Lehi football loses OT heartbreaker to Corner Canyon in 6A semifinals
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- Lehi junior Devaughn Eka fights for extra yards during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- Lehi players react after losing the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- Lehi senior Jett Niu throws a pass during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- Lehi players console each other after losing the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- Lehi players celebrate with junior Legend Glasker (6) after he scored a touchdown during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- Lehi senior Mays Madsen carries the ball up the field during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- Lehi defenders make a tackle during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- A Lehi player gets tackled during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- A Lehi player tries to avoid a tackle during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- Lehi senior Griffin Faamausili makes a catch during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- Lehi fans support their team during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- Lehi junior Carter Cutler (85) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- Lehi defenders make a tackle during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- Lehi head coach Ed Larson talks to his team after the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- Lehi senior Griffin Faamausili (14) tries to make a catch during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- Lehi senior Jett Niu throws a pass during the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
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- Lehi players run onto the field before the 6A semifinal game against Corner Canyon at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024.
The No. 4-seeded Lehi football team put itself in a great position midway through the fourth quarter against top-seeded Corner Canyon.
Thanks to a big stop on a fourth-and-2, the Pioneers had the ball on the Charger 27-yard line with a four-point lead with just 5:33 left to play.
Over the next 45 minutes, Lehi had four huge opportunities to slam the door on Corner Canyon — but couldn’t find a way to do it.
Instead, the Chargers made just about all the plays down the stretch and somehow escaped with the 35-34 overtime victory, stunning the Pioneers and ending their season.
“My heart goes out to those kids,” Lehi head coach Ed Larson said. “The beautiful thing about the game. It’s an accumulation of a lot of different things that went right and a lot of different things that went wrong.”
The Pioneer offense took the field with a great chance to extend the lead to two scores if it could punch it into the end zone.
Lehi got a first down at the 17-yard line, but an illegal substitution stymied the Pioneer momentum and they had to settle for a 34-yard field goal by senior kicker Gavin Fenn.
With a seven-point lead and just 3:28 left, the Lehi defense took the field needing one stop. It held the talented Corner Canyon offense to just three TDs and forced two turnovers as well as the turnover on downs.
The Chargers got the ball inside the Lehi red zone but the Pioneer defensive line tipped a throw over the middle up in the air. A pair of Lehi players had a shot at intercepting in, batting it around, but were unable to gather it in before it hit the turf.
Two plays later, Corner Canyon faced a fourth-and-2 from the 14-yard line and all the Pioneers needed was one play to go their way to win.
Charger junior quarterback Bronson Evans dropped back and fired toward the end zone, just evading the outstretched arms of a Lehi defender.
Instead, Corner Canyon junior wide receiver Kai Meza managed to make the catch and get a foot down in the back of the end zone, tying the game and forcing overtime.
Both teams then scored TDs on their possessions in the extra frame. The Chargers took the lead on an 11-yard run by junior Cooper Kingston, only for the Pioneers to answer on a trick play. Lehi senior wide receiver Mays Madsen took the jet-sweep handoff, then tossed the ball to junior receiver Legend Glasker.
It was decision time for the Pioneers as they could bet the outcome of the game on a two-point conversion attempt. The Lehi offense racked up 412 yards but had failed to convert an early two-point attempt.
Lehi elected to kick the extra point although it had missed one kick and had another blocked earlier in the contest. The snap came in high and Fenn’s kick sailed wide left, hitting the outside of the upright and bouncing out to give Corner Canyon the win.
“My heart goes out to Gavin,” Larson said. “He’s one of the best kickers in the state. It’s never on one kid. You look at lack of protection early on. If we get either of the two extra points or the two-point conversion, then it’s not a problem.”
Larson said that his team knew it had chances but didn’t get the job done.
“We tell them all the time that the football gods don’t give you too many second opportunities,” Larson said. “If they give you one shot, you’ve got to make it happen. And it didn’t happen. But I’m proud of my kids, proud of what they’ve done. They fought to the end.”
Larson announced earlier in 2024 that this was his final season, meaning Saturday saw his impressive coaching career draw to a close.
“It’s been surreal, just because I’ve not thought about it,” Larson said. “I wanted one more week with these kids but the seasons been great where we’ve gotten to. I’m proud of my assistant coaches and love my players.”
He also expressed his gratitude to Lehi High administration, the parents and the entire Lehi community, but even more so to his wife for putting up with everything that goes with being married to a coach.
Larson also believes that the Pioneers are in a good spot as it moves into a new chapter.
“There’s a bright future,” Larson said. “I see the little league program and there’s so much talent coming up.”
Corner Canyon now returns to the 6A title game, which will take place on Nov. 22.
Lehi 0 12 6 19 6 — 34
Corner Canyon 7 7 7 7 7 — 35
CC-M. Brown 6 pass from Bronson Evans (Davis Nelson kick)
CC-Kai Meza 45 pass from Evans (Nelson kick)
L-Carson Cutler 30 pass from Jett Niu (kick failed)
L-Legend Glasker 3 pass from Niu (kick failed)
L-Glasker 10 pass from Niu (pass failed)
CC-Chryshaun Lee 12-pass from Evans (Nelson kick)
L-Glasker 3 pass from Niu (Gavin Fenn kick)
L-Fenn 34 field goal
CC-Meza 14 pass from Evans (Nelson kick)
CC-Cooper Kingston 11 run (Nelson kick)
L-Glasker 3 pass from Mays Madsen (kick failed)
