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HERRIMAN — The stage was set for an exciting championship showdown between two 4A region rivals, but the game that followed was more intense than anyone could have imagined.
Going into the state tournament, Sky View High was the No. 1 team in the RPI released by the UHSAA, Green Canyon was right behind them at No. 2. In fact, Green Canyon's only two regular-season losses were to the Bobcats.
"We had a ton of respect for them," Green Canyon head coach Troy Oldham said. "I got to coach those kids when they were seventh and eighth graders, but I knew our guys had a chance to beat them the third time around."
It was never going to be easy for the Wolves — Sky View boasts two of the top three goal scorers in all of 4A.
The first big momentum swing of the game happened right before halftime as Green Canyon was down 6-5 following a Sky View goal from Garret Zollinger. But with 50 seconds left in the half, Green Canyon hoped to answer back.
The Wolves passed the ball around, looked for an opening but ultimately lost control of the ball in front of the goal as the seconds ticked down. With two seconds left on the clock, Green Canyon's Brandon Mueller was able to scoop the ball into the back of the net as time expired to tie the game 6-all.
The second half was much of the same, with the game turning into a defensive clash. Both goalies showed out — Porter Jackson from Sky View and Peyton Johnson from Green Canyon each stopped a handful of shots to keep the game close. The Bobcats and Wolves traded blows in the second half, with the final goal of regulation coming with just under nine minutes left in the match.
Each squad tried multiple times to put the game-winning goal in, but the end of regulation came with no victor. The rivals remained tied 8-8 and pushed the game to a golden goal situation in overtime.
Not long into the four-minute overtime period, a strong defensive stop by Green Canyon led to the ball being launched towards midfield. Weston Christensen, a junior, saw the opportunity and he ran with it. He took the ball on a fastbreak and launched it past Jackson for the game winner for Green Canyon.
Green Canyon finished the season in style, earning the @MountainAmerica 4A boys lacrosse championship with an overtime victory over rival Sky View. 🥍 #PlayPerformCompeteTogetherpic.twitter.com/wVYveJo2vv
— UHSAA (@UHSAAinfo) May 27, 2022
"I didn't think I would be the guy to win it all, but I knew we could win," Christensen said. "Throughout the game, I took it down, but I passed it off instead of taking it in. So I realized then, 'I should just go in and score.' And it happened."
Christensen was eager to get revenge, too, as the rivalry runs deep between the two teams.
"That's what we wanted, honestly," Christensen said. "We definitely needed a revenge game, but we also knew it was just about us and doing what we needed to do."
