Holladay • Olympus sat in prime position to build upon its touchdown lead following a Kearns long snap on a punt that sailed over the head of Tre Sosi.
Titans quarterback Harrison Creer dropped back and was locked in on his favorite target, wide receiver Nick Ward. But reading the play all the way was Kearns cornerback Mekhi Hammock. He stepped in front of the pass and tied the score 86 yards later. It was just what the doctor ordered for the Cougars.
“I was in the right place at the right time, and I wasn’t going to go down,” Hammock said. “Our team never doubted ourselves for a minute. It was all of us, and it was a team effort tonight.”
The Kearns offense would take the reins from there. A steady diet of quarterback Isaac Matua and running back Sese Felila began to wear down the Titans defense. The pair provided plenty of offensive thunder in the fourth quarter as each player scored his second rushing touchdown of the evening. Olympus had no answer for the Kearns dynamic duo as the Cougars clawed their way back to a 35-21 road victory.
PLAYER OF THE GAME <br>Speedy running back Sese Felila was the cog in Kearns’ offensive machine. He rushed for a pair of touchdowns and was the key contributor on every successful Cougars drive, getting better as the night progressed and wearing down the Olympus defense
“We just kept focusing on the next play and to not get down on ourselves,” Felila said. “Our coaches believe in us and said to keep fighting and working at it, and we did.”
Kearns seemingly had control of the game early, but it was Olympus that entered the locker room at halftime with a 21-14 lead. The Cougars gift wrapped several packages in the form of a fake punt attempt and two fumbles. It appeared that the Titans would cash in on the first until wide receiver Jake Hodgson dropped an open touchdown pass as Kearns dodged a bullet. The Cougars wouldn’t escape unscathed on their next two miscues, however.
Olympus collected 14 points on the second and third turnovers in the form of a pair of touchdown passes by Creer. The second was a pretty 23-yard floater that was grasped by Noah Bennee in the corner of the end zone. It ended up being Olympus’ last productive drive as the home team was shut out in the second half.