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Lone Peak's Luke Durfey celebrates a defensive stop during the 6A football state semifinal against Skyridge at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021. (Patrick Carr, Special to the Herald)

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Lone Peak's Luke Hyde (right) hauls in a catch with Skyridge's Dalton Young (left) defending during the 6A football state semifinal at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021. (Patrick Carr, Special to the Herald)

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Skyridge's Jace Doman (center) celebrates an interception during the 6A football state semifinal against Lone Peak at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021. (Patrick Carr, Special to the Herald)

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Skyridge's Jace Doman (second from right) and Collin Sheffield (far right) celebrate Doman's interception during the 6A football state semifinal against Lone Peak at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021. (Patrick Carr, Special to the Herald)

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Skyridge's Jeter Fenton runs the ball during the 6A football state semifinal against Lone Peak at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021. (Patrick Carr, Special to the Herald)

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Lone Peak's defense swarms to tackle Skyridge's Jeter Fenton during the 6A football state semifinal at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 12, 2021. (Patrick Carr, Special to the Herald)

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In a game that featured so many phenomenal defensive moments, victory in Friday’s 6A semifinal between Region 4 foes Lone Peak and Skyridge came down to a pair of monumental back-to-back plays.

One was a call, one was a score.

Both of those went in favor of the Knights and that was the catalyst that enabled Lone Peak to avenge an earlier loss and defeat the Falcons, 20-0, earning a return to the 6A championship for Lone Peak.

The key sequence came at the start of the fourth quarter with the Knights clinging to a 3-0 lead.

On a second-and-9 from its own 37-yard line, Lone Peak quarterback Easton Comer dropped back to pass only to get clobbered by a rushing Skyridge defender.

The ball popped loose and a pair of Skyridge defenders were in position to recover it — except whistles had blown.

In the heat of the moment, the official called it an incomplete pass although it was clear on replays that the ball not only was knocked free but it traveled backwards from the moment it left Comer’s hand. It could’ve been a crushing turnover that would’ve put the Falcons in great position to tie the game.

Calls like that are part of the game, however, and the Knights made the most of their good fortune on the very next play.

Comer dialed up a deep ball and dropped in a perfect pass to Lone Peak wide receiver Crew McChesney, who hauled it in even though he was interfered with and then took it to the end zone for the a 63-yard score, the first touchdown of the game.

With the way the Knight defense was playing, that was all Lone Peak would need.

The Knights came up with key stops whenever they needed them throughout the game, just as the Falcons had done up until McChesney’s TD.

Lone Peak had the first chance to score after a 62-yard completion from Comer to wide receiver Luke Hyde put the Knights at the Skyridge 11-yard line.

But Falcon defensive back Jace Doman stepped in front of a Comer pass and picked it off, giving Skyridge the ball and the momentum.

The Falcons then put together their best drive of the game and got to the Knight 24-yard line but Lone Peak defensive back Christian Arrington returned the favor with an interception of his own to end the Skyridge threat.

The Knights would again get into scoring range but Falcon defensive back Smith Snowden made a brilliant defensive play, ripping the ball away from a Lone Peak receiver in the end zone for an interception.

Skyridge had a chance to put some points on the board right before halftime after another Knight turnover, this time a muffed punt, but the 52-yard field goal came up short.

Lone Peak took the lead with a tough, time-consuming drive in the third quarter that took 13 plays and required a fourth-down conversion, but kicker Braden Carr made a 44-yard field goal got his job done.

That set up the key sequence that allowed the Knights to go up by two scores. Lone Peak would then add another field goal by Carr (a 24-yarder after Skyridge threw another interception) and a late touchdown on a pass from Comer to Hyde to complete the scoring.

This will be the second straight year that Lone Peak will face Corner Canyon in the 6A championship after knocking off the Falcons in the semifinals.

The Chargers, which beat the Knights in the 2020 title game but fell in the regular-season meeting earlier this year, easily rolled past Weber in the other semifinal to set up the rematch.

Lone Peak and Corner Canyon will play for the 6A crown at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, Nov. 19. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

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