behind the Pioneers at 274 and the Chargers at 279. The Falcons came in at 295.

American Fork had all but one score in the 70s this round, led by Fairbanks with a solid effort at 70 (-2). Lieu and Davis tied at 73 and Douglass  furnished a 74 to complete the counted scores.

Brown also shot a 74. Henneman managed a 77, Van Buren carded a 79 and junior Cutter Garner posted a 91.

In the corresponding JV round, the Cavemen finished just three strokes behind Corner Canyon and Lone Peak, which tied for first place. Smith earned the squad top spot with a score of 75.

The league competition continues on Tuesday (Sept. 8) at Fox Hollow Golf Club in American Fork.