Lehi Sports
Falcon football falls to Chargers in competitive 6A matchup
In a game filled with miscues by the home squad, the No. 5 Skyridge football team nevertheless put up a good fight but ultimately fell to No. 3 Corner Canyon 38-28 on Friday (Sept. 6).
Chryshaun Lee scored first for Corner Canyon with a 10-yard pass from Helaman Casuga in the initial period. The Falconswere scoreless in the first quarter.
Skyridge regrouped in the second as junior quarterback KanealSweetwyne connected with senior running back Zaeden Selu on a 12-yard screen pass off the left side for a touchdown. Seluscored a second time with a three-yard dash into the endzone late in the period.
However, the Chargers gained momentum in the second quarter and led Skyridge 24-14 at halftime and 31-14 after three periods.
The Falcons managed to pull within three points of the Chargers in the fourth quarter with two touchdowns by Sweetwyne’s four-yard plunge and senior running back Jared Iakopo’s 9-yard run.
“I thought the boys did a good job battling back tonight,” said Skyridge head Coach Justin Hemm. “We made this game interesting and had an opportunity to take the lead, which added to the intensity in the fourth quarter.”
A Skyridge offside penalty and an interception thrown by Sweetwyne gave Corner Canyon the advantage as they scored at the 3:03 mark in the final period to secure the win.
The highlight for the Skyridge defense was senior defensive back Tavian Edward’s acrobatic, one-handed interception on the Corner Canyon sideline. Edwards said, “I feel really good about the interception. It was my first pick of the season. I’ve been waiting to get one.
“I took the chance tonight and was fortunate that I came down with the ball. This helped to change the momentum of the game as it came after a three-and-out,” he added. Edwards finished with four tackles and added 67 yards on three kick returns as well.
The Falcon offensive line opened up holes for Selu and senior running back Jared Iakopo as they pushed the Charger defensive line all night.
Selu finished with 27 carries for 109 yards and Iakopo added eight carries for 48 yards. Among the receivers, senior Boston Sorensen had four catches for 87 yards and junior Davis Fyansmade seven receptions for 88 yards. Sweetwyne was 21-of-33 for 245 yards, one touchdown and three picks.
The Falcon defense forced two turnovers with a fumble recovery by senior linebacker Iakopo Malufu and Edward’s snag as they pressured the Charger quarterback into several errant throws. Junior linebacker Griffin Kunz led the defense with eight combined tackles in the contest.
“As a captain, I spoke to the team after the game and emphasized picking it up at practice,” said senior team captain Ben Howard. “Our energy was low this week and our focus was lacking earlier in the week. We have to be better at that. We need to be disciplined and give 100 percent every day, at every practice.
“In important games like this we have to play with discipline,” the player continued. “Corner Canyon is a disciplined team. There were 10 plays where we could have done better tonight. If we get those 10 plays, we can win. I know we will work harder at practice to overcome the mistakes.”
Hemm added, “The team battled tonight, we just had too many mistakes. The mistakes were across the board. We need to clean them up to do better. We can’t make mistakes when facing good teams in competitive ball games.”
The Falcons hope to improve their game as they start Region 3 play by taking on the Westlake Thunder for Homecoming on Friday (Sept. 20) at 7 p.m.
