On September 3rd, 2021, a football game took place at Taylorsville High. Kearns Cougars won the varsity game against Taylorsville Warriors; 44 to nothing. Quarterback jersey number 4, Iosefa “JT” Toia’ivao, threw four touchdowns . When asked what his warm up is, he said, “I always make sure my arm is warm and stretched before throwing the ball.” JT always has a great attitude throughout the game. He says, “I had that good mentality believing in myself. After the game I was just really happy with the way I performed and the way my team performed.” With motivation from himself and his team, JT expected to win after all the good work they put in that week. He says, “I was expecting that we would get better as a team and as individuals.” Jersey number 2, Dominic Thorton, made one touchdown. Dominic didn’t know what was going to happen at the game on Thursday night. He said, “I just knew we were playing against ourselves and needed to just play our game no matter who was on the other side of the field. As long as we did that, we would be fine. I wasn’t worried about the win or the loss.” Before the game, he prepares and gets ready by, “Relaxing my mind and listening to music to have fun.” Dominic says what gets him through the game is, “Staying focused and getting myself and the team on track back to the way we can play. After the game the mind switches to focus on the next game.”
Both Iosefa “JT” Toia’ivao and Dominic Thorton were asked why they play football and what they would tell someone starting football. JT says, “I play football because I love it. I’ve had a strong love for the game since I was young. I would tell someone that it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. You have to love the game and just have fun with it.”
Dominic says, “I play football for the love of the game and the passion I have for it. I decided my senior season to my grandma Wendy and papa George that I play for them. If someone was new to football I would tell them to just go all out and have fun, play with your heart”
The school spirit was amazing! Kearns student section rocked the black outfits, black dots and makeup. Taylorsville had birthday hats and some even had birthday stashes. Way to go with creativity and imagination with both teams and supporters, way to go Cougars and Warriors!