3 days Ago By Shawn Harrison sports editor
In Week 5 of the high school football season, the marquee match up was between a pair of unbeaten teams in North Logan. Green Canyon hosted Ridgeline and both teams brought 4-0 records into the Region 11 contest. It was Homecoming for the Wolves, but the Riverhawks showed why they were the preseason favorites to take the league title this year.
Ridgeline put points on the board on its first four possessions of the game and secured the win by scoring three straight touchdowns in the second half. The Riverhawks beat Green Canyon, 39-21. “I thought our kids played extremely hard and physical, but also smart,” Ridgeline head coach Travis Cox said.
“It was fun to see them execute like they did. ..
. We had heard plenty all week that they (Wolves) had shut out three teams. We try to preach every week is the same, but I thought we played well in a big game.
” The Wolves (4-1, 1-1 region) came into the game having shut out three of their first four opponents. The Riverhawks were aware of that and made it a point to get on the scoreboard early. It was the region opener for the Riverhawks (5-0, 1-0 region).
The Wolves had to play catch up after the opening drive. The hosts did pull within 18-14 early in the third quarter and had the ball after forcing Ridgeline to punt for the only time during the game. However, the Wolves were deep in their own territory and ended up punting from the back of the end zone, setting the Riverhawks up with good field position, which started the stretch of three straight TDs by the visitors.
“You get excited to play Ridgeline because you know they are such a good team with good players, great coaches and have established culture and tradition,” GC head coach JT Tauiliili said. “We were really excited to play them. We did not have ourselves to the level of play that we needed for that first half.
I was really proud of how we came out and answered in the second half. ..
. We had a few opportunities here and there, but there is not a lot of margin for error when you play good teams. It’s a tough lesson to learn, but we would rather learn it now than latter on.
” Ridgeline finished with 484 yards of total offense. Quarterback Nate Dahle completed 13 of 22 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns. He also scored once with his feet.
Graham Livingston caught eight passes for 210 yards and two scores. On the ground, the Riverhawks turned to running back JT White. The senior rushed for 184 yards on 28 carries and found the end zone once.
Aaron Young booted field goals of 36 and 34 yards. The Wolves finished with 268 total yards. Signal caller Payton Wilson completed 17 of 25 passes for 234 yards and two TDs.
He rushed for a score as well, but finished with just six yards on 19 carries because he was sacked nine times. Hayden Schramm caught seven balls for 69 yards and a TD, while Shandon Thain hauled in six passes for 63 yards. Cody Edelmayer led the team with 80 receiving yards on two receptions and had a score.
Thain led in rushing with 23 yards on eight carries. In other region action Friday night, Sky View won a close region game against Mountain Crest, 31-28, and West Field beat Logan, 27-14. In Idaho, West Side rallied to top Marsh Valley, 30-20, and Preston fell to Ogden, 42-26.
At Smithfield, the Bobcats (3-2, 2-0) had a successful Homecoming, but had to hold on for dear life against the Mustangs (3-2, 1-1). Sky View built a 17-0 lead midway through the second quarter on a Branoc Jamison 40-yard field goal, a 1-yard TD run by Tucker Stokes and a 24-yard pass from Jack Clark to Liam Guthrie. It was looking like the hosts might run away with the game.
Mountain Crest had other plans. The Mustangs got on the scoreboard just before halftime with a 1-yard TD run by Preston Arambel. The visitors then proceeded to find the end zone twice in the early going of the third quarter on a 9-yard scoring run by Brayden Larsen and 33-yard pass from Larsen to Mikah Clements to take a 21-17 lead.
Running back Xander Stokes broke loose for a 26-yard TD scamper at the end of the third, giving the Bobcats a 24-21 lead going to the fourth quarter. Clark and Guthrie connected with five minutes to play to up the point spread to 10. The Mustangs did make it interesting when Larsen hit Kael Olsen for a 10-yard TD pass with 2:50 to play.
At Taylor, the host Longhorns (1-4, 1-1) picked up their first win of the season and in program history, handing Logan (2-3, 0-2) it’s third straight setback. And it was Homecoming for the brand new school. West Field jumped out to a 20-0 lead early in the second quarter and was up 27-8 after a score to start the third quarter.
Logan held its own for more than two quarters but the damage was done. The Grizzlies scored in the second quarter when quarterback Easton Favero hit Skyler Jenson for a 72-yard TD. Logan added a touchdown late in the game when running back Kedin Avila scored from 13 yards out on the ground.
In keeping with the Homecoming team winning theme, West Side did just that at Dayton. The Pirates (3-0) fell behind early, trailing 14-6 midway through the first half and 17-14 at halftime. West Side owned the second half.
The Pirates actually scored first on a Crew Sage 1-yard run. Drake Sage tied it up in the second quarter with a 45-yard run, but then the Eagles (2-1) kicked a field goal before the break. Drake Sage then gave the hosts the lead for good on a 18-yard TD run in the third quarter.
He added another score in the fourth, catching a 6-yard TD pass from Trayce Stone. Crew Sage had 148 yards on 20 carries, while younger brother Drake Sage also had 148 yards, but on only 13 attempts. At Ogden, the Indians (0-4) fell behind early and were never really in the game.
The Tigers (4-0) were up 35-0 at one point in the third quarter. Preston got on the scoreboard when quarterback Carter Perry ran in a 3-yard TD in the third. Conner Iverson added a 3-yard scoring run later in the third.
The Indians got two passing TDs from Perry in the fourth, both to Jake Schumann. The first was a 7-yarder and then a 27-yard TD. The first RPI came out in Utah on Monday.
Ridgeline is No. 1, Green Canyon checks in at N0. 4, Sky View, who is atop the Region 11 standings at the moment, is No.
5, and Mountain Crest was listed at No. 9..
