There was no talk of revenge or redemption.

That, however, was before Skyline's 7-0 upset win over Layton on Friday.

"We just never gave up. . . . Our goal was to not let Layton repeat what they did to us before," senior lineman Tupou Hautau said.

In a grudge match, the game remained scoreless heading into the fourth. Countless missed opportunities on both sides went unanswered, including Skyline quarterback Kevin Wagstaff's fumble in the fourth quarter on the Layton 27. That error took the Eagles out of field goal range.

But with 4:12 remaining, the senior stayed determined to not let any more opportunities slip away. Credit the Eagles' defensive effort for forcing Layton to punt on the ensuing drive. Giving Wagstaff and Co. one last opportunity at redemption.

Beginning at its own 20 and just 4:12 remaining, Wagstaff began what would be the biggest drive of his prep career. Within the Eagles huddle, he looked everybody square in the eye and said, "this is our chance."

The Eagles ran, and ran the Lancers into submission on that final drive. Hautau even got involved, rushing for 28 yards on three carries. Yet it was the 160-pound Wagstaff who capped the 11-play drive with a 1-yard touchdown run on third down, leaving just six seconds on the clock. The ensuing Layton kickoff return was halted by Skyline at midfield, officially ending the Lancers' season.

Wagstaff said after his first two goal-line runs up the middle didn't work, Skyline elected to run him off tackle. It was a gut decision made by longtime coach Roger DuPaix, electing to bypass the short field goal opportunity. His decision could've been influenced by the struggles on special teams. Kicker Mike Laganeire missed two second-half field goals.

"This win . . . it's up there" DuPaix said. "I'm so proud of these kids. I'm so proud of the defense who kept us in the game. Tenni [Palepoi] was a real force today. And honestly it was a complete team effort." The stats are lackluster at best for both teams. It was smashmouth football at its best. Both the Eagles and Lancers were determined to set the tone with their rushing attack. Layton has one of the state's best duos in Karl Williams and LaVaughn Jackson. Yet the Eagles' front four controlled the trenches and limited Layton to just 11 first downs.

The Skyline offense didn't fare much better. Wagstaff had 120 all-purpose yards, and running back Brian Orr had 100 yards from the ground.