Football Preview: Springville Red Devils vs. Orem Tigers
Springville is 3-0 against Orem since October of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Springville Red Devils will head out on the road to take on the Orem Tigers at 7:00 p.m. Springville is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 35.3 points per game this season.
Springville is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Maple Mountain on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Springville had to suffer through a 41-14 loss at the hands of Maple Mountain.
Meanwhile, Orem took their match on the road on Friday with ease, bagging a 45-16 victory over Cedar Valley. With the Tigers ahead 38-7 at the half, the matchup was all but over already.
Feleti Iongi was his usual excellent self, rushing for 212 yards and four touchdowns on only 13 carries, while also catching a touchdown. His rushing production has been exceptional recently as that marked his fourth straight game with at least 105 rushing yards dating back to last season. Orem also got help from Kaue Akana, who showed off his sure hands for 88 receiving yards.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Orem was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 256 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cedar Valley only rushed for 126.
Springville's defeat dropped their record down to 5-3. As for Orem, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-1.
The upcoming game will be a clash of competing strengths. Springville has deployed a run-first offense that has averaged 163.2 rushing yards a game. Meanwhile, Orem has preferred to attack from the air: they average 284.5 passing yards per game. So which strategy will prevail on Thursday? There's only one way to find out.
Springville beat Orem 28-21 in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Orem's Mack Hixson, who rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown on only 15 carries. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be easier for Springville to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
