Draper • The game between Corner Canyon and Skyridge, the two powerhouses of high school football in Utah, had a little bit of everything. Missed field goals and extra points. Interceptions. A pick-6. Mental blunders.
But the Chargers (7-0) did enough to take the game Friday, 38-23, and record their 47th straight win as a program. If they win next week, they’ll tie Duchesne’s state record of 48 straight.
“We don’t talk about it at all,” Chargers coach Eric Kjar said about the streak. “Our kids, they probably know about it, but we don’t say anything about it.”
Skyridge (6-1), which briefly held a lead in the game, lost its first contest of the entire season. The Falcons also conceded the most points to an opponent this season. Heading into Friday, the Falcons had given up only 16 total points through the first six games.
“I thought our guys played really hard,” Skyridge coach Jon Lehman said of his team’s defense. “I thought they executed well against a good offense with a lot of talent, and I thought our guys really battled.”
Corner Canyon quarterback and USC commit Devin Brown threw four touchdowns passes, two of which went to senior wide receiver Jett Meine. Brown also threw two interceptions.
Skyridge junior quarterback McCae Hillstead threw two touchdown passes of his own and also recorded an interception.
Falcons senior Joseph Brandt made a 54-yard field goal to give his team a 10-7 lead late in the first quarter. But Corner Canyon scored 21 unanswered points and never looked back.
“We ended the second quarter really [well] and that momentum carried over,” Brown said.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Zach Hale (2) of Corner Canyon tries to take down Skyridge quarterback McCae Hillstead (7) in prep football action between the Corner Canyon Chargers and the Skyridge Falcons, on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Draper.
The Falcons were faced with several instances where they were on fourth down and elected to go for the conversion rather than punt, and it cost them on a few occasions.
Late in the second quarter on fourth-and-3, a miscommunication led to a snap that wasn’t actually supposed to happen. Skyridge ended up turning the ball over on downs and ceding good field position to Corner Canyon, which scored less than a minute later.
Earlier in that quarter, Skyridge was at first-and-goal and just 4 yards away from a touchdown and a potential 10-point lead. But the Chargers locked up defensively, and the Falcons missed a 29-yard field goal that set up Corner Canyon’s big run.
“With an offense like theirs, you just can’t leave points like that on the board,” Lehman said.
(Francisco Kjolseth | The Salt Lake Tribune) Corner Canyon quarterback Devon Brown (12) goes for the long pass in prep football action between the Corner Canyon Chargers and the Skyridge Falcons, on Friday, Sept. 24, 2021, in Draper.
In all, Skyridge’s only production on fourth down came off of Brandt’s field goal. But going for it on fourth downs seemed to be Skyridge’s game plan.
“With the way they score, you have to be aggressive,” Lehman said.
Brown’s second interception of the game was caught by Falcons junior Smith Snowden, who returned it for a touchdown.
The postseason is just a few weeks away. And as well as the Chargers have played through seven games, they feel they can still play even better.
“There’s definitely another level in us,” Meine said. “Our defense has been balling quite a bit. I know there’s another level in them. There’s definitely a lot more levels in our offense that we need to execute better. We know we can do a lot better and we’re going to towards the end of the season.”
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