Two dominant backs in Prince Afu and Devaughn Eka are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The American Fork Cavemen will face off against the Lehi Pioneers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Lehi took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on American Fork, who comes in off a win.
American Fork took a 21-point loss the last time they faced off against Lone Peak, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Cavemen had just enough and edged out the Knights 31-28.
Meanwhile, Lehi faced Herriman in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. The Pioneers and the Mustangs were almost perfectly matched up, but the Pioneers suffered a 22-21 defeat. The Pioneers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
American Fork will need to focus on slowing down Legend Glasker, one of several Lehi players who made an impact when they last played. He rushed for 43 yards and one score, and also picked up 57 receiving yards.
Don't try to pin the team's loss on the defense: they kept the trenches locked down and allowed a mere 3.5 yards per carry. The team can thank Vincent Evans for the heroic effort on defense: he. That's the most yards per carry they've posted since back in November of 2024.
Lehi's defense didn't let Tyler Messer, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. Adruen Meredith was especially locked on to Herriman's QB and sacked him twice. With that strong performance, Meredith is now averaging an impressive 5.3 total tackles per game. Lehi got some further help from Evans: he picked up a sack and made 19 total tackles.
The loss was their first at home , dropping their record down to 4-3. As for American Fork, their victory bumped their record up to 6-1.
Friday's contest might be decided on the ground. American Fork has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 149.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Lehi struggles in that department as they've been averaging 159 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's game turns into a tough fight on the ground.
American Fork suffered a grim 28-7 defeat to Lehi in their previous matchup back in November of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Eka, who rushed for 91 yards and one touchdown, and also picked up 36 receiving yards and one TD. Now that the Cavemen know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
