Lehi Sports
Gritty performance powers Falcon football to hard-fought victory
Jennifer Thomas / Lehi Free Press
The Skyridge football team rallied with outstanding defense and two fourth-quarter touchdowns to come from behind and defeat the Orem Tigers 21-14 at home on Saturday night (Aug. 22) following a long lightning delay.
Junior quarterback Jagger Fountaine threw a 43-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Omarian Sanders, and junior running back Beckham Bennett scored the game-winning touchdown on a 4-yard run with 3:35 left to erase a deficit and rebound from their week-one loss.
“This win feels amazing,” said Sanders. “This whole week of hard work prepared us well and we were able to come out tonight and dominate. We exceeded all our expectations. We started off hot with a touchdown, got down at one point but rallied for a good win.”
Junior receiver Steeler Wesley scored the first touchdown of the game with an 8-yard catch in the corner of the end zone and helped seal the win with two more receptions in the fourth quarter.
Wesley, in his debut game after coming off an injury, helped the offense open up the middle of the field allowing the receivers to stay in single coverage and weakening the Tiger defense on the field.
“It was a gritty performance by these guys tonight and that is a characteristic of a great team, being gritty,” said Skyridge head Coach Justin Hemm. “I am proud to see that from this team. I think it is grit that we were lacking last week. However, there are still things we need to clean up and work on.”
Wesley showed he is a reliable target for quarterback Fountaine. In addition, senior receiver Dax Rehrer came alive during the fourth period with three vital catch-and-runs setting up the final touchdown of the game.
“I started off with a few drops but worked it out to bounce back by having faith in the O-line,” said Rehrer. “They did their job tonight and they deserve credit for the win.”
Fountaine faced a turbulent outing with three interceptions yet kept his composure under intense pressure from Orem’s heavily recruited defensive lineup.
“Jagger had ups and downs in this game, but he remained calm and composed and was a leader on the field,” said Hemm. “This team will fight for him every day and that shows what kind of a leader he is.
“Dax has worked his tail off for the opportunity to perform his senior year and he showed up with some big moments tonight,” the coach continued
“Orem is a great team and their D-line is super tough and really brought it tonight, but our O-Line played a really good game, and we were able to maintain our rhythm in the fourth quarter which helped us get the win,” said Fountaine.
The Falcon defense tightened up this week and gave a strong performance, locking down Orem and giving up limited yards in a dominant team effort. The defense made crucial stops in the fourth quarter allowing the Falcon offense to orchestrate its two late scores.
The Falcon defense relentlessly pressured the Tiger quarterback and kept him off balance throughout the second half of the game, with three sacks by senior defensive linemen Carter Seu, Sa Tanuvasa and Sua Ripley.
Senior defensive back Crew Stevens and senior linebacker Rex Caswell were key at stopping the Orem run game, both tallying several tackles-for-loss.
“Defense was stellar tonight and brought the energy, especially in the second half when they really buckled down with a goal-line stop and prevented any scoring,” said Hemm.
“This win feels so great. We felt that last week we got hit with adversity and kind of crumbled but this week we handled the adversity and played tough to the end,” said Fountaine. “I am proud of the team; this really is a defensive win.”
“Even through the adverse situations in this game, our sideline stayed energetic and continued to support one another. These guys play for each other, and they have developed a real brotherhood. Their bond makes them resilient when facing tough moments on and off the field,” concluded Hemm.
“It feels good to get back to playing Skyridge football,” Caswell said. “I feel like last week’s performance wasn’t our team; it wasn’t the effort and energy that we gave tonight. Our all-around effort made the difference in this game.
“It was our grit, our desire to win, our want for a physical game and our want to hit that helped us win tonight,” the player went on. “We need to move forward this next week by learning from film and giving a full effort at practice.
“If we keep the momentum, we will be able to play our best football for an upcoming tough opponent,” Caswell concluded
The resilient Falcon team will host the high-profile Hun School Raiders from New Jersey for an inter-state, non-region outing as part of the Panther Classic at West High School on Saturday (Aug. 29). Kickoff is scheduled for 11 a.m.
Photos by Matt Paepke.
