Don’t stop believing: Lehi football stuns Corner Canyon with big rally
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- Lehi players celebrate after winning the non-region game against Corner Canyon in Draper on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.
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- Lehi senior defensive back Nathan Anderegg dives to attempt to block at last-second field goal during the non-region game against Corner Canyon in Draper on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.
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- Lehi junior tight end Grayson Brousseau (33) celebrates with junior wide receiver Jace Johns after Johns scored a touchdown during the non-region game against Corner Canyon in Draper on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.
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- Lehi senior quarterback Jackson Brousseau throws a pass during the non-region game against Corner Canyon in Draper on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.
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- Lehi senior safety Kadiyon Sweat attempts to make a tackle during the non-region game against Corner Canyon in Draper on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.
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- Lehi players take the field before the non-region game against Corner Canyon in Draper on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.
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- Lehi senior wide receiver Kolton Tanner attempts to make a one-handed catch during the non-region game against Corner Canyon in Draper on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.
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- Lehi junior wide receiver Jace John runs the ball upfield during the non-region game against Corner Canyon in Draper on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.
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- Lehi senior linebacker William McCleary attempts to bat down a pass during the non-region game against Corner Canyon in Draper on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.
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- Lehi players celebrate with junior safety Kenneth Latu after he made an interception during the non-region game against Corner Canyon in Draper on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.
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- Lehi senior wide receiver Fernando Ruelas gets tackled during the non-region game against Corner Canyon in Draper on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.
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- Lehi senior defensive lineman Camden Williamson gets a sack during the non-region game against Corner Canyon in Draper on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.
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- Lehi senior quarterback Jackson Brousseau gets tackled during the non-region game against Corner Canyon in Draper on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.
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- Lehi fans and cheerleaders support their team during the non-region game against Corner Canyon in Draper on Friday, Sept. 9, 2022.
As the Corner Canyon field goal team raced onto the field to attempt the potential game-winning field goal and Lehi defenders lined up to attempt to block it, the same thought was like running through the minds of players, coaches and fans on both sides of the field:
How in the world did it come to to this?
In an epic showdown of elite teams in Draper on Friday night, both the Pioneers and the Chargers had plenty of chances to secure the win before that white-knuckle final play — but neither side could keep the other from bouncing back.
Instead all they could do was see what happened as the ball was snapped to the holder and the kicker stepped into a 35-yard attempt.
“I was stressing on the sidelines,” Lehi senior quarterback Jackson Brousseau said. “I didn’t know if I should be watching or just hoping it didn’t go in. It was crazy.”
Instead of arching high toward the uprights, the kick was low and awkward, coming up short of the goalposts. As it hit the ground and time expired, the Pioneer players were finally able to erupt in celebration of their dramatic 25-24 win over Corner Canyon.
“The boys played hard and never quit,” Lehi head coach Ed Larson said. “We made a ton of mistakes but hats off to the grit of this team. That’s been our model. Their grit has been fantastic. We came out and made the plays we needed to.”
It was an outcome that seemed extremely unlikely early in the second half.
The Pioneers had made some good plays but devastating failures — including an interception at the 1-yard line, a missed 26-yard field goal, a muffed punt and a plethora of costly penalties — had given the home team all the momentum.
A 26-yard touchdown run by Charger senior running back Drew Patterson pushed Corner Canyon’s lead to 24-0 just seven plays into the third quarter.
To be down by that much against one of the elite teams in the state would be daunting for any team, but Lehi senior defensive lineman Isaac Terrell said the Pioneer defenders were up for the challenge.
“It was crazy,” Terrell said. “We came out with the mentality that we’d have each other’s backs, each do our roles. And everyone did their jobs.”
The Lehi comeback began with an 11-play drive that culminated in a touchdown pass from Brousseau to senior wide receiver Kolton Tanner — but even the success of that scored dimmed because the Pioneers couldn’t complete the pass on the two-point conversion.
But Lehi got a break because Corner Canyon was flagged for a dead-ball unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that was enforced on the ensuing kickoff, meaning the Pioneers had a short field to kick to.
Lehi senior kicker Nate Shepherd lofted a perfect chip shot to the 15-yard line that bounced on the turf and popped up in the air. Before the Charger return team could collect it, the Pioneers were there and in the scramble that ensued, Lehi came up with the ball.
The Pioneers needed just three plays to cover the 18 yards with Brousseau hitting senior tight end Makafefie Havea for a 16-yard score.
Lehi got another momentum boost on the next Corner Canyon drive when a high snap got away from Corner Canyon junior quarterback Isaac Wilson and Terrell recovered, providing the Pioneers another golden opportunity to cut into the lead.
Lehi junior running back Kolose Latu powered his way in from a yard out to make the score 24-19, but again the two-point conversion failed.
A defensive stop by the visitors and an exchange of fumbles gave Lehi the ball and a chance to take the lead midway through the fourth quarter.
The Pioneers got a 17-yard gain on third-and-15 to keep the drive alive, then Brousseau rifled a pass to junior wide receiver Jace Johns over the middle and he took it 37 yards to stun the home crowd and put Lehi in front.
“It was a great feeling,” Brousseau said. “Right before the play, I looked at him (Johns) and said you’ve got to win this route. He won it, I fed him the ball and he scored. Everyone was excited. I looked at everyone and said, hey, we took the lead, so we just need to finish this game now.”
Since a third two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful, the lead was a single point and Corner Canyon had plenty of time to put together a rally of its own.
Both teams had to punt, setting up the final Charger drive with just 1:36 on the clock.
Lehi had multiple chances to prevent Corner Canyon from getting into field goal range, including a third-and-23 (partially nullified by a pass interference penalty) and a fourth-and-8, but Wilson — the younger brother of former BYU star quarterback Zach Wilson — completed huge passes each time to keep the drive alive.
“It was insane,” Terrell said. “You are checking the sideline to get the call, then they are snapping the ball. You’re trying to figure everything out. It was intense.”
That set the stage for the dramatic final field goal attempt that ended up just short, giving Lehi the fifth-largest comeback in Utah high school football history (24 points).
“It was a grind,” Terrell said. “Every snap was a grind. Our team was just fighting, fighting, fighting. Football is a game of inches and an inch will win or lose the game. You have to be willing to put your body on the line to get that edge. That’s how the defense played tonight.”
The big rally kept the Pioneers undefeated on the season (5-0) with a home game against Fremont on Sept. 16 before starting Region 8 play.
Corner Canyon (3-2) next hosts American Fork on the same evening.
Both games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
