Skyridge defense fuels 37-27 win over Corner Canyon
The short version
- Skyridge beat Corner Canyon 37-27 Friday in Lehi, its first win over the Chargers since the 2022 6A state championship game.
- The Falcons built a 27-0 lead behind pick-sixes from Jackson Horsley and Ethan Schriever and an onside kick recovery.
- Skyridge forced five interceptions and three turnovers on downs; Sa Tanuvasa had two picks.
- The win, Skyridge's sixth straight, moves the 6-1 Falcons atop Region 3.
- Skyridge plays at Lone Peak and Corner Canyon hosts Cedar Valley next Friday at 7 p.m.
Five interceptions and two pick-sixes carried the Falcons past the Chargers for the first time since the 2022 6A title game.
Skyridge defeated Corner Canyon 37-27 on Friday night in Lehi, snapping a drought against the Chargers that dated to the 2022 6A state championship game. The win was the sixth consecutive victory for the Falcons.
The home side built a 27-0 advantage in the first half, and that early cushion proved decisive. Skyridge's first two touchdowns came from its defense, which returned interceptions for scores on each of Corner Canyon's opening two possessions. Junior linebacker Jackson Horsley ran back the first, and junior defensive back Ethan Schriever followed with an 83-yard interception return.
After Schriever's touchdown, the Falcons caught Corner Canyon off guard with a recovered onside kick. The possession ended in a 42-yard touchdown drive capped by sophomore running back Ului Faletau's 7-yard run, making it 21-0 in the first quarter. “That's something you always have in your back pocket, but you're just waiting for the right situation,” Skyridge coach Justin Hemm said of the surprise kick.
A second-quarter interception by senior linebacker Sa Tanuvasa gave Skyridge a short field, and the Falcons converted it into another touchdown to push the margin to 27-0. Tanuvasa finished with two of Skyridge's five interceptions on the night, and the defense also stopped the Chargers on downs three times. “Winning the turnover battle was huge,” Hemm said. “It gave our offense great field position, and I thought they did a good job all night.”
Corner Canyon answered with 2:31 remaining in the second quarter on a 17-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jaxon Pehrson to senior running back Jackson Carruth, then scored again on its opening drive of the third quarter to close within 27-14. The comeback stalled there: the Chargers turned the ball over on downs or threw an interception on each of their next four second-half drives, and never got the game within one score.
Both teams came in at 5-1, each having won their Region 3 opener a week earlier. The result moves Skyridge, whose only loss came in Week 1, to the top of the Region 3 standings.
Skyridge goes for a seventh straight win next Friday at Lone Peak in Highland. Corner Canyon closes its nonregion schedule that same evening at home against Cedar Valley. Both games are set for 7 p.m. kickoffs.
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