Houston's Six-TD Night Powers Hillcrest Past West Jordan 48-8
The short version
- K'Von Houston threw for 312 yards and six touchdowns on 24-of-36 passing in Hillcrest's 48-8 home win over West Jordan.
- Hillcrest improved to 5-2 overall and stayed second in Region 4, chasing its first winning season since 2003.
- The Huskies led 21-0 after the first quarter and 40-8 at halftime, opening the scoring with a 31-yard touchdown to Keli'i Batimana.
- West Jordan fell to 2-5 but avoided the UHSAA mercy rule, scoring before halftime and adding a late goal-line stand.
- Houston now has 22 touchdown passes this season in a breakout senior campaign.
A week after falling to West High, Hillcrest answered with a home rout of West Jordan behind K'Von Houston's 312-yard, six-touchdown performance.
The Hillcrest Huskies used their week away from game action to regroup following a Region 4 defeat at the hands of West High. Back on their own turf Friday, they made an immediate statement, routing West Jordan 48-8 in a game they controlled from the opening minutes.
Quarterback K'Von Houston was the centerpiece, completing 24 of 36 attempts for 312 yards and six touchdowns. The Huskies found the end zone on almost every drive, leaving the home fans with plenty to cheer about.
The defeat a week earlier suggested that West High may sit atop Region 4 and possibly all of Class 5A, but head coach Robby Kaelin believes his program belongs in that conversation. "We were ready to respond," Kaelin said. "We have the skill players and things just opened up. Last week, we were with West for the first quarter and a half. This time, we took advantage of every opportunity. We played a good game, except for not quite finishing it."
The victory lifted Hillcrest to 5-2 on the season and kept the team in second position in the region standings. It also keeps alive the possibility of the program's first winning campaign since 2003.
Kaelin singled out his senior quarterback, a player who has been in the Hillcrest system through most of the coach's four-year tenure and is now enjoying a breakout year. Houston has already racked up 22 touchdown passes this season, and Kaelin's playbook calls for passing on roughly 85% of snaps — an approach that, when Houston is on target, lets the Huskies strike from anywhere and keeps them competitive in every contest.
Hillcrest needed only five plays to draw first blood, with Houston hitting Keli'i Batimana for a 31-yard score. Additional touchdown throws went to Alani Latu and Collin Ence, Levi Lavaka hauled in another scoring pass, and he also scooped up a fumble and took it to the house. The Huskies were up 21-0 after one quarter and carried a 40-8 advantage into the break.
From there, the only lingering suspense was whether Hillcrest could widen the gap to 44 points and trigger the UHSAA's mercy rule, which would have ended the game early. West Jordan, which arrived tied with Hillcrest for second in Region 4 but dropped to 2-5 with the loss, refused to cooperate.
The Jaguars got on the board shortly before halftime, with Bryan Yang and Seteki Tuifua stringing together a series of strong runs that set up a touchdown. They also preserved some pride with a goal-line stand in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.
Two plays after that stand, quarterback Kenyon Shockey dropped back from his own end zone and connected with Aiden Hendrickson, who weaved through the Hillcrest defense before the Huskies' speedy secondary finally ran him down.
Games to watch
