Bring it on: Skyridge football’s goal-line stand gives Falcons rivalry win over Lehi
-
- Skyridge defenders make a tackle during the Region 3 game against Lehi at Skyridge on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024.
-
- Skyridge junior quarterback Kaneal Sweetwyne avoids a tackle during the Region 3 game against Lehi at Skyridge on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024.
-
- Skyridge senior running back Zaeden Selu runs the ball up the field during the Region 3 game against Lehi at Skyridge on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024.
-
- Lehi defenders make a tackle during the Region 3 game at Skyridge on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024 .
-
- Lehi junior wide receiver Legend Glasker catches a pass during the Region 3 game at Skyridge on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024.
-
- Lehi defenders make a tackle during the Region 3 game at Skyridge on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024.
-
- Lehi senior quarterback Jett Niu throws a pass during the Region 3 game at Skyridge on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024.
It appeared to be a moment of triumph for the Skyridge football team.
The Falcons lead cross-town rival Lehi 13-10 midway through the fourth quarter of Thursday’s Region 3 battle at Skyridge, but the Pioneers had put the pressure on by getting a first-and-goal from the Falcon 2-yard line.
This was Lehi’s moment to flip the momentum and seize control, but two runs and an incomplete pass didn’t gain anything and left the Pioneers facing a fourth down.
Lehi chose to go for it, but the pass was covered and Pioneer senior quarterback Jett Niu got sacked. Skyridge defenders charged jubilantly off the field, celebrating their success.
But a piece of yellow cloth in the end zone brought the Falcon emotions crashing back down.
A defensive holding call moved the ball half the distance to the goal line but the foul is not an automatic first down in high school, so it was still fourth down.
Again, the Pioneers chose to go for it, forcing the Skyridge defense back onto the field.
But Falcon senior defensive back Tavian Edwards said his guys weren’t deflated by the turn of events.
“Our entire mentality is the next play mentality,” Edwards said. “Yeah, we got the stop, but it’s always on to the next play. We got told that we had to go back out there and I’m like, ‘all right. It’s the next play.’ There was no question that we were going to go dominate.”
Edwards’s confidence proved to be well-founded as Skyridge stuffed one more Lehi run — this time with no penalties — and completed the dramatic goal-line stand.
The Falcon offense then marched 99 yards on the ensuing drive to make it a two-score game, then held on for the 20-16 victory over the Pioneers.
“We knew Coach Ed Larson and those guys do a tremendous job,” Skyridge head coach Justin Hemm said. “They’ve got tremendous kids, and we knew this was going to be a battle. I think it shines a lot of light on our community. We are the city of Lehi, and us coming together and playing today, I thought both teams did great. It was a tremendous win and I’m very happy for us.”
He agreed that the goal-line stand was the game-changing moment and said having to do it on that fifth play after the penalty highlighted the growth and maturity of his team.
“I think that’s where we start to turn a page, showing our ability to not let a previous play affect the next play,” Hemm said. “We ask our boys, ‘what’s the most important play?’ and they yell back at us, ‘the next play.’ I thought that moment was the epitome of what we’re looking for, for those guys to respond in that fashion.”
Both teams have high-powered offenses, but it was the defenses that stole the show under the lights and the KJZZ television broadcast. Both teams forced turnovers and got stops at key moments, preventing a lot of points from being scored.
Skyridge scored first on a 1-yard plunge by senior Zaeden Selu, but Lehi responded with a 40-yard Gavin Fenn field goal and a 3-yard TD run by Niu to go up 10-7.
The Falcons rallied from a couple of turnovers by blocking a Pioneer field goal attempt and then getting a 38-yard field goal from Blake Hester to tie the game at the break.
Hester added a 20-yard field goal after a Lehi stop in the red zone to put the home team back in front, setting up the fourth quarter drama.
Skyridge capped the length-of-the-field drive with a 17-yard run by junior quarterback Kaneal Sweetwyne and, although the Pioneers got another TD run from Niu, Lehi ran out of time to rally.
Edwards said that most of the Falcon defensive success should be attributed to the defensive line.
“Our D line was lights out,” Edwards said. “They were just giving us so many chances on the DB side. There were a few times where all of us DBs got a little beat where they could have had a maybe another yard or two, but our D line just got back there way too quick. They’re the backbone of this team.”
Larson said that while his Pioneers showed admirable resiliency, it simply can’t win if it doesn’t capitalize on its opportunities.
“Their defense wanted it more than our offense on those plays, so hats off to them,” Larson said. “We’ve just got to fix that. We’ve got to finish drives and we’ve got to find people who are going to put in the end zone for us. We’ve got to find guys we’re going to block for us. There’s a lot of positive things that have to happen.”
Lehi was disappointed in the outcome, but Larson said it happens at a point where his team can learn from it and get better as they head down the stretch.
“When you play a good team, you have to finish,” Larson said. “We have to clean that up. That’s where we are at right now.”
Skyridge, on the other hand, also wants to improve but got to enjoy the big win.
“It’s amazing,” Edwards said with a grin. “These inter-city games are fun. There’s respect and I’ve got some friends over there, but there is still a lot of beef that goes on.”
Hemm said he likes how his Falcon team is rounding into form and the potential it has moving forward.
“We have tremendous senior leadership,” Hemm said. “We have guys who are coachable, who want to be challenged, who want to be pushed, who want to be driven outside comfort zones, and that’s credit to those boys. We weren’t perfect. We hope we can continue to clean some things up but if we put together a full, complete game, I like our chances.”
Skyridge (5-2) faces a huge test when it plays at Lone Peak for its next game on Oct. 4, while Lehi (5-1) will look to bounce back when it hosts Westlake the same evening.
Both games are scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Box score
Lehi 0 10 0 6 — 16
Skyridge 7 3 3 7 — 20
S-Zaeden Selu 1 run (Blake Hester kick)
L-Gavin Fenn 40 FG
L-Jett Niu 3 run (Fenn kick)
S-Hester 38 FG
S-Hester 20 FG
S-Kaneal Sweetwyne 17 run (Hester kick}
L-Niu 13 run (no kick)
