The Timpview Thunderbirds (No.13) will face off at home against the Wasatch Wasps (No.20) on Friday, October 24, at 4 pm for the first round of the 2025 UHSAA 5A Football State playoffs. The Utah 5A playoffs will kick off at home sites on this day, with the top 8 seeds receiving a bye week. These top teams include No.1 seed West, No.2 seed Fremont, No.3 seed Springville, No.4 seed Orem, No.5 seed Woods Cross, No.6 Box Elder, No. 7 seed Brighton and No.8 seed West Jordan.
This will be the second time Timpview has played Wasatch this season, with the first meeting between the two schools resulting in a Thunderbird victory at home, 33-14. In that game, Timpview threw for a combined 216 yards and 1 touchdown, while Wasatch threw for 113 yards and 1 touchdown. The T birds also contributed 108 yards and a touchdown on the ground, compared to Wasatch’s 55 yards and no touchdowns.
Timpview ended the season with a 5-5 record following a win vs Spanish Fork on October 15. They finished 3rd in the 5A Region 7, and had a respectable 5-2 record in region play. The Thunderbirds were 3-2 at home, and 2-3 on the road, notably suffering tough losses to West, American Fork, and Orem.
Through the season, sophomore quarterback Dennis Tua’one led the team in passing yards, totalling 872 yards on 56 completions, with 4 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He also put up 223 yards and 5 touchdowns with 58 carries on the ground. Senior quarterback Cole Engemann contributed 669 yards on 34 completions, with 5 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. Tua’one also contributed 416 yards and 3 touchdowns on 20 receptions at receiver. Sophomore running back Taani Tuha contributed 473 yards and 7 touchdowns on 100 carries on the ground.
Defensively, Senior linebacker Duncan Strong dominated the stat sheet. He led the team with 53 solo tackles, 37 assisted tackles combining for 90 total tackles and 9 tackles for loss. Strong also put up 3 sacks and 3 interceptions, tied 3 ways for the most sacks, and tied for the second most interceptions. Senior cornerback Braxton Wilkerson led the team with 4 interceptions. Overall, the defensive unit was a major factor in the T birds’ success this season.
Looking ahead in the playoff bracket, the winner of this game will face Orem on the road in the Second Round of the playoffs.
