This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Quarterback Dakota Hansen and the Lone Peak Knights clubbed the arch-rival American Fork Cavemen Thursday in the Class 5A semifinals Thursday at Rice-Eccles Stadium.
Hansen threw for 339 yards and six touchdowns to lead Lone Peak to a 66-19 victory and into their second straight state football title game.
The senior quarterback was anything but satisfied.
"On offense, this was one of our best games," said Hansen. "We still have a little more to do. But we have a lot of upside. We are getting a lot better every single game."
Hansen became the first quarterback to throw six touchdown passes in a state tournament semifinal and is tied with three others for the state playoff record.
Lone Peak coach Mike Mower, an American Fork alumnus whose father Don was a long-time Cavemen coach, praised his quarterback.
"Dakota knows how to step it up," he said. "He knows how to read defenses and is a natural leader."
But any good quarterback needs help, and Hansen got plenty from receiver Tyler MacPherson, who tied the state semifinal record by catching four touchdown passes. All of those came in the first half when scoring receptions of 39, 20, 5 and 54 yards to help his team to an insurmountable 38-13 lead.
"We came into this game wanting to do it right and fix our mistakes from the last time," said MacPherson. "AF is a good team. They played to the last whistle. But now we just have to go win a state championship."
Lone Peak also forced some big turnovers. After Tanner Hansen blocked a punt, Payton Freeman took it in 34 yards for a touchdown that made it 17-0. Tanner Hansen also had an interception, J.J. Loveland recovered a fumble, and Ammon Hannemann returned a pick 65 yards for a score.
American Fork quarterback Bronson Barron, who took a beating from the Lone Peak defense and was sacked four times, passed for 311 yards and three touchdowns. But he could not keep pace with Hansen.
"We had a tough time getting stops and we turned the ball over," said Caveman coach Aaron Behm. "When you do that, a team like Lone Peak is going to score 66 points on you. When you get to the semifinals, that's too hard to overcome when the teams get up here."
Lone Peak, which lost a memorable thriller to Herriman last season after upsetting Bingham in the semifinals, will be back next Friday to try to win its first state title since 2011.
Twitter: @tribtomwharton —
Storylines
R Lone Peak quarterback Dakota Hansen throws six touchdown passes, the most ever in a state semifinal football game.
• Knights receiver Tyler MacPherson catches four touchdown passes to tie a semifinals record.
• American Fork quarterback Bronson Barron throws for 311 yards and three touchdowns.
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