Thunderstruck: Highland Falls Short to Timpview

After strong start, the Highland Rams fell to Timpview 49-27.  The Rams faced the Timpview Thunderbirds at Rice Eccles stadium on Thursday afternoon for the 4A semi-final football game with the winner moving on to the state championship game.

Highland came out swinging by driving 80 yards after the opening kickoff for the first score.  Timpview tied the score on its following possession and the two teams exchanged blows the remainder of the first half.  Andrew Parkin scored on a 40 yard run and Pembroke scampered for 12 and 55-yard touchdowns.  Unfortunately, Highland missed two PATs and went into the locker room at half trailing 21-19.

After receiving the opening kickoff in the second half, Timpview struck quickly to extend its lead to 28-19.  The Rams then fumbled on their first play from scrimmage, giving the Thunderbirds excellent field position.  A couple of plays later, Timpview threw a 33 yard touchdown pass to go up 35-19.

At the start of the fourth quarter, the Rams continued to battle, putting together a long drive capped off by a 7-yard touchdown run from Soseti Tupola.  The Rams then converted a two-point conversion to shorten the lead to 35-27, making it a single possession game. But Timpview erased any hopes of a comeback when they scored on their next drive and then stopped Highland on fourth down conversion deep in its own territory, giving the Thunderbirds a very short field for their final score.

“We never stopped battling,” senior and team captain Devon Seui said. “We fought until the last whistle. Our team family does not understand the meaning of the word quit.”

The final score fails to tell the story of how close the game really was.  As it has done all season long, Highland fought hard until the last whistle reflecting the true character of the players and coaches of Team 60.