Payson hasn't had much luck against Spanish Fork recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Payson Lions' road trip will continue as they head out to face the Spanish Fork Dons at 7:00 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.
Payson is headed into the contest out to prove that what happened against Timpanogos on Friday (when they were outscored in every quarter) was just a minor bump in the road. Payson was dealt a 56-28 loss at the hands of Timpanogos.
Despite their defeat, Payson saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. David Fullmer, who picked up 110 receiving yards and two touchdowns, was perhaps the best of all. Seth Staley also helped out with an impressive 83 receiving yards.
Meanwhile, Spanish Fork faced Provo in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. Spanish Fork fell to Provo 46-42. The Dons' loss signaled the end of their five-game winning streak.
Spanish Fork might have lost, but man, Kaden Vest was a machine: he rushed for 325 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 14.1 yards per carry. Those 325 rushing yards gave Vest a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Brock Jacobson, who picked up 117 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Even though they lost, Spanish Fork was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 340 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Payson's defeat dropped their record down to 1-7. As for Spanish Fork, their loss ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 6-2.
Thursday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant backs against one another: David Keel and Vest. Keel has put up some stellar numbers this year, and currently owns excellent season averages of 72.7 rushing yards per game this season. For his part, Vest has averaged 183.6 rushing yards per game this season.
Payson skirted past Spanish Fork 24-21 in their previous meeting back in October of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Vest, who rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Payson still be able to contain Vest? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
