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HERRIMAN — By his own admission, Semisi Kinikini is the "Love" to the "Thunder" of his teammate Cade Uluave, a strong 1-2 punch in the Mountain Ridge backfield that is the Sentinels' own version of Stormbreaker and Mjolnir.
What does that make sophomore Taylor Higham? No fancy names here, just a difference maker.
Uluave ran for 230 yards and three touchdowns, Kinikini added 209 yards and two scores, and Higham recovered a fumble and returned it 83 yards for the score that changed everything Thursday night in Mountain Ridge's 51-33 win over Wasatch.
"He may be a sophomore, but he started every single game last year for us. He's an absolute stud of a player, and this is two years in a row that he's had a game-changing defensive touchdown," said Mountain Ridge coach Mike Meifu, whose team used a 27-14 second-half run to improve to 3-0 by scoring 10 more points than its previous two games combined. "Last year, it was the same sort of thing, only with an interception and went for a touchdown.
"He did his job, the wind kind of pushed the ball backwards, and he's very opportunistic, very smart and instinctual, and he made a heck of a play. Outside linebackers don't make a run like that in the open field, and he made a heck of a run."
With the Sentinels clinging to a 24-19 lead shortly after halftime, the hosts opened up the second half with anything but a spark. Instead, it was Josh Davis' interception that gave the Wasps (1-2) all the momentum.
The swing only lasted a couple of plays, though, when Wasatch quarterback Mack Kelson's swing pass was pushed backward by the wind. The ball landed next to Higham, and the opportunistic sophomore scooped it up, huffed and puffed across midfield, and followed a single blocker more than 80 yards into the end zone for the 31-19 advantage.
Mountain Ridge never looked back.
"Those guys don't get those opportunities very often," Meifu said with a laugh. "So they definitely have to cash in on it."
The Sentinels cashed in, too, with back-to-back scoring runs from Kinking and Uluave to cap the 20-0 run before Tholstrom found Crew Erickson with his first of two second-half touchdowns.
"It gave us a huge momentum swing. Being able to get a defensive touchdown is always a huge thing," said Uluave, who has committed to play linebacker at California. "And shout out to the O-line, too, for giving us all the holes we need to run through and score.
"We got the dub last week, but it wasn't the prettiest. We bounced back, and I'm really proud of the team and what we could do."
Indeed, it was the offensive line that paved the way for Mountain Ridge's Love and Thunder backfield's night that nearly eclipsed 500 yards on the windy plains of Herriman.
It's a group led by Nebraska target Jr Sia, the 6-foot-6, 308-pound offensive tackle ranked No. 77 at his position nationally by 247Sports, and fellow four-year starter Chase Higham at guard. Add to it Joseph McElprang, who battled injuries before starting at center, as well as Will Anderson and Parker Evans, and the holes spoke for themselves.
"You've just got to give these guys space," Meifu said of the two running backs. "Last week, we struggled as a team, and they took ownership. When the O-line works, those guys are special.
"It's definitely a blessing to have two guys like that."
Mountain Ridge used the momentum of a blocked PAT to turn a 14-13 edge into a 21-13 advantage on Uluave's second touchdown run, an 80-yard sprint on the first play from scrimmage of the drive in the middle of the second quarter.
The Sentinels had just seven pass attempts in the first half, when Uluave ran for 154 yards and two scores while Kinikini added 82 yards on the ground.
The Wasps kept it close, even exchanging a one-play, 80-yard touchdown drive with another of their one — this time from Chris Cook immediately after Uluave's score.
Cook ran for 114 yards and two scores to lead the pass-heavy Wasps, who attempted 29 passes in the first half. But that included Kelson's 38-yard strike to Carter Bucad before the failed kick that helped Mountain Ridge turn the tide with 6:04 left in the half prior to the third-quarter scoring spree.
Kelson threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns, and Cook ran for 158 yards and two touchdowns for Wasatch. Crew Erickson caught eight passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns, and Bucad added 139 yards and a score.
