Lehi Sports
Falcon football dominates Bingham in decisive win
The Skyridge football team scored first and never looked back in an impressive 38-10 victory over the Bingham Miners on Friday(Sept. 6).
Falcon senior running back Zaeden Selu initiated the scoring for the Falcons with an 8:38 first-quarter, three-yard run and set the tone for the offense for the rest of the night. The Skyridgeoffense had starting players missing but executed well with the next man up.
The second quarter found Selu with another touchdown on a nine-yard plunge followed by a score from senior running back Jared Iakopo with a 10-yard run on an option pitch from junior quarterback Kaneal Sweetwyne.
Skyridge head coach Justin Hemm said, “We have some guys out with injuries and this gave opportunities for other players to step up tonight and play some key roles. Isaac Westover, Hunter Sheffield, Harvie Moea’i and others stepped in and really did well in this game.”
After a scoreless third quarter, the offense stepped it up when junior receiver Hunter Sheffield contributed to the scoring with a 61-yard touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter.
The offense capped off a commanding performance in the final period when Sweetwyne connected on a 19-yard pass to senior receiver Boston Sorensen while senior kicker Blake Hester added a 31-yard field goal to assure the win.
“This week has been challenging for us as we have a lot of players out with injuries, we are missing Shawn and Darius and Junior, but some guys stepped up and we were able to run the ball and at the end pass the ball well,” said Iakopo.
He added, “The O-line makes it possible for us to get the big yards and make plays.”
The Falcon defense was rock solid throughout the game even without senior linebacker De’Shawn Toilolo, who was out with an undefined injury.
Senior defensive back, Darin Diarte picked an errant throw from the Miner quarterback in the second quarter to stop a Bingham drive. Skyridge’s defensive line pressured the Bingham offense,forcing several off-target throws and stifling any momentum.
The Falcon defense limited Bingham to a single touchdown run by Ayden Dunn in the first quarter and a field goal in the second quarter, as its offense stalled and remained scoreless in the second half.
Hemm said, “The defense did a good job keeping things in front of them and we did a good job of keeping Bingham in third and longs. When you can do that you have an advantage defensively.”
Selu said, “It was a stressful week getting ready for this game with practice and trying to stay healthy. We tried to get the run game going and tried to get a little bit out on the edge and I think we did a good job of that tonight.”
“Overall, I thought we did some good things tonight,” Hemm continued. “We started off strong and were able to get ahead of Bingham, which helped us with our energy for the entire game.
“There were some things in the second and third quarters we need to clean up but outside of that, I thought we executed at a high level. We will get back at it and look and watch and continue to grow,” said Hemm.
“Bingham is a well-coached team, we knew we had to come out tonight and play at a high level. I’m proud of the level these guys played at in this game,” added Hemm.
“I’m proud of our team. We played so well offensively and defensively and came out on top. Everyone contributed to the effort and played hard tonight. The highlight for me was being able to score that long touchdown, it really felt great,” said Sheffield.
The Falcons will have a rematch with defending 6A state champion Corner Canyon in non-region play on Friday (Sept 13) at home. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
