Sandy • Jordan quarterback Crew Wakley delivered a highlight-reel performance that will rank among the best around this season, but it wasn’t quite enough Friday night.
The senior quarterback accounted for 636 yards and seven touchdowns, but host Alta matched the offensive output and played just enough defense to escape with a 69-62 Region 7 victory.
Wakley threw for 409 yards and three touchdowns and bobbed-and-weaved through a beleaguered Hawks defense for 226 yards and four scores on the ground.
“I love that man, we’re buddies” Alta’s Zach Engstrom said. “All game, after a hit, it was just, ‘I love you, man. You are hard to tackle.’ He’s dynamic. He’s amazing. I have a lot of respect for him.”
ALTA 69, JORDAN 62 <br>• Zach Engstrom scores four touchdowns and McCoy Didericksen and Tu’u Afu each rush for two scores as Alta stays in the Region 7 hunt. <br>• Jordan QB Crew Wakley accounts for 636 of his team’s 650 total yards and runs for four scores in defeat. <br>• The game’s first seven possessions result in touchdowns, and Jordan scores four times to pull within five points late in the third quarter.
The teams combined for 1,200 yards of total offense — 650 for Jordan, which entered as the top-scoring team in Class 5A.
Alta’s Engstrom scored four touchdowns — on receptions of 47 and 38 yards, and runs of 1 and 31 yards — and accounted for 286 total yards for Alta (4-3, 2-1), which bounced back from a subpar offensive performance a week ago in a loss at Timpview.
Three of Engstrom’s scores came in the first half as Alta took a seemingly commanding 42-21 lead into the break. But Wakley led Jordan (6-2, 2-1) to four scores in the third quarter to draw within 54-49.
Alta answered with a McCoy Didericksen touchdown run and a defensive stand when Aalec Shields sacked Wakley at midfield on fourth down.
Alta pushed the margin to 69-49, but Wakley answered with a 10-yard scoring run and, after an onside kick recovery, a 17-yard scoring pass to Noah Hennings with 1:26 to play.
Alta recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal the victory.
“I want to win,” Wakley said. “I feel like I did what I could. I’m not blaming anybody else. I want to win, but I can’t be mad at my performance.
“You have to expect this with Jordan football. You never know. Our defense will carry us one week, our offense will carry us the next week. You just never know.”
Will Dana threw for 217 yards and two scores for Alta, which also had 333 yards rushing.