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LEHI — Skyridge quarterback Emmett Call had just thrown a costly interception, one that was returned 31 yards by Lone Peak star Nate Ritchie, that put the Falcons in a 21-16 deficit.
Fortunately for the Falcons, there was a little over seven minutes left in the pivotal Region 4 contest.
Also fortunately for Skyridge, Call has a little history with rebounding his team. You see, the Falcons were coming off a dramatic 28-27 loss to Pleasant Grove, and because the schedule doesn’t let up for the first-year 6A school in the ultra-competitive Region 4, Call knew his team couldn’t take another loss — or risk taking a big hit to their playoff hopes and seeding.
So they didn’t.
Call threw for two touchdown passes and ran for another, and the Falcons rallied for a 22-21 win Thursday night over Lone Peak, keeping pace with second place in the region and staying within striking distance of top-ranked Corner Canyon with two games remaining.
“We left a lot on the table in the PG game, both execution, mentally, as a team. When you’re coming off a loss, you can either learn from it or you can lose from it,” Call said. “Luckily for us, we decided to learn from it.”
But Skyridge (6-1, 2-1 Region 4) almost lost from it, too.
After Lone Peak scored on Eli Cloward’s screen pass in the final minute of the half to go up 14-13, Skyridge held the Knights off the board for the entire third quarter and took a 16-14 edge into the final frame on a 23-yard field goal.
But Ritchie returned one of Call’s errant passes nearly 40 yards for a touchdown, and the Knights regained the lead with 7:34 left in the fourth.
“They’re a super talented team, and that defense is incredible with the talent they have across the board,” Skyridge coach Jon Lehman said. “But our quarterback was so aggressive, and our receivers were so reliable. He threw it into the teeth of the defense, and our receivers came up with some tough grabs. That really set the tone for us.”
That’s when Call knew that, once again, he had to rally. It wasn’t just about bringing a team back from a loss — like he had all week to do after losing to the Vikings.
This time, he had just over seven minutes to do it.
No problem.
“We came out with a belief that we were going to win, but coming off a loss, the love and preparation for one another is unreal. To come out like this is euphoric,” Call said. “But this is another step in the process. It’s amazing, and you have to give credit to those who helped us get here.”
And when his 27-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Adamson was completed two minutes later, Call felt sweet relief — and sweet victory as he watched his defense finish off the victory via BYU recruit Ioholani Raass’ strip sack and Teedrick Toilolo’s fumble recovery in the final seconds.
“Those guys are both really good football players,” Lehman said. “They’ve played great football for us all season.”
Luke Romney added two touchdown passes for Lone Peak (5-3, 1-2 Region 4), which lost back-to-back games for the first time this season.
