Lehi Sports
Skyridge football overpowers Riverton
The Skyridge football team handled Riverton easily on the road with a 58-10 victory Friday (Sept. 8) to complete their non-region schedule.
The game was quickly out of hand with the Falcon offense scoring early and often. The Skyridge defense and special teams gave the potent offense good field position throughout the night.
Senior receiver Trent Call got the Falcons on the scoreboard first with a 16-yard catch from senior quarterback Jackson Stevens.
The Falcons added a safety when Riverton’s long snapper hiked the ball over the punter’s head and out the back of the endzone.
Skyridge added two more touchdowns leading out the scoring in the first quarter with a short dive into the endzone by senior running back Carter Sheffield, followed by senior receiver La’a Kalama with a 13-yard catch and run.
The Falcons added 28 more points to the scoreboard in the second quarter starting with a 24-yard pass from Stevens to senior receiver Trevan McClellan. Sheffield easily scored with a 4-yard plunge. McClellan and Sheffield each scored additional points to round out the second quarter scoring.
The Falcons ended the first half with 51 points.
Skyridge Head Coach Justin Hemm said, “We challenged our team this week at practice to execute in all three phases. I feel that overall, this was one of our more complete games of the season.”
The Skyridge defense dominated the Riverton offense, especially at the line of scrimmage. The relentless Falcon defense limited the Silverwolves to three points in the first half.
The Falcon defensive line, led by senior Ian Mariner, held Riverton’s running attack to a total of -10 yards rushing in the first two quarters of the game. Junior defensive linemen Iakopo Malufau and Deshawn Toilolo pressured and hurried the Riverton quarterback for most of the night.
“The D-line came to play and got after it tonight. The D-line is fun to watch. Coach Sagapolu is one of a kind because of his approach and what he instills in the players. The D-line always gives a full effort, and they play hard every single game,” said Hemm.
Mariner said, “The D-line has been working hard this week. We had amazing coaches that created blitzes for us. We had all good DBs and safeties that did their jobs tonight. Tobin Smith really killed it this game.
“It was a team effort from the D-line, once we found those gaps we were able to open and stop the QB and running back. I’m proud of my team tonight,” he added.
Sophomore quarterback Bosten Fountaine scored the final points for the Falcons with a two-yard run in the fourth quarter. Junior kicker, Blake Hester successfully converted seven PATs and junior kicker Foxton Dovey completed a perfect kicking game with the last point after attempt.
This game served as a tun-up for region play for the Falcons.
“When playing through non-region games, you make mistakes, but you try to clean them up for region play. Region 3 is a tough place to be; every game is a battle and every team is well-coached. The teams are filled with talent. We are ready for region play and we are excited for the challenges ahead,” said Hemm.
The Falcons will take on Westlake in their first Region 3 game on the road, scheduled for September 15, with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
