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HIGHLAND — In a rematch of the defending 6A state champions in Lone Peak and the runners-up in Corner Canyon, the Chargers came out on top this time 35-6.
A team normally known for its offensive power, the Chargers' defense shined Friday as the Knights failed to score a single touchdown. A majority of Lone Peak's offensive drives lasted three plays each, which gave Corner Canyon's offense numerous opportunities to score. In the first half, the Knights only recorded two first downs, but shortly after each one, backup quarterback Rome Engemann threw an interception.
"(The defense) did a really, really good job and they fly around," said Corner Canyon head coach Eric Kjar. "And they just keep getting better, too, as the year goes on. They've kind of continued to improve throughout the season and have been playing really, really well."
Lone Peak's first field goal came on their first possession of the game. Although the team failed to gain a first down on the drive, as well, they were already in field goal range thanks to a 62-yard kickoff return by senior and BYU baseball commit Crew McChesney.
The Knights' second field goal and final score of the game came at the end of the team's best and longest drive of the night. Starting at their own 31-yard line, Lone Peak drove down the field using a balanced mix of runs and passes before stalling in the red zone. The Knights had to settle for a 32-yard field goal.
With the Chargers defense shutting down Lone Peak's offense, that gave quarterback Isaac Wilson and company all the opportunity they wanted to put together scoring drives. Corner Canyon received the kickoff to start the game and easily drove down the field, scoring on a 3-yard touchdown run by Drew Patterson less than three minutes into the game. It was the first of two rushing touchdowns that Patterson earned to cap off a superb night of running from the senior.
"I feel like our offense did really good tonight," Patterson said. "We can definitely improve in the O-line and on our pass blocking, but overall, we did good. The receivers played good and we were able to run the ball."
Corner Canyon found the end zone five times on the night — a healthy mix of three rushing and two passing touchdowns. Having such a balanced offense kept Lone Peak on their heels most of the night, allowing the Chargers to do just about whatever they wanted.
One of the highlights of the night came when Corner Canyon's offense was deep inside their own territory. Facing third-and-23, Wilson threw a deep pass down the sideline that senior receiver Quinn Hale hauled in and moved them into the red zone, setting up a score a few plays later.
Isaac Wilson practically walks into the end zone for a 6-yd TD rush. A missed extra point and Corner Canyon leads this game, 13-3 pic.twitter.com/LrtyroNVAq
— Thomas Gordon (@Air_Gordon12) October 8, 2022
Wilson seemingly did as much damage through the air as he did with his legs. While he showed great chemistry with his stable of receivers, he demonstrated an ability to put his head down and run for quality yardage on the ground. Kjar said he liked what he saw from the offense but knew there was room for improvement, even in a dominant win like Friday.
"(Lone Peak does) a great job defensively and they have some good players, and they just make it hard," Kjar said. "They do a lot of good things that make it difficult, so I was happy with how we played overall. Offensively, we hit some big plays and we were able to kinda, I think, move the ball pretty well. A lot of times we had a couple of penalties that kind of hurt us, but overall I like how we approached things.
"I would like to see us a little bit better with some read stuff with Isaac, and then a little bit better protection. And then maybe route running-wise we could have been better, but I was happy with how we played overall."
After losing twice to Lone Peak last year — including in the final game that really mattered — Corner Canyon relished the win on the Knights' home field. As the season winds down and the teams look to the playoffs, Kjar said his team will be ready, provided they ignore any outside distractions.
"You really gotta focus on playing your best football," Kjar said. "Sounds like every coach says that but it's really true. The better you can do that and the better we can improve just little things here and there, the better chance we have down the road for sure."
