Lehi Sports
Pioneer football falls to Falcons after tough battle
Beky Beaton / Lehi Free Press
The Lehi High School football team competed well against No. 2 Skyridge at home on Thursday (Sept. 17) but ultimately fell short to the Falcons by one score as the visitors escaped with a 28-20 win.
The Pioneers got the ball first and despite a couple of hiccups, they were able to move it down the field with a combination of rushes by junior running back Cam Bryce and receptions by senior tight end Zeke Clements and senior wide receiver Vince Ruelas from senior quarterback Briggs Jensen.
Lehi penetrated the red zone but came away without points after a missed field goal try. The teams traded punts before Skyridge got a drive going and the Falcons posted a 7-0 lead with 1:15 remaining in the first quarter.
Lehi’s next possession got a boost from two big Skyridge penalties, but it later stalled and the Pioneers turned the ball over on downs at the 31-yard line.
On the very next play, senior linebacker Paul Unga made an interception and took it to the house to even the score 7-7 at the 7:53 mark of the second period.
Right after the ensuing kickoff, a lightning delay was called. When play resumed 30 minutes later, the Falcons moved quickly and scored on a long pass play to go back out in front 14-7 with 6:11 left to the break.
That advantage lasted all of 13 seconds as senior Cam Wren returned the kickoff 84 yards to knot things up again at 14-all after senior kicker Finn McBride converted on the PAT.
Skyridge took nearly all of the remaining time in the half to drive the length of the field once more, but the Lehi defense held and the Falcons were forced to turn the ball over on downs at the 9-yard line. The Pioneers took a knee to run out the clock and the teams headed to the locker rooms.
Skyridge received the ball to start the second half and the Falcons completed another long pass play to set up their third touchdown at the 8:02 mark.
Once again, Lehi answered right back. In about five minutes, they marched down the field mostly on the legs of Bryce and he took a Jensen pitch across from the 2-yard line for the score. The PAT wasn’t taken because of a bad snap and so the tally stood at 20-21 with 2:51 to go in the third.
Skyridge responded with another successful drive, finding the end zone one more time with a chunk-play reception to extend the lead to 28-20 with 1:35 on the third-quarter clock. That was the end of the scoring as both defenses did their jobs effectively after that.
The Pioneer linebackers all gave exceptional efforts in the contest. Senior Colt Kelley led all tacklers with 15 combined while senior Brody Downs added 12 tackles with four solo and Paul Unga added eight tackles to his pick-six.
Sophomore defensive back Li’i Unga also had four solo tackles of five total. Junior defensive back Matai Mama made four tackles and two deflections. As a unit, the primary defensive linemen tallied seven hurries and 20 tackles.
Bryce was the star on the offensive side, with 16 carries for 101 tough yards against the fearsome Falcon defense. Clements was the leading receiver with 41 yards on three catches and Ruelas had 34 yards on his three receptions.
“I’ll go into every game thinking were going to win it, but I’m really proud of the boys,” said Coach Andy Hadfield. “They played hard. The effort was there. Obviously, we need to improve on execution and figure out how to capitalize on our chances but we’re moving in the right direction.
“The main things we coach are effort and assignments,” he continued. “The boys are buying into our focus on getting better each week and they’re special in the way they respond to what they’re being taught and how they play.
“We tell them, ‘Do your job, do what you’re coached to do and give effort every play, and you give yourself a chance.’ This game was a perfect example of how true that is.
“The offensive line played great and Bryce did a phenomenal job,” Hadfield said. “Cam doesn’t let the first guy tackle him. He loves to play football and he’s a fun kid to be around because of his passion for the game.
“Our defense keeps us in ball games. Our front seven are really good and the secondary is coming along. For the most part they made Skyridge earn everything they got,” he went on. “Offensively we’re moving the ball well and getting first downs, but we’ve got to put the ball in the end zone more.
“As we continue to improve each week, we can’t help but be playing our best at the end of the season,” Hadfield said. “If we’re able to do that, I wouldn’t want to play us when the state tournament rolls around.”
The Pioneers (3-3) have their league bye this week and will be heading to No. 3 Herriman (6-0) on Friday (Sept. 25) at 7 p.m. for their final non-region contest of the regular season.
“We’re excited to see Herriman this week,” Hadfield said. “Like all the teams we’re going to face from here on out, they have a lot of good players and good coaches. They aren’t going to make mistakes, so we need to minimize ours.”
Photos by Jim Ballard.
