Lehi Sports
Falcon football overcomes turnovers to edge Lehi
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
Despite giving up three interceptions during the game, the Skyridge High School football team scored a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter and held on to defeat Lehi 42-38 in a wildly entertaining contest for Homecoming on Thursday (Sept. 18).
The teams traded punts on the first two possessions. The Falcons opened their next series with a penalty followed by an incomplete pass broken up by Pioneer senior defensive back Treyson Fabrizio.
On second-and-15, Skyridge senior quarterback Kaneal Sweetwyne‘s throw was picked off by Lehi senior defensive lineman Briggs Love and returned to the 7-yard line.
On the next play, senior running back Devaughn Eka followed his blockers into the endzone. Senior kicker Bode Hammond added the PAT for a 7-0 lead with 6:49 left to play in the first quarter.
The Falcons got good field position when senior Briggs Parker returned the kickoff 24 yards to the Skyridge 42-yard line. However, on the first play of the series, Fabrizio stepped in front of the Falcon receiver for another interception and set the Pioneers up at the 35-yard line.
On third-and-8, Lehi junior quarterback Cash Hollingshead handed the ball off to Eka, who promptly gave it to senior Legend Glasker on the reverse, and he sprinted down the right sideline until he was pushed out of bounds by Parker one yard away from the target.
Love carried the ball over the line on the next play and just like that, Lehi was ahead 14-0 with 5:24 still to go in the period.
Skyridge responded to this one-two punch with a rapid 80-yard drive that included two big catches by junior wide receiver Omarian Sanders and a pair of key runs from senior Lincoln Tahi to start his big night.
The Falcons cashed in with a quick 4-yard connection between Sweetwyne and senior Harvie Moeai. Senior kicker Crew Odom tacked on the PAT to narrow the gap to a single score with 2:04 left on the clock.
It stayed that way for exactly 12 seconds. On the first play from scrimmage, Hollingshead hit Glasker and he outmaneuvered the coverage and sprinted ahead of three pursuers 75 yards to the endzone to make it 21-7 for the Pioneers.
Skyridge again launched a long drive and reached the 5-yard line only to turn the ball over on downs as the Lehi defense held them out.
However, that put the Pioneers deep in their own end. On third-and-8, Parker snagged the ball for a 22-yard pick-six to again draw the Falcons within a score with 9:09 left to the break.
At this point Lehi had more touchdowns than first downs, and they only converted once on their next possession and were forced to punt.
Starting from the 18-yard line, Skyridge rode the legs and arms of Tahi down the field, aided by chunk-play receptions from senior wide receivers Diesel Hunter for 19 yards and Hunter Sheffield for 24 yards.
Tahi bulled in for the 1-yard touchdown to draw the Falcons even for the first time at 21-all with 4:43 remaining in the second quarter.
That was more than enough time for both teams to add points to the board. Hammond kicked a 47-yard field goal to push the Pioneers in front again with 1:32 left.
Sheffield later collected a 24-yard touchdown toss to make it 28-24 for the home squad with 27 seconds to go, and that was the tally as the teams headed to the locker room.
The second half felt almost like a different game as defensive adjustments made yards a lot tougher to come by and penalties took their toll, especially on Lehi.
The Pioneers went 3-and-out on their first possession but soon got the ball back when Fabrizio collared the third Sweetwyne interception of the night on a throw made while the quarterback was being relentlessly pursued by senior defensive end Penisimani Takitaki.
Lehi quickly capitalized as Eka broke through the line and made a couple of nifty moves to evade tacklers on his way to a 45-yard rushing touchdown. Lehi thus retook the lead 31-28 at the 6:26 mark of the third period.
A tackle by senior linebacker Vince Evans forced a 3-and-out on the next Skyridge try. During the second series of the subsequent Pioneer possession, a sack by senior linebacker Kade Haraki with junior defensive end Latu Moea’i pushed Lehi back onto their own side of the field.
Didn’t matter. Hollingshead found junior wide receiver Cam Wren downfield for a 55-yard touchdown to give the Pioneers a 38-28 advantage with 3:18 left in the quarter.
That turned out to be the last score for Lehi as the Pioneer drives in the final period were stymied by a flurry of untimely penalties, which also gave a boost to marches by the Falcons.
Skyridge added 1-yard ground touchdowns from Sweetwyne and Tahi in the fourth quarter to earn the come-from-behind win.
Sweetwyne completed 30-of-43 (70%) for 371 yards and two touchdowns with three picks. He also had 36 yards and one score on the ground. Tahi rushed 18 times for 68 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner, and also had seven catches for 49 yards.
Sheffield collected six passes for 122 yards and a score while senior wide receiver Adam Warren added six receptions for 67 yards.
Senior linebacker Griffin Kunz led the Falcon defensive effort with four solo and 11 total tackles and junior linebacker Rex Caswell added six solo and nine tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, to the tally. Parker posted five tackles and three deflections to go with his pick-six.
For the Lehi offense, Hollingshead completed 11 passes for 216 yards with two touchdowns and one interception plus 22 rushing yards. Eka carried 20 times for 137 yards and two scores and also had 32 receiving yards.
Glasker added six catches for 120 yards and one touchdown along with 86 receiving yards and 24 on kick returns for 230 total yards.
On the other side of the ball, Evans had four solo and 11 total tackles as the Pioneer defensive leader. Fabrizio had five solo and nine total tackles plus two deflections and two picks in another sterling outing. Junior linebacker Brody Downs also had nine tackles.
Senior defensive back Murphy Madsen had seven solo out of eight tackles. Junior defensive lineman Trey Nelson added seven tackles and three hurries while Takitaki had six tackles and three hurries.
“This was quite the game,” said Lehi Coach Andy Hadfield. “They’re a good team and it’s going to be a battle in a rivalry game, and anything can happen and will happen. I’m really proud of my boys for coming out and playing hard and competing.
“We’re still breaking in a quarterback that doesn’t have a ton of experience, and at times that showed,” he continued. “A game like that helps us to teach and learn and we’ll be better because of it.
“The difference in ballgames like this comes down to three or four plays and the team that makes the least amount of mistakes,” Hadfield added. “The top of 6A is loaded with good teams. We didn’t win but I think we proved to people we can hang with anybody.”
“The game had flows, ups and downs and I am most proud of how our boys just believed throughout the game,” said Skyridge Coach Justin Hemm. “Regardless of what play occurred they were able to reset and focus on the next play and execute that to the best of their ability.
“Throughout the course of the game, there were some plays we wish we did not make both offensively and defensively,” the coach went on. “We give credit to that great Lehi team who was prepared and well coached.
“Defense did a great job tonight,” Hemm said. “They played hard, and I am ultimately proud of how they responded when we needed them most in the third and fourth quarters with getting some major stops and getting the ball back to the offense.”
The Falcons (5-1) continue Region 3 play next week when they visit Corner Canyon (5-1). The Chargers were upset by Lone Peak (5-1) on Friday (Sept. 19) for their first loss of the season.
The Pioneers (4-2) will host undefeated Herriman (6-0) in their final nonregion tilt. Both games kick off Friday (Sept. 26) at 7 p.m.
