6A football playoffs: Fremont pulls back late to hold off Syracuse, advances – Standard-Examiner

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Fremont’s Cade Hadley (15) tries to break free from Syracuse’s Taysum Nacario, center left, as Syracuse defenders Xander Garcia (11) and Caleb Hall (28) give chase in a 6A second-round playoff game, Friday, Nov. 1 2024 in Plain City.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Syracuse quarterback Ledger White (4) throws as Fremont’s Nash Bailey (21) arrives under pressure in a 6A second-round playoff game, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Plain City.

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Fremont tight end Zach Masters (6) makes a gain as Syracuse’s Madden Nelson, center, tries to break free from Fremont’s John Succa (4) in a 6A second-round playoff game, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. in Plain City.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Fremont players Brant Koford, center, left, and Salesi Moa (8) tackle Syracuse quarterback Ledger White, center, in a 6A second-round playoff game, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Plain City.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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Fremont players Jace Headley, left, and Cade Headley celebrate a touchdown against Syracuse in a 6A second-round playoff game, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Plain City.

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Syracuse High’s Ryker Van Komen celebrates a touchdown against Fremont in a 6A second-round playoff game, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Plain City.

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Syracuse High’s Kaleb Hall, left, tackles Fremont’s Zach Master in a 6A second-round playoff game, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Plain City.

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Syracuse receiver Cohen Goderidge catches a pass against Fremont in a 6A second-round playoff game, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Plain City.

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Syracuse High’s Tanner Merrill, right, tackles Fremont’s Triston Mann (12) in a 6A second-round playoff game, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Plain City.

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Syracuse wide receiver AJ DeHorney scans the field while playing the football against Fremont in a 6A second round playoff game Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Plain City.

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Syracuse High’s Ledger White runs the football against Fremont in a 6A second-round playoff game Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Plain City.

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Syracuse quarterback Ledger White throws the ball against Fremont in a 6A second-round playoff game, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Plain City.

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Fremont quarterback Manase Tuatagaloa throws the ball against Syracuse in a 6A second-round playoff game, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Plain City.

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Fremont’s Jace Hadley runs with the ball in a 6A second-round playoff game against Syracuse on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Plain City.

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Syracuse High’s Ryker Van Komen (1) carries the football against Fremont’s Slade Parker, left, in a 6A second-round playoff game, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Plain City.

BRIAN WOLFER, Special to the Standard-Examiner

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PLAIN CITY — The backfield struggles have evaporated from the No. 1 offense. 6 Fremont just in time for a late, 28-20 comeback win to defeat regional rival and No. 11 seed Syracuse in the second round of the 6A state playoffs Friday at Moyes Stadium.

The Silver Wolves (8-3) used two quarterbacks, junior Manasseh Tuatagola and sophomore Calvin Cooper (2 TD, INT), in both halves in search of solutions for a Syracuse (5-6, 2-4) defense that broke the first Fremont game half game plan.

Trailing by seven with less than 10 minutes remaining, the Silverwolves generated a turnover save and wasted little time finding paydirt when it mattered most.

Fremont junior Cade Hadley scored two of those fateful scores, later expressing just how high the bar was for his team as the fourth quarter rolled around.

“The intensity is much higher,” Hadley said. “We knew we had to come out tougher and we did a good job of finishing the game tonight.”

Syracuse, winning the coin toss and delaying possession for the second half, collected a pair of quality stops to start the ballgame. Ledger White found senior Burke Rountree for a 42-yard play in Fremont territory and later got a pass interference call against Fremont, allowing a short field goal by senior Easton Choate.

Tuatagaloa completed just its second first down, an 11-yard gain by senior John Succa, to start the Silver Wolves’ next drive, but the offense eventually fizzled out late in the first quarter.

White and junior Riker Van Komen led the Titans back into the red zone, and a wide-open Van Komen put a short pass to White for a touchdown to extend Syracuse’s lead to 10-0.

With 7:44 left in the first half to answer, Fremont was counting on Cooper to replace Tuatagloa at quarterback.

Cooper completed five passes on his debut drive, ending with a 30-yard touchdown pass to senior Jace Headley to cut the deficit to 10-7. Rallying, Fremont got another breakthrough shortly after Syracuse’s ensuing drive when Kru Hassell pounced on a ball dropped by AJ DeHorney near midfield.

The turnover gave the Silverwolves a chance to take the lead before halftime, but Cooper recorded his first interception on a throw near the end zone that was picked off by junior Collin White inside the Titans’ 5-yard line.

Reflecting on Cooper’s first-half performance, Cade Hadley said watching the young backup get reps late in the season was motivating.

“He came through big for us,” Cade Hadley said. “He came in, threw a touchdown and looked like a veteran out there. You’d never know he was a sophomore.

At halftime, Cade Hadley said the Silver Wolves just tweaked a few things on the offensive line and were set to trust their backfield in the second half.

Back from the locker room, White and the Titans were having fun again. Tanner Merrill picked up a first down in Fremont territory, but a short pass on third-and-five forced the Titans to settle for another field goal. Choate made his 34-yard field goal for a 13-7 lead with 8:36 left in the third quarter.

Tuatagloa returned under center, but the Silverwolves punted after a holding penalty negated a would-be first down.

Fremont quickly got a stop on Syracuse’s next drive and Cade Hadley set up a first down opportunity out of the backfield. The junior scored a 13-yard touchdown to tie the game at 13-13 when Syracuse’s Sullivyn Vedaa blocked the PAT.

With 36 seconds left in the third quarter, White threw the Titans down with his legs and later scored on a 1-yard run to give Syracuse a 20-13 lead early in the fourth quarter.

After throwing two dead balls, Tuatagaloa connected with junior Slade Parker for a 22-yard spark into Syracuse territory. A pass interference call against the Titans’ tight ends and Owen Simkins’ 1-yard TD provided an eight-point response that included a successful Tuatagaloa two-pointer to put Fremont ahead 21-20 with six minutes left.

Fremont then took a high-stakes decision with an onside kick, and it delivered a decisive win. Junior Cam Graves pounced on the football to fuel the Silver Wolves’ offense near midfield, which quickly turned into a 32-yard Cade Hadley touchdown.

Syracuse, trailing Fremont 28-20 with just over four minutes remaining, had two late chances to chip away at Fremont’s lead. With a good return, the Titans strung up yards that led to a big run by White, but it led to a fumble forced by Fremont senior Orion Patten and recovered by teammate Bubba Kofford near the Fremont 22-yard line.

Hailing a necessary defensive stop, the Titans regained possession with two minutes to go. But a pair of incomplete passes led to a fourth-and-4 that was blown up by Cofford and a pack of Silver Wolves to force the final drive of the game.

“He’s a competitor who tries to get every last yard for his team that he can,” Syracuse head coach Mitch Tulane said. “They did a great job getting the ball out.”

Tulane’s first season as Syracuse’s head coach ended with a 5-6 overall record.

With their first playoff win, Nate Tuatagaloa and his Silverwolves continue the postseason with a Nov. 8 quarterfinal against No. 3 Lone Peak (9-2), which defeated No. 14 Herriman 24-0.

BOX SCORE

Fremont 0 7 6 15 – 28

Syracuse 3 7 3 7 – 20

FIRST TREMVRICH

2:44 – Syracuse Field Goal: Choate 20 yd (SHS 3, FHS 0)

SECOND TREMVRICH

7:44 – Syracuse touchdown: Van Komen 6-yard pass from White. PAT good. (SHS 10, FHS 0)

3:21 – Fremont touchdown: J. Hadley 30-yard pass from Cooper. PAT good. (SHS 10, FHS 7)

THIRD QUARTER

8:36 – Syracuse touchdown: Choate 34 yards (SHS 13, FHS 7)

1:21 – Fremont touchdown: C. Hadley 15-yard run. PAT is not good. (FHS 13, SHS 13)

FOURTH TERM

9:54 – Syracuse touchdown: White 1 yard. PAT good. (SHS 20, FHS 13)

6:02 – Fremont touchdown: Simkins 1 yd. Good try for two points. (FHS 21, SHS 20)

4:13 – Fremont touchdown: C. Hadley 32 yd. PAT good. (FHS 28, SHS 20)

Contact prep sports reporter Connor Becker via email at [email protected] and X @ctbecker.