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HIGHLAND — With 1:57 remaining and clinging to a 26-21 lead on longtime rival Lone Peak’s home turf, American Fork figured it needed just one, maybe two stops to clinch its third-straight victory.
The Cavemen got three.
Bodie Schoonover’s first sack since returning from a six-game knee injury sealed the win, and sophomore quarterback Maddux Madsen threw a pair of touchdown passes to Devin Downing to help American Fork stave off the Knights, 26-21 Thursday night in their final road game of the regular season.
“We just came out here and did our thing,” said Schoonover, who is committed to BYU. “We knew what was on the line, and so we just came out and did our thing. That’s it.”
Jaxon Gregory added a 1-yard touchdown plunge for American Fork (6-3, 3-1 Region 4), and Peyton Wilson returned an interception 27 yards for another score for the Cavemen.
The win is extra special for Schoonover, who missed the past six games of the season with a torn medial collateral ligament. After his sack, the sideline erupted with “Welcome back, Bodie.”
The Cavemen are glad to have him back.
“It’s good to be back,” Schoonover said. “I think tonight we showed our potential — a glimpse of what we can do on the field. We just got to keep working on it in practice, and show everybody what we are made of.”
Playing without standout wide receivers Shawn Wood (ankle) and Trajan Hansen (concussion), the Knights faced an uphill battle from the beginning. But the mountain got steeper for Lone Peak (5-4, 1-3 Region 4) when Downing hauled in a pinpoint-perfect, chest-high pass from Madsen, who also plays baseball, for a 57-yard touchdown, his second score of the night, for a 19-0 lead with 5:15 left in the half.
The 6-foot-2 wide receiver bound for BYU broke the Knights' press coverage, roped in the line drive, and raced down the far side boundary for a score that gave a dominant advantage on a frigid night where temperatures plummeted as low as 30 degrees.
“Getting out to a fast start was huge for us. We knew they had some injuries, and if we could get some touchdowns right off the bat, they’d be in trouble,” Downing said. “That was a big play for us, and I’m just happy to be able to help any way I can.”
But Lone Peak didn’t go away.
Britton Berry returned an interception — one of two on the night — nearly 40 yards for a touchdown, and the Knights pulled within five, 26-21 with 6 minutes remaining on Jared Fotu’s pick-six.
But that was as close as they could get, as Schoonover, Griffin Hadlock and Williams Harris all had sacks in the final minute to hand Lone Peak its third-straight loss.
Here are three more results from around the state that caught our attention in Week 9 of the Utah high school football season.
First down
Corner Canyon 56, Skyridge 22
At Corner Canyon, Austin Bell accounted for three touchdowns to help the undefeated Chargers overturn an early 7-0 deficit and blitz the Falcons to clinch at least a share of the Region 4 title.
Cole Hagen threw for five touchdowns for the Chargers, including a 9-yard strike to Noah Kjar to give Corner Canyon a 56-7 lead in the third quarter.
Second down
Provo 35, Maple Mountain 13
At Provo, Dallin Havea ran for a pair of touchdowns to help the Bulldogs clinch at least a share of their first region title since 2005 with a win over the Golden Eagles.
Provo can clinch an outright Region 8 title with a win over Payson in next Wednesday’s regular-season finale.
Third down
Ben Lomond 6, Uintah 0
At Uintah, Devaugh Sanders scored the only touchdown of the game with 5:01 left in the first half tho help the Fighting Scots snap a state-record 31-game winless streak before next week’s Iron Horse regular-season finale.
