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HOLLADAY — Mountain Ridge's Semisi Kinikini's legs didn't stop moving.
Olympus thought it had the junior running back cornered and halted, but when just about everyone thought the play was over, Kinikini emerged from a pile and sprinted down the sideline for a go-ahead score in the Sentinels' 31-27 win over the Titans Friday.
Kinikini's late run was reflective of Mountain Ridge as a whole against Olympus. The Sentinels scored 24 straight points in the second half to erase a 21-7 deficit and came away with a season-opening win.
"I feel like us, personally, we're really a second-half team," senior running back and linebacker Cade Uluave said.
No arguments here.
Olympus opened up the second half with an 80-yard touchdown strike from Chase Moseley to Caden Lloyd. On the ensuing Mountain Ridge possession, Titans linebacker Weston Olsen intercepted a pass and fumbled it into the end zone where Olympus jumped on it. In the matter of moments, a 7-7 halftime tie had turned into a 21-7 Titans lead.
"We kind of expected things to not be as smooth, but the guys, they stuck together," Mountain Ridge head coach Mike Meifu said. "We talked about it all week in practice: When things go bad, stay together as a team."
Mountain Ridge quarterback Rylen Balser, who had thrown three interceptions on the night, got a bit banged up and Meifu opted for a change. Junior Jaxson Reiser got the nod and from there the Sentinels offense hummed.
"If someone's struggling and stuff, you need a buddy to help you out," said Uluave, who is committed to California. "That's all right. So I feel like that's what we did, and it helped us out."
Mountain Ridge quickly scored three touchdowns and added a field goal to run right past the Titans. And we do mean run.
Reiser played mistake-free ball to aid the comeback, but the catalyst behind Mountain Ridge's surge was the two-headed monster at running back.
Uluave and Kinikini, who each rushed for two touchdowns in the game, wore down Olympus in the second half and led multiple lengthy drives.
"Those guys, they're studs," Meifu said. "I mean, they're game changers. They're so versatile. Both Cade and Misi are phenomenal young men. They do everything we ask. They play both sides of the ball. They're tough. And they're very skilled, and they've worked really hard in the offseason and for the last four years, so it's fun to see them kind of cashing in on it."
The two were key to a dominant defensive game, as well, for Mountain Ridge. Yes, Olympus scored 27 points, but that wasn't indicative of how strong the Sentinels were up front. The Titans got a defensive score, an 80-yard touchdown strike and another long touchdown score on the final play of the game. Olympus only had one sustained drive in the entire game.
"Our defense played lights out," Uluave said. "We're just working out the kinks. I mean, it's the first game, so it's only up from here."
