Lehi Sports
Skyridge Falcons hold off Bingham in challenging game
In a competitive battle between the Skyridge football team and the Miners of Bingham, the Falcons came out on top with a 35-28 win.
The first quarter was action-packed for the home squad as it put14 points on the scoreboard and held Bingham scoreless. The Miners regrouped in the second quarter with two touchdowns and kept Skyridge on its heels for the rest of the game.
Senior quarterback Jackson Stevens ran the ball into the endzone for the first touchdown of the night. He followed up with a 43-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Trent Call as the Falcons took an early lead in the first quarter.
Stevens threw for 377 yards and four touchdowns. His leadership and pinpoint passing kept the Miners’ defense off balance throughout the night.
The Falcon offensive line provided stellar protection for Stevens to go through his progressions to the open receivers in the Bingham secondary.
Late in the second quarter under a withering Miner rush, Stevens stood in the pocket and delivered a 17-yard strike to senior receiver La’a Kalama in the corner of the endzone.
Stevens took a big hit from the oncoming Miner attack and stayed cool in the pocket. Senior receiver Trevan McClellan scored the final points in the second quarter with a 13-yard reception.
The rejuvenated Bingham defense held the Falcons scoreless in the third period and kept the ball in the hands of the Miner offense, allowing them to exploit the Falcon secondary for two scores to knot the game at 28.
The Falcon offense came back to life in the fourth quarter with a 63-yard bomb from Stevens to Call which put Skyridge ahead for the rest of the game.
Call totaled four catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns. His focus and energy set the tone for Skyridge’s offensive play throughout the contest.
“Jackson competed hard tonight. The O-line did a great job. The receivers and running backs played a really good game,” said Skyridge Head Coach Justin Hemm.
The Falcon defense struggled against the Miner’s misdirection on offense. Bingham was able to punch holes in the Skyridgesecondary with big chunk plays in the air and on the ground.
Senior defensive lineman Ian Mariner and defensive ends Deshawn Toilolo and Iakopo Malufau registered timely sacks and stops that slowed the momentum of the Miners.
Hemm said, “The DBs and defense gave a real effort tonight. They competed and battled until the very end of this game.
“This was a competitive game. We found ourselves in adverse situations. There were three plays that, if they had gone differently, would have allowed us to pull away a little bit. Our guys stayed cool, calm and collected, even when things seemed to be shifting in a different direction.
“Bingham is a well-coached team and their staff came prepared to play,” he added.
The Falcons will regroup to take on the Riverton Silverwolves on the road, Friday (Sept. 8) with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
