DRAPER — Cole Hagen’s debut as Corner Canyon’s full-time starting quarterback had a little extra wait to it Friday night.

But it was worth it for the Charger faithful — even through an hour-long weather delay for rain and lightning.

Hagen hit John Mitchell three times for touchdowns, and Corner Canyon rallied for a 40-30 win over Pleasant Grove in a weather-delayed season-opener Friday night at Corner Canyon High School.

“It just feels good, when it’s the first game of the season, to start off on a right note,” said Hagen, who threw for 426 yards in his first game since Corner Canyon alum Zach Wilson departed for BYU. “A lot of guys made some good plays that helped us win that game.”

Hagen tossed five touchdowns with three interceptions, and Mitchell came down with seven catches for 214 yards and four scores for the Chargers (1-0), who got 104 yards and a score from wideout Noah Kjar.

“All our receivers and him are on the same page, and they are a great group,” Corner Canyon coach Eric Kjar said. “Cole made a few mistakes — things he’s better than, and he knows it. But he’ll grow from it and he’ll get a lot better.

“I was happy with how he played today.”

Pleasant Grove quarterback Jake Jensen threw for 138 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, and Dane Christensen, the receiver-turned-running back, added 123 yards and a touchdown on the ground for the Vikings (0-1).

Jensen gave the Vikings a 7-0 on the first drive of the game, capped by an 8-yard strike to Christiansen with 7:25 left in the first quarter.

But Corner Canyon responded with three straight scores to go up 20-7.

First, Hagen kept it and ran for a 16-yard touchdown after three straight completions to Caleb Dyer put the Chargers in scoring range.

Hagen then found Kjar for a 4-yard touchdown in the final minute of the opening quarter. The Chargers took a 20-7 lead on Hagen’s 14-yard TD pass to Mitchell with 3:27 to go in the half.

But the Vikings ran the two-minute drill to perfection to end the half, and Jensen hit Easton Fowler for an 18-yard score with 18 seconds on the clock to pull within a touchdown, 20-14, at the break.

That’s when the rain and lightning descended on Charger Stadium, delaying the start of the second half until 9:35 p.m.

The delay seemed to suit Pleasant Grove well.

The Vikings rattled off three-straight scores in the third quarter, including Christiansen’s 56-yard touchdown dash with 9:27 on the clock en route to a 30-20 lead going into the final period.

But Corner Canyon wasn’t done yet.

Amid a wild, windy and rainy evening, Hagen hit Mitchell three times in the final eight minutes to take the lead back for good. First, a 35-yarder down the right-hand side with 7:22 showing.

Then, a 26-yard pass on almost the same play to go ahead 34-30 with just over five minutes remaining.

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“From last year to this year, (Mitchell) is night and day different,” Kjar said. “We knew that his process going into this season was way better than last year. He’s been with us more, and development-wise, he’s leaps and bounds ahead of where he was last year.”

And finally, the junior hit Mitchell in stride for a 43-yard touchdown that sent the Charger crowd, student section and sideline — including BYU quarterback Zach Wilson — into a hungry frenzy.

“John-John is a heck of a receiver,” Hagen said. “Coach Kjar also gets us in the right spots to where we are open, and it just worked out.

“With his size and his athleticism, he goes and gets a lot of balls.”

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