Lehi Sports
Falcon football shuts out Westlake for Homecoming victory
The Skyridge football team blanked the Westlake Thunder to earn a commanding 40-0 win on Homecoming night (Sept. 20). The Falcons dominated from the outset.
Senior wide receiver Boston Sorensen set the tone early with a 16-yard gain on a reverse. The Falcons opened the scoring with a 5-yard run by senior running back Zaeden Selu at 8:12 in the first quarter. The team fueled with energy would only roll from there.
It was an explosive second quarter for Skyridge as the Falcons scored at will with four touchdowns. Junior quarterback KanealSweetwyne hit senior receiver Josh Hansen for a 13-yard score, though Westlake blocked the point-after attempt.
Senior running back Jared Iakopo continued adding points on a perfectly-executed screen pass for a 50-yard touchdown.
Senior linebacker Noah Bird recovered a Thunder fumble which allowed Sweetwyne to run the ball two yards into the endzone a few plays later. The energized Falcons continued to challenge Westlake as senior special teams ace Tavian Edwards recovered a mishandled kickoff return.
The Falcons continued to add points to the board with junior receiver Davis Fyans scoring on a 22-yard reception. He was the leading receiver with four catches for 69 yards.
“All week I have felt that we had to be more disciplined and more poised for tonight’s game and I think we did just that,” said Sweetwyne. “We played with more energy tonight and the student section is a factor in that. They get us going; as they cheer and yell, we get more energized.”
The signal-caller completed 8-of-13 passes for 164 yards and four touchdowns and also had 43 rush yards on six carries. Selusrushed 13 times for 55 yards and had a 35-yard kick return as well.
The Falcon defense continued its mastery, forcing a Thunder fumble that was scooped up and returned by senior linebacker De’Shawn Toilolo. The Skyridge offense took over from there and scored their final touchdown of the game on a 23-yard Sweetwyne-to-Sorenson connection.
Skyridge head coach Justin Hemm said, “Kaneal was comfortable throughout the game. Coming into the game, there was some uncertainty with the wind, but I thought Kaneal did a great job throwing either way we were going.”
Westlake struggled to generate any offense, as the Skyridgedefense held the Thunder scoreless throughout the game and forced several turnovers. The Falcon defense appeared to execute a nearly flawless game plan.
“We played a relatively clean game tonight,” Hemm said. “The big emphasis throughout this week has been to clean things up and not make mistakes. The team responded well.
“It was a different mindset at practice. This is something we need to continue throughout the season. Playing a clean game cannot be a one-time thing,” he added.
Senior linebackers Noah Bird and Samuel Pollmann were standouts on defense with six and five combined tackles, respectively.
“Defense played a great game. They forced turnovers and change of possessions and finished it with a shutout on the board,” said Hemm.
The second half of the game was scoreless on both sides as Hemm called off the dogs, giving the younger players valuable varsity stats.
Hemm said, “There were highs and lows during the game. Our objective is to make sure we are evenly keeled through the highs and the lows. I think we did that well tonight.”
“To be ready for every game going forward, we have to prepare, watch more film and work at it in order to play at our best,” said Sweetwyne.
The first region game for the Falcons proved to be a valuable tune-up in preparation for next week’s inter-city clash as they take on the Lehi Pioneers Thursday, Sept. 26 at home. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
