Prep football: Felila makes his move

On Oct. 17, I covered the Kearns-Granger high school football game for the Deseret News. Here is the article that was published in the newspaper the next day.

By Bruce Smith

For the Deseret News

                KEARNS – James Felila may not be so well known outside of Region 2, but his senior season has been … well … unforgettable to many others.

                Felila put the finishing touches on Kearns’ impressive regular season, rushing for 277 yards and five touchdowns as the Cougars beat Granger 49-34 Wednesday to secure the school’s first postseason home game in almost 20 years.
                “It’s what we wanted … right from the start of the season,” said Kearns coach Bill Cosper, whose team is scheduled to play the winner of next Tuesday’s Layton-Davis winner. “We played really well up front. I told the kids the way they were playing, they could be the best line in the state.”
                The Cougars shook off a 1-4 start to win four of their last five games. A 22-21 loss to Hunter prevented them from the region crown. Helped by Felila, who has six 200-yard games this season, they dominated their other region opponents.
                With a lot on the line Wednesday, Felila broke the school record for most touchdowns in a game, and then added the school’s single-season and career rushing marks to his resume. Cosper said he’s a sure-bet to make the all-region team, and he’s more than happy to promote him for all-state.
                “I promote my kids for all-state every year,” he said. “If he doesn’t make it, it’s a travesty.”
                Felila had plenty of help. Kearns’ line play – on offense and defense – dominated the Lancers. The Cougars had 656 yards total offense. Quarterback Jordan Floyd also had a great night, connecting on 15 of 24 passes for 282 yards.
                “Bottom line is we didn’t get enough stops,” said Hunter coach Cecil Thomas, whose team could have played host to a first-round game with a win. After a 4-0 start, the Lancers are 7-3 and will travel to Northridge for a first-round game.
                “It’s been a good season … so far,” Thomas added. “But there’s still a lot of football left. This team isn’t done.”
                Granger never gave up on this night. The Lancers’ star back, Tani Lehauli, couldn’t find much running room, but quarterback Alex Tuinei had a lot of success throwing the ball. He had nearly 200 yards passing and three touchdowns in the first half alone as the Lancers stayed within 28-21.
                The second half had a lot more defense. Tuinei missed on his first seven attempts after halftime and Hunter’s running game still couldn’t find much room, netting just 131 yards overall. It wasn’t until Kearns’ Hetu Mataele returned a fumble 12 yards for a touchdown in the game’s final minutes that the outcome was decided.