High school football: Big plays on defense help Farmington claim shocking Region 1 title

FARMINGTON — When Afu Fiefia was given months to live after a cancer diagnosis early in his high school football career, a slim chance was good enough.

And when Farmington entered region play with a 1-4 record and lost its first region game, a slim chance was good enough still.

On a Wednesday night in a packed stadium, Fiefia, wearing a sleeve on his leg to cover the scars of treatment, returned a fourth-quarter interception 41 yards for a pick six, sealing the truth that a slim chance was all the Phoenix ever needed.

Farmington, entering its final regular season game with a losing record at 4-5, flexed incredible defensive prowess as Fiefia nabbed two picks off Fremont senior quarterback Manase Tuatagaloa in the fourth quarter, and younger brother Kava Fiefia collected a third and final INT in the waning minutes as the Phoenix beat the Silverwolves, 21-14, shocking all of 6A with a four-game winning streak to end the season and claim an unlikely Region 1 title.

For all that Afu Fiefia has endured, his first words about it after the game were, "It's a blessing."

Tuatagaloa entered the game with just five picks on the year but left with eight while throwing for two touchdowns.

Farmington senior running back Travis Hoopes was the go-to for the Phoenix offense, finishing with two TDs, one by land and one by air, as quarterback Will Peterson threw a TD pass. Farmington did not commit a single turnover.

"We just stuck to our regular plan," Afu Fiefia said. "Our defense came to play today."

In addition to haranguing Fremont in the secondary, Farmington's defensive front made the Silverwolves' running game a nonfactor, forcing playmaking duties onto the arm of Tuatagaloa, who then became fodder for senior and former Morgan Trojan Jett Salmon and the Phoenix defensive front. Salmon had two sacks, both on third down.

"Every play was balls to the wall," Salmon said. "(We) just work hard, (we're) physical, and we don't let up."

No one could have possibly been crazy enough to believe a 5-5 team could be holding a share of the region title, but Phoenix coach Daniel Coats said the team never put it out of mind even after starting the season 0-4.

"After every game, we felt like it was us missing things, us falling short, us not doing what we were supposed to do to get the final win," Coats said. "As the season progressed, guys started trusting each other, guys started being a true team. ... If you're looking for an exact date, I'd say Week 5."

Week 5 was when Farmington picked up its first win, a defensive masterclass in beating Region 2 contender Mountain Ridge, 17-3.

On Farmington's first possession, after Fremont ran into the kicker on a field goal attempt to gift the Phoenix a 1st-and-goal, Hoopes took a handoff for a counter run, changed course to escape the collapsing defense, and streaked his way for a 9-yard TD.

It looked like Farmington would be in control early, but rather than capitulate, Fremont matched the fury and clamped down on defense, forcing a 3-and-out on Famington's next two possessions.

Midway through the second quarter, the Silverwolves evened it up when Tuatagaloa took a shot for Salesi Moa on a shallow corner route. Moa reeled in the floater with one hand for the first-half equalizer.

Farmington received the second half kickoff and went back to the ground, pulverizing the Silverwolves with big gains from Drew Love and Hoopes. On a 1st-and-goal from the 3, Peterson easily dumped off a pass in the flat to Hoopes for a go-ahead score.

Farmington's next offensive drive stalled out, but the special teams unit downed the ensuing punt a half-yard short of the end zone, forcing Fremont into a touch spot.

Capitalizing on that advantage, the secondary waited for the desperation heave, and when it came, Afu Fiefia grabbed it through a defender, changed course to the left sideline, and beat the defense for the score.

"That is a special kid," Coats said of Afu Fiefia. "The things that he's battled through ... to be told that you only have so many months left on this earth, to fight back to be the amazing athlete and star that he is. ... If that second interception where he caught it through a guy to the end zone to score doesn't make SportsCenter, I'm writing somebody an email."

Fremont put another TD on the board with a 31-yard pass to Moa, his second TD of the night, with just over six minutes remaining, and although the Silverwolves would get one more chance, a third interception by Farmington sealed the deal.

The Phoenix ended the regular season with a 5-5 record, dropping Fremont to 7-3, and winning Region 1 outright thanks to the tiebreaker rule. Farmington's late run of dominance will likely be enough to secure home-field advantage in the playoffs.