PAYSON — Pano Tiatia rushed for 283 yards on 32 carries (8.8 ypc) as Pine View pummeled Payson 49-20 Wednesday night.

Tiatia scored four of the Panthers’ seven touchdowns, finding paydirt on runs of 13, 2, 27 and 7 yards throughout the evening.

Payson never led in the game, though the Lions were keeping it close late in the first half as Easton Smith and Dalton baker hooked up on a 69-yard bomb to make it 21-13 with nine minutes to go until halftime.

After Payson missed a 40-yard field goal that would have cut it to 21-16 with 2:05 left in the first half, the Panthers went on a game-changing drive. They marched 80 yards on 11 plays. Kody Wilstead hit Bladen Hosner for a 6-yard TD pass with 16 seconds left in the half to push the lead out to 28-13. Tiatia rushed for 29 yards on the drive and Wilstead passed for the other 51.

After halftime, it was all Pine View, with the lead swelling to 49-13 on three straight TDs in the third quarter for PV.

Wilstead was 19 of 33 doe 228 yards in the game. Smith passed for 299 yards and three TDs in the loss for Payson.

Pine View, 7-2 and 5-1 in region, has completed its regular season and will get a bye in the first round of the playoffs and may not play again until Nov. 7, although late word has it that the Panthers may be able to get a late-scheduled game in next week vs. an as yet unnamed Las Vegas school. Payson, 0-9 and 0-5. Could actually still qualify for the playoffs with a win next week at Cedar.

Stats: Box Scores for Pine View @ Payson

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