Kamas • Judging by the balloons, face paint and sea of green nearly overflowing the stadium, this was a game fans in Kamas had been waiting for.
South Summit led by just a touchdown at half against two-time defending Class 2A state champions Beaver, but the Wildcats went on to slam the door in the fourth quarter to come away with a 23-7 win Friday night.
“I just can’t say enough about all the kids,” South Summit coach Mike Grajek said. “They’ve worked hard the whole time. We’ve lost to Beaver two times in the state championship. But I told the kids tonight, ‘The 2017 [Wildcats] have never played Beaver.’ The kids did a great job.”
Quarterback Kael Atkinson helped the Wildcats (4-0) to a halftime lead by picking up a pair of touchdowns — one on the ground and one through the air.
Beaver (3-1) cut the lead in half when quarterback Porter Hollingshead connected with Rhett Jordan for a 70-yard touchdown. The Beavers had a chance to tie with seconds left in the second quarter but failed to convert on a fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line.
PLAYER OF THE GAME <br>Kael Atkinson led South Summit to a 30-7 win over two-time defending state champion Beaver by finishing the night 26 of 32 for 244 yards and two passing TDs. The junior QB also ran in a 37-yard touchdown.
That was the beginning of the end for the visitors.
Hollingshead did not return in the second half due to a possible cracked rib.
Sophomore Ryker Albrecht filled in admirably, but the Wildcats pulled away in the fourth quarter with a field goal and two more touchdowns.
Atkinson shined for the home team, finishing 26 of 32 for 244 yards and three total touchdowns.
The South Summit defense wreaked havoc on the Beavers, picking up three turnovers in the second half to slam the door. Two of those turnovers came when Beaver was in the red zone.
“The past two years, I think we’ve just fell asleep on them, thinking that we can just come out and win this game,” Atkinson said. “But tonight we knew we couldn’t do that. We knew we that we had to bring it.”