It was the third consecutive dominant victory for the Braves and helped the Braves keep the momentum they've built in recent weeks.
Defensively, the Braves looked absolutely dominant from the beginning.
Thanks to hard rain in the days leading up to the game, the field was covered in mud and, with the added difficulty, the Tigers were unable to move the ball consistently all game.
The Tigers had three first downs in the first half, as the Braves defense was able to keep Orem quarterback Nick Jones in check.
Jones, who averaged over 70 yards rushing per game during the season, was held to minus 8 yards rushing on seven carries in the first half.
The Braves were led by defensive ends Nick Binks and Jeff Holmes, who were in the backfield all game, creating havoc for the Tigers.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Braves used a smash-mouth running attack to set the tone early.
The offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage from the beginning, opening up huge holes for running backs, Jake Magalei and Lavell Ika, and it paid off for the Braves on their second possession of the game.
From the Orem 30-yard line on third down and one, the Braves called a dive to the right side, and Ika found a huge hole and sped up the sideline to give the Braves the early 7-0 lead late in the first quarter.
Later, after trading punts and receiving the ball on their own 23-yard line with 4:27 left in the half, Bountiful seemed content to let the clock run down and go into the half clinging to their 7-0 lead.
But instead, after running the ball on first and second down, Ika completed a juggling one-handed catch from quarterback Jason Freckleton to pick up the first down, and Freckleton was able to complete four more passes in the final three minutes for the Braves.
The last one was an 11-yard fade from Freckleton to Wood, which Wood bobbled in the air, before falling and having the ball ricochet off an Orem defender and into his hands, giving the Braves a 14-0 Halftime lead..
The Braves received the ball first in the second half and proceeded to put the game out of reach for the Tigers.
Bountiful marched downfield 60 yards on 10 plays with the drive ending with more fireworks from Wood.
The Braves gave Wood a direct snap under center to implement his running ability into their offensive attack. He took the ball to the right side of the field on a sweep before being stuffed, and then, reversed field and headed to the left side, where he found nothing but open field and pay-dirt on a nine yard run to give the Braves a comfortable 21-0 lead.
The Braves defense continued to dominate the Tigers in the second half, allowing the Tigers just 10 yards in the third quarter, and the offense went conservative to drain the clock. The Tigers finally gave ther fans something to cheer about with 3:00 remaining in the game when Jones broke multiple tackles on third downand ran 53-yards for the Tigers lone score of the game.
Later, the Tigers got the ball back again hoping to cut into the Braves lead more, but the defense stopped the Tigers and the Braves left with a 21-7 lead.
After the game, Wood talked away the joy of moving on in the playoffs.
"It just feels good to know we get to play football for one more week," said Wood. "And for one more week we're the champs. You just gotta go one week at a time."
Wood has been a big reason why the Braves offense has played so well in recent weeks, making big plays and leading the team on both sides of the ball.
Entering the season, this is the type of impact the captain was expected to make, but after struggling to hold onto the ball in the first few weeks and with young, inexperienced quarterbacks the Braves struggled to make Wood a part of the offense. Wood then had a breakout game against East High School, making some phenomenal catches and has been a spark for the Braves ever since. According to Wood, it was his coaches' confidence in him that helped him finally get going.
"I'm just glad the coaches were patient with me early on," said Wood, "and that they have given me the ball to let me show what I can do and help the team."
Also leading the charge offensively for the Braves were Magalei and Ika, who combined for 140 yards rushing, and Freckleton, who was 8 for 11 passing for 104 yards and a touchdown.
The Braves will next face Box Elder on Friday for a chance to play in the semi-finals at Rice-Eccles Stadium in two weeks.
The Bees defeated Olympus in the first round 27-22 after finishing the season in first place in Region 4.
The winner of the Bountiful-Box Elder game will face the winner of Lone Peak and Logan in the semis.
In other 4A playoff games, Lone Peak defeated Murray, American Fork defeated Mountain Crest, Highland beat Spanish Fork, Mountain View beat East, and Timpview defeated Bonneville.
Friday's Bountiful/Box Elder playoff game begins at 3 p.m. and will be played at Box Elder.
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