Lehi Sports
Skyridge football earns spectacular Homecoming win
Jennifer Thomas / Lehi Free Press
The Skyridge football team put on quite a show for their Homecoming crowd on Friday (Sept. 11), demolishing the Skyline Eagles with a final score of 42-7.
Coming off an emotional, hard-fought win against Liberty High School, Skyridge head coach Justin Hemm’s squad showed zero signs of a hangover.
The Falcon offense, orchestrated by standout junior quarterback Jagger Fountaine, found its rhythm early, slicing through the Skyline defense with a balanced mix of aerial strikes and a powerful ground game led by running backs junior Beckham Bennett and sophomore Ului Faletau.
Bennett opened the scoring for the Falcons with a 31-yard touchdown run with 3:46 left in the first quarter. The speedy running back tallied 11 carries for 94 yards and a score to finish the game.
Once the Eagles began packing the box to contain the run, Fountaine took advantage, showcasing his elite pocket awareness and arm strength. With 3:00 left on the clock in the first quarter, Fountaine connected with senior receiver Omarian Sanders on a 20-yard touchdown strike.
After suffering a slight tweak on the field in the second quarter, Fountaine shrugged off the pain and adjusted his laser-accurate arm and his chemistry with sophomore receiver Malosi Shepard, throwing two touchdown tosses into Shepard’s waiting arms and extending the Skyridge lead to 28-0 at halftime.
“Jagger is a gritty competitor,” said Skyridge head Coach Justin Hemm. “We have a lot of guys that are that way, but Jagger is an example and a leader of this team. He battled and grinded through the adversity and did an overall great job tonight.”
The Falcons had firmly established control by the second half, leaving the Eagles scrambling to find answers on both sides of the ball.
The formidable Skyridge offensive line led by senior Andy Anderson completely controlled the line of scrimmage, paving the way for two more scores as Fountaine, limited in his mobility, relied on his decision-making rather than his usual dual-threat capabilities.
“Jagger played through some pain tonight,” said junior wide receiver Koa Wallwork. “He’s a tough kid, got his ankle wrapped and led us to another win. I appreciate him; he’s a dog and always leading us.”
Fountaine stood tall in the third quarter and delivered a pass to junior standout receiver Steeler Wesley for a seven-yard touchdown reception which shifted all momentum toward the Falcons.
The quarterback put the game completely out of reach on the final scoring drive of the evening. Finding another reliable target in Wallwork, Fountaine fired a precise pass that Wallwork took 16 yards across the goal line to effectively end the scoring and cap off a gutsy Falcon victory.
“The offense was able to make some big plays, not as consistent as I would have liked but ultimately able to put the ball into the endzone,” said Hemm.
“The past weeks we haven’t shown our best offensive performance, and I feel like we still have a lot to show but this game we put on a good show with what we can really do,” said Wallwork.
While the offense provided the fireworks, the Skyridge defense was the backbone of the Homecoming triumph. Senior linebackers Sa Tanuvasa with nine tackles and Rex Caswell with seven tackles spearheaded an aggressive front seven.
The Falcon defense put constant pressure on the Eagle offense, forcing five turnovers with four interceptions: two by junior safety Ethan Schriever, one by sophomore defensive back Marcus White and one by sophomore linebacker Drayson Afalava, along with a fumble recovery by senior Latu Moea’i.
Senior defensive lineman Carter Seu led the way with six tackles, three hurries and 1.5 sacks as he continued in relentless pursuit of the Eagle quarterback. Seu provided the foundation for the defense to succeed throughout the game.
“Defense did a great job forcing turnovers and made it tough for the opponent, putting them in third and longs,” said Hemm. “We did a lot of things that we wanted to do. It helps when we are playing with a lead and put them in different situations. Defense worked hard to create takeaways.”
Seu noted, “The coaches taught us a lot this week at practice, and I feel like I really learned a lot and was able to use that tonight.”
The Eagles struggled to establish any semblance of a running game, and their passing attack was repeatedly disrupted by Skyridge’s defensive line.
Senior defensive lineman Sua Ripley proved to be an unblockable force, collapsing the pocket and forcing Skyline’s quarterback into rushed throws and early exits. He had four hurries, three tackles and a sack.
Schriever said, “I’m feeling great about this game, it was a fun night to come and play. We showed up and played as a team really well.”
“As a defense we really stepped it up this week as a group,” the player continued. “We had a tough week of practice because last week we struggled, but we came out and wanted to play at our best and we let our game talk tonight.”
“There is a variety of things I could point out in tonight’s performance, but defense did a great job with the variety of takeaways that they had as well as the pressure they put on the Eagles’ QB,” said Hemm. “Defense made it really tough for Skyline tonight and I am proud of them.”
Skyline managed to break the shutout late in the game with a touchdown by Tate Johnson, but by then, the Falcon secondary and reserve units had already sealed the blowout victory.
“Defense fought through it tonight and we were able to come out on top,” said Seu. “Thankful for the opportunity to play, we will come ready for next week’s fight.”
“We came tonight and took care of business. I am proud of the team and appreciate them,” said Wallwork. “We had a great week of practice with a lot of intensity. We knew we had to get the job done and shout out to our coaches for pushing us this week to do our best.”
The victory advances Skyridge’s record to 4-1 on the season, building strong momentum following last week’s resilient road win in Nevada. The victory sends a clear message to the rest of Region 3 as the Falcons prepare to transition deeper into the heart of their demanding regular-season schedule.
“Jagger will be fine with nothing significant, he’ll be ready for next week,” Hemm said. “We are in a decent spot and will be ready for region play.”
Skyridge next travels to face cross-town rival Lehi for their region opener. The game kicks off on Thursday (Sept. 17) at 7 p.m.
